I know some of you enjoy historical accounts so thought I'd share this story.
This is the account of Pearl Harbor and Naval action by James Arthur USN, Dada as my wife and her siblings called him. He was my wife's grandad. Dada was one of the smartest, kindest and most humble men I've ever known. Later he was awarded the Navy Cross for the lives he saved aboard the USS Utah.
James Arthur Mills USN
In 1940 I received orders for one year active duty. I passed the physical and reported to
the USS Rigel at the destroyer Base in San Diego for assignment. They put me to work in the
Base Communications office. Later I was assigned to the USS Utah (AG-16) formerly the
Battleship (BB-31), Home Port Long Beach Calif. The Utah had been converted to a Radio
controlled target and training ship. I caught the USS Hulbert, a four stacker Destroyer for
transportation to Long Beach California. Of course the weather had to act up for my benefit. I
did not get sea sick but it was a rough ride. I have always said that a Destroyer sailor should
receive submarine Pay because they are underwater half of the time. We arrived at Long
Beach. The Hulbert did not stop. We went over the side on a Jacobs ladder while under way (3
of us). We pitched our sea bags and hammock into the Utah boat along side, and of course one
sailor missed the boat with his sea bag etc. I suppose it is still on the bottom of the bay in
Battleship Row in Long Beach Harbor. We went aboard the Utah which was swinging around
the hook (anchor) in battleship Row. The officer of the Deck had his messenger to take below to
the Radio room. I met the radio gang and was assigned a locker and a cot. We slept and lived
in a room next to the Main radio room which was the third deck down. Joe Putnam was the chief
in charge. The gang as I remember was Slover, Stewart, Hughes, Upton, Bishop, Littlehale,
Jurkovich, Dickenson, J. Durham, C. Durham and Chapman. I was put on ship-shore Radio
Circuit and sometime the Fox Circuit.
The Utah was a radio controlled target ship. The Army, Navy and Marine Corp. planes
bombed us for practice, competing with each other. Dive bombers used small metal bombs.
The big bombers used 50 and 100 pound water filled bombs with detonators. These bombing
sessions were day and night and lasted 6 to 8 weeks. Then we would go to the Navy yard for a
couple of weeks for repairs. The submarines would bounce torpedoes off of us for a few weeks,
then the P.T. boats would do the same. Then we would have gunnery schools for several
weeks. Sailors would come from all other types of ships for these schools. They would
experiment with all kinds of guns and various types of equipment. For bombing they would
remove all boats and guns except the big guns they would put steel dog houses over them.
They would put 2 layers of 10”x10” timbers over the top decks for bombing. Later on I became
the Radio Control operator and in charge of all maintenance, Radio and Sonar equipment. On
radio control runs I could control ships direction, speed and turn on and off search lights and
blow the whistle etc. from the command of the ships navigator, on board or on another ship or
even on the beach. This was with my little black box and the telegraph key. I will never forget
my first Radio Control run. I was scared to death, but after four hours of circling, changing
speeds, directions, stopping, backing up etc., I had no trouble at all. After that, it was old hat. In
the gunnery school, we would have 15 or more Radio Controlled planes to shoot down. A 1
st
class radio man named Green who was a pilot, would fly the drone planes and dive them on the
ship for the gunners to shoot down. I must say here it is not easy to stand on the Flag bridge
with Green and the Chief Quarter Master on the planes (everyone else captain and all except
the gunners in the conning tower with 12 inches of steel protecting them) and watch a plane
diving on the ship, Hoping Green be able to lift its nose just enough to miss the ship. We never
had one hit us but had some close calls.
This practice goes on and on until one day – on Dec 6, 1941, we had just completed 6
weeks of nite and day bombing out in Sail area where no other ships are allowed to be in. one
merchant ship did get into our area and was bombed but no one was hurt. The week previous
preceding Dec 6, a Japanese submarine followed us under water. We knew he was there and
Captain Steel doubled the lookouts and told us that if he attacked us that every man should ride
a deck timber if we had to abandon the ship as we had no life boats, rafts, or any guns to fight
back. The sub did not attack.
