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Knowing My Father

The Collision of the O. B. Jennings and War Knight

Col. Joseph R. Tedeschi, US Army, Ret.

Mining History to Know My Father

I never really knew my father. He died in 1951 when I was seventeen years old. Having lost him when I was a teenager, I had so little to hang on to that was really him. As I grew older and experienced more of life and fatherhood myself, I began to recognize and feel this missing part of my life. Over the years, I also developed an intense desire to learn more about my father in order to know him better, even in retrospect.
As I look back on it now, despite a normal and healthy relationship with my father, there simply was neither sufficient time nor enough opportunities to really get to know him. I don’t ever remember bantering or kidding with my father or sharing a joke. I’ve lamented and felt cheated by this most of my life, especially as I experienced fatherhood myself and established relationships with my own two daughters. It occurred to me that if I knew more about my father’s early life, especially before he married my mother in 1925, I might be able to get to know him better and fill in parts of this absence. I started to investigate by searching for information of his background and early life through the various family ancestry search engines. I then began to reconstruct my father’s early life especially from his World War I military service records.
Dad in his 40s

Research

UK National Archives
In my search for more information about the collision between the O. B. Jennings and the War Knight in the early, dark hours of 24 March 1918, I purchased a copy of the official "Court of Enquiry Order 0197/62 into Supposed Loss of US O. B. Jennings and War Knight," 3–6 April, 1918. I am loading images and a list to sort through these for any interested. Several of the eyewitness testimonies will be republished in my upcoming book. Go to the page "Official Court of Enquiry" for a description of what it entails and links to the images.
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★★★★★
  • In Knowing My Father, Joe Tedeschi gives us a multifaceted gift. First, he takes us on a poignant journey to meet, and salute, his long-deceased father. He also provides a painstakingly researched account of a naval tragedy set against the wider scope of a world war. He relates a compelling military story of sacrifice, courage, and heroism. He tells a touching family story of patriotism and resilience that helps us understand our country and the people who help to build it. For those who have read Joe’s previous works, he gives another opportunity to admire an accomplished author’s intellectual curiosity, wisdom, and extraordinary humanity. Lastly, he invites us, as we write the final chapters of our own life stories, to reflect on the legacy we are leaving to others, both loved ones and strangers.

    Bill McCusker

    Founder & CEO of
    Fathers & Families, Inc.
  • Joe Tedeschi has produced a great piece of work describing and highlighting the terrible events of 24 March 1918, when so many merchant seamen risked and lost their lives in a disastrous collision at sea during the Great War. In paying testament to his father, Joe has vividly exposed the price paid by these men, amid the survival of his own father in the catastrophe.

    Dave Wendes

    Owner of Wight Spirit Diving Charters Author of South Coast Shipwrecks off East Dorset & Wight 1870–1979
  • Joseph Tedeschi’s book, Knowing My Father: The Collision of the O. B. Jennings and War Knight, is an excellent example of how meticulous research can illuminate how humans react when placed in war-time situations. The inclusion of the first-hand transcripts of some of the survivors paints a haunting picture of the harrowing conditions they faced at sea as both ships became engulfed in flames following the collision. Although there is no direct testimony from his father, Joe Tedeschi could easily imagine what his father experienced, and how that shaped his life as he eventually transitioned from war-time to civilian life. Although Joe lost his father at an early age while still in high school, his deep feelings for him shine through at the end of the book. “Well done, Poppa, well done.”

    Jack Bartley

    Former naval officer and Vietnam veteran Author of Public Ed – A Novel, Smoke on the Water, and Hilo Dome
    https://jack-bartley.com/
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