As we approached the ship channel to Pearl Harbor, we radioed the Navy yard Captain
for docking instructions, he radioed back he could not take us in the yard for two and days and
tie up in the USS Lexingtons birth (a aircraft carrier) what was out to sea. At this time I was the
only first class radioman aboard. We were preparing for Admirals inspection and I had lots of
paper work to do for inspection. (Admiral Calhoun Base Force Commander)
I must say here, I was on report and was going to Captains mast Monday morning at 9
oclock for disobedience to an officer. Commander Isquith the chief engineer ordered me off my
battle station during bombing which I refused to do so he had 5 charges against me. My
Communications officer, Commander Winser told me on the phone that if I left my battle, he
would put me on report so you see I couldn’t Win, but I had no fear going before Captain Steel.
On Dec 7th 1941 I had liberty but I needed to work on my maintence records so I took
Chief Berrys standby duty so he could go ashore to buy some uniforms (he was killed later on
the USS Astorio. I ate breakfast, went to the head and was on my way down below to the
transmitter room to do my paper work when suddenly the ship rocked, I thought a ship had
rammed us so I ran up a ladder to topside and ran out into the machine gun fire from the
Japanese torpedo planes, they were so low and close I could see the expressions on their faces
which was grins. General Quarters sounded as I dove down the ladder to the second deck and
was running down the passage way to my battle station, a bomb came through behind me the
explosion sent me sailing on my way, before I got to my battle station abandon ship orders were
sounded. I went topside under the air castle. Two officers were standing out on the deck in the
machine gun fire directing the sailors who were under the air castle when to run out and go over
the side and swim to Ford Island. Lt Hauck and Lt Little were the officers directing the men. Lt
Little was killed by the machine gun fire. I did not see any radiomen or electricians so I went to
the hatch going down and a seaman had lowered the battle bars and was standing on them.
That was his job. I could see through the bars and men were on the ladders as far as I could
see so I told the seaman to raise the bars so the men could get out. He would not do so I said if
you dont I will slug you besides you need to get out of here and abandon ship. He said what is
your rate. I showed my chevrons on my sleeve so he said OK I have to obey you. He raised the
bars. You do that with a crank on a winch. The radiomen and electricians came out but not all
of them so I went down below and told them to get out. I missed one man (the name Bird is
scratched out in the original text) who was cut out later that night. He had a pair of pliers and a
flashlight. He was trapped in the double bottoms he beat on the hull with the pliers and under
welders cut him out. We took six torpedoes and two bomb hits besides all the strafing. When I
got topside under the air castle the ship keeling to portside about forty five degrees. Every one
was gone over the side. As I came out a steel box of Deck gear came sliding down, hit me
knocked me down and pinned me against the galley bulkhead, I struggled and finally got loose
and crawled up and got my hands in the scuppers as the ship rolled over. I stood up on her side
and could not go off on the Ford Island side for the keel which I guess is about 12 feet wide.
The torpedoes all hit the Port side and that is the way she rolled. The ten by ten timbers were
all in the water so I could not dive yet, the fuel oil covered the water for about fifty yards I was
afraid the oil would catch fire. Many ships were on fire. Yes fuel oil will burn on water. I could
not go yet. I looked forward and my buddy only in his shorts was standing on the bow waiting
for a chance to dive in the timbers and the oil. In the meantime, planes and shrapnel were
falling all around as you know everything that goes up must come down. I decided to let
Jurkovich go first and I would be the last off the ship. Finally he dove off. I looked for the best
opening. I did not have to dive very high as the side of the ship was near the water. I swam
through the oil, in fact I am sure I broke a speed record but no one was there to time me. I got
on a timber like a log in a creek and watched the fight. All of this happened in about seven and
one half minutes. The oil did not catch on fire thanks to Chief Peter Tomich who stayed aboard
and secured all four boilers and went down with the ship. Thanks Peter Tomich you saved my
life. Peter and fifty four more bodies are still in the Utah. We had crew of about 400, 100 were
killed. I floated around out there about forty five minutes before being picked up. A Japanese
submarine surfaced about a hundred yards from me and fired a torpedo at the USS Curtis, it
missed and landed on the beach at Pearl City. When the sub surfaced and fired the torpedo, a
5 inch 38 gun on the Curtis hit his conning tower, at this time a destroyer was bearing down on
me, I was afraid he would run over me but the man on the helm gave a hard right rudder and
missed me. (Thanks to another man I will never know. The destroyer rammed the submarine,
ran over him and dropped two depth charges on him. They later raised the sub in two pieces.
A couple of sailors in a USS Helena Captains gig came around the North end of Ford Island and
picked up Jurkovich then came on after me. I was covered with so much fuel oil they had a
hard time getting me into the boat. After dunking me five or six time, I got over the gunnel of the
boat. I was so slick with oil, they dropped me on my head to the bottom of the boat. They did
not know much about running the boat and killed the engine. While we were trying to get
engine started a flight of fighter Planes come over and strafed us. We did not get hit but the
boat was shot up pretty bad.
He said where to? I said Pearl City. About that time they started bombing and strafing
Pearl City, so we turned toward the Channel coming into Pearl Harbor. We were doing nicely
until the planes came after us again, strafing us. Were about 100 yards from Ford Island
seaplane ramp, so we four bailed out, swam ashore. I often wondered where, and how far out
to sea it wound up.
After getting to the beach, the Planes were still strafing and bombing all over the place.
We four parted our ways, Jurkovich and I ran onto a ditch, I suppose it was dug for a water line.
We layed end to end in the ditch to avoid the strafing as much as possible. After a while there
came a lull between flights so Jurkovich and I got out of the ditch, covered with oil and now dirt.
We ran across the seaplane ramp, Jerk in his shorts and Barefooted, me in my shorts but I did
have oil soaked shoes. Jerk said where do we go now? I said lets try that building over there.
The fighters were coming again leading the big bombers. We were running I thought at a pretty
good pace when a sailor passed us. As he went by he said Reckon I’ll ever see Brooklyn
again? I said I was just wondering about that myself. By that time he was out of sight. We got
to the building just as the planes arrived. It was what seemed to be a nice building, concrete
walls, a few windows, steel frame work overhead with a corrugated Iron roof. But it was filled
with cased ammunition. Jurkovich said Oh Brother can you pick em, if one of those big eggs
(bombs) hits us our folks will never know what happened to us. The machine gun bullets were
now comming through the glass windows, we layed end to end against the wall below the
windows. A 1800 lb bomb fell just outside the building. That’s when I lost hearing in my right
ear. The roof of the building raised up and sailed away. The concussion was terrific. It made
powder out of the rest of the windows. How do I know the big bombs weighed 1800 Pounds
some were duds and they weighed them. At that time 1800 pounds was a big Bomb. At the
time it seemed to be over so Jurkovich found a box of tin helmets. We took one each. Walked
out tin hat and shorts. We saw a line of sailors over at one building, we got in line, finally got
down to the door of the building and they handing out rifles. They ran out when we got to the
door. We didn’t need one anyway.
Buildings were burning, Planes, ships burning smoke was heavy, wind was blowing, We
got cold. We did not know where to go or what to do. We had lost our home and everything we
had. Ambulances were running around picking up people. We noticed some trucks running
around, drivers calling out different ships names. Finally a bobtail truck came along calling Utah
sailors. We got on he drove us around to the Administration building, one of a very few that
was not burning. There in front of the building was what was left of our crew. As we walked up,
covered with oil and dirt, Captain Steel looked up and said what in the hell happened to you
guys? As I remember we said something like somebody loused up our home. He told one of his
officers to go find us some clothes. The officer said Captain where should we go? I don’t know
but if you don’t find any don’t come back. The rest of the crew had dried out in their white
uniforms and looked sharp except me, Jurkovich and a third class electrician named Gurtz he
was covered in oil like we were. We always called him Gertie. The officer finally came back with
3 shirts and 3 pair of dungarees. That was it, no under ware shoes or hats. The clothing supply
was exhausted.
We told Captain Steel we wanted to go someplace and get some of the oil and dirt off of
us before putting on the only clothes we had, he said go ahead. Jerk, Gertie and me went over
to the Air Station chow hall and found a small room alongside the chow hall. The hall and also
the small room was filled with injured and burned sailors. Ambulances were hauling them off as
fast as they could.
We went into the room, pulled off our shorts. One Air station sailor got us some rags but
we needed something to wash off the oil, so he went out and he came back with a gallon can of
vinegar, that would not do any good except let us know we had some scratches we did not know
we had. He went out again and came back with a 5 gallon can of benzine. We used that and
got most of it off.While we were doing that , two women came in the room, they were helping get
the wounded and burned out in the ambulances. Gertie started jumping up and down hollering
what do we do now? I said Gertie you have been bombed, torpedoed and machine gunned and
that did not seem to bother you to much but two ladies comes here, catches you naked and you
blow your top, turn your back to them and get the oil off. They did not come in here to see you.
“Yeh” I guess you are right.
After we got most of the oil off, (It took months to get it all off) we walked back to where
our crew were, most of them were verbal ordered to various ships. Commander Winser was
there and he told us to go to the USS Argonne. We caught a boat and reported to the Argonne
and immediately put on the watch list. That night I was standing between 2 sailors talking to
them when a burst of fifty caliber machine gun fire came through the side of the ship hitting one
in the chest and the other was hit in the arm which severed his arm below his elbow. The Lord
had his hand on my shoulder.
I must stop the story here for a moment to say I was at the US Naval Station in Algiers
across the Mississippi river from New Orleans. I was rooming with a Chief Metal Smith by the
name of Bentley that picked me up in the Helena boat. I finally got to thank him after ten years.
Later Jurkovich and I was transferred from the Argonne to the Radio Material Officer in
the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard. He sent us to a new radio transmitter station in Makalapa to install
transmitters and equipment. We were installing transmitters for Ford Island Combat
Intelligence, Army, 14th Naval District and (Cincpac) Commander of the Pacific Fleet and all
Pacific Areas Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. The greatest man I ever worked for.
During this time Captain Graham the 14th District took us away from Captain Becker but
left on the same job. Captain Redman Admiral Nimitz communications officer took us away
from Captain Graham. Now we are on Cincpac’s Flag allowance months later with no pay, no
uniforms not even a hat, eating at the Submarine base chow hall, talking our way in and out of
the Navy yard Marine gate guards and us out of uniform. Now this is no easy chore.
Finally after months we got our pay records from Washington DC got paid. All this time
we had one shirt, one pair of dungarees, no under ware. Wash our clothes ever night, sleep
naked while our clothes dried. Now with money we sent ship mates to Honolulu and bought us
some clothes and hats.
In the meantime Washington sent my other records to Australia, naturally they thought I
would show up down there. After a year I did not show up so they sent my records to the Navy
at Pearl. Navy yard Personel office could not find me so they charged me with desertion. I did
not worry about this as I was with the naval Command in the Pacific and the flag personnel
officer got me out of that.
Jurkovich and I requested many transfers from Cincpac with no avail. The Duty with
Cincpac was the best there was but you never got to see the good ole USA. We volunteered for
Direction Finder operators on top of a mountain on the island of Maui, Cincpac said no. We
volunteered to go to Samoa and work for Commander Winser who requested us, Cincpac said
no. Our former Executive officer of the USS Utah Commander Harris was made captain of
Battleship California he came to see us and ask us if we would go with him on the California and
fight her, we said yes, he ask Cincpac for us they said no. The Blimp submarine hunting
Service asked for volunteer radio operators, I volunteered Cincpac said no and not to ask for
another transfer. The USS Pennsylvania and the USS West Virginia were the Flag Ships while
we were at Cincpac. A Flag is the Admiral, his staff is his officers, his sailors are called Flag
personnel. I say this because when I say Flag you will know what I mean. Jurkovich and I were
together for four years. I finally got off the flag but I will not tell you how I did it. I was sent back
to the USA for reassignment, I caught a merchant ship for transportation, the weather got bad,
the merchant marine crew got lost and we wound up at Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands.
We turned around and finally got to San Francisco. Bad weather and high seas all the way. The
Navy Bureau of naval personnel in Washington DC sent orders for me to report to naval training
station at Farragut Idaho for instructors school. I did not want to be a radio instructor but this
was better than being shot at or bombed. I got interested in the sociology class and stayed. I
finished the school. Was sent to the University of Idaho radio school as a instructor and
supervisor. There ten months. The school closed and I was sent to Seattle Washington for
assignment to Alaska.
At Seattle I made one more request. I got there a day early and went to the Bremerton
Navy yard looking for a ship. The Battleship New Jersey was in the Navy yard for overhaul, so I
went aboard, the messenger took me below to the radio room. There was my old shipmate
Chapman in charge. He was first class and I ask who their chief was. He said they did not
have a chief, they left two chief radiomen in Okinawa. Staley and Alpha, two chiefs I was with at
Cincpac. Chapman called his communication officer on the ships phone and he immediately
came down to the radio room. I met him and told him I was looking for a ship and I had done
duty with Staley and Alpha. He said if you even know them, you have a job. I reported to the
communications officer Commandant 13th Naval District and requested the USS New Jersey.
He said no I need a flag chief here at Comm 13. I stayed there in the wire room until the war
was over.
My one year turned out to be five years. I came home Dec 19 1945. By no means have I
told you all the things that happened along the way. That it self would be a book. I have sailed
the Pacific, North and South, the Atlantic and Carribiean Sea. Now I must tell you some things
about the Navy and Pearl Harbor as I see it. You don’t get much from the history books and if I
or some one else were there don’t tell you, you will never know.
Admiral Kimbel and General Short were not guilty but they took the rap. The guilty ones
were in Washington D.C. They also allowed the news casters and radios to report out all kinds
of things that was not true. We heard this and it just burned us up, but we could not utter a
word. They censored our mail and cut out all kinds of things that really meant nothing. For
instance I had a fungus break out on my right hand after staying in the salt water so long. I
could not write home. I had to get my shipmates to write for me. My wife and folks thought I
was injured and kept asking me in their letters what was wrong. I told them in my letters, I had a
fungus on my hand. I know Tojo in Japan cared less about my sore hand. I took 19 months to
cure it. The doctors thought for a while they would have to cut off two fingers. The American
people often criticise the Armed Forces, Why did you do this and that etc. The answer is
regulations.
The regulations in peace time, for instance at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. No
ship could go into port with ammunition in the gun ready boxes. Ammunition had to be stored in
the temperature controlled magazines. Why was the battle fleet in port at the time of the attack?
The carriers were out to sea. The Battle force was out to sea in manuvers. Only a few ships,
auxiliary, tankers etc, were in Port. The ocean was full of submerged Japanese submarines,
which was hampering fleet manuvers. The battle forces commander, Admiral Pye was angered
by this and sent a message to Admiral Kimmel asking permission to do some depth charge
practice. The answer was no, the second and third messages were sent. The same answer no.
After the third message was sent, Admiral Kimmel ordered the fleet in. This was very much a
advantage for the Japanese and their surprise attack plan. The offshore patrol ships were
circling the Islands not too far out. The other group were doing the same farther out. The patrol
planes were doing their job, flying 500 miles out, a left turn 50 miles and then back fo Ford
Island Naval Air Station. On each Sunday morning the Army, Navy and Marine planes would
practice air raids on the military installations. No one paid any attention to all the planes in the
air. After all of them were on the ground, the Japs came in. Many of our planes did not have
guns on them, thanks to our people in Washington D.C. The Japanese did most of their dirty
work in the first fifteen or twenty minutes due to the fact that our gunners had to get the
ammunition to their guns. After that, it was our fight, but the damage had been done.
Our carriers went after them but was low on fuel and had to return to port. It seemed all
of the circumstances was in their favor. I was told 350 planes came in. I do not know how
many of them got back to their carriers but I saw many shot down. I do not know the number
that were killed or wounded, but it seems about three thousand five hundred killed and four
thousand wounded. There are 55 bodies of my shipmates still in the hull of my ship. They were
going to raise and salvage the ship and remove the bodies but gave up after it was raised part
way, deciding it was not practical.
There was a two man sub in the harbor the night of Dec 7th. They chased it all over the
harbor. It got under the Hospital ship USS Relief. Divers went down and put chains around it.
A floating crane pulled it out, carried it over to a dock, layed it down and captured the the 2 man
crew.
At this point you may wonder how I knew about the three messages admiral Pye sent
asking for permission to hold depth charge practice. Well I knew the radioman that sent them.
Regulations, you cannot do that in peace time.
Could this sort of thing happen again? Yes. I only hope our people in Washington D.C.
always remember this and take steps to not let it happen again. Will there ever be peace in the
world? I will let the Bible answer that. Please read Matthew chapter 24 and verse 6. I know I
do not have to remind you that I am not a writer, you know that after reading this short account
of the attack.
History books do not give you much information on this, only one small paragraph in one
history book I read, so I hope this clears up at least some points on your mind. The United
States has often been criticized for dropping the atom bomb on Japan. Just remember and tell
your children and every one else, Had there not been the Pearl Harbor attack, there would not
have been the atom bomb on Japan.
I have lived away Past my three score and ten years. What lays ahead for me? Only
the Lord can answer that.
May the Lord Bless you.
I
This is the account of Pearl Harbor and Naval action by James Arthur USN, Dada as my wife and her siblings called him. He was my wife's grandad. Dada was one of the smartest, kindest and most humble men I've ever known. Later he was awarded the Navy Cross for the lives he saved aboard the USS Utah.
James Arthur Mills USN
In 1940 I received orders for one year active duty. I passed the physical and reported to
the USS Rigel at the destroyer Base in San Diego for assignment. They put me to work in the
Base Communications office. Later I was assigned to the USS Utah (AG-16) formerly the
Battleship (BB-31), Home Port Long Beach Calif. The Utah had been converted to a Radio
controlled target and training ship. I caught the USS Hulbert, a four stacker Destroyer for
transportation to Long Beach California. Of course the weather had to act up for my benefit. I
did not get sea sick but it was a rough ride. I have always said that a Destroyer sailor should
receive submarine Pay because they are underwater half of the time. We arrived at Long
Beach. The Hulbert did not stop. We went over the side on a Jacobs ladder while under way (3
of us). We pitched our sea bags and hammock into the Utah boat along side, and of course one
sailor missed the boat with his sea bag etc. I suppose it is still on the bottom of the bay in
Battleship Row in Long Beach Harbor. We went aboard the Utah which was swinging around
the hook (anchor) in battleship Row. The officer of the Deck had his messenger to take below to
the Radio room. I met the radio gang and was assigned a locker and a cot. We slept and lived
in a room next to the Main radio room which was the third deck down. Joe Putnam was the chief
in charge. The gang as I remember was Slover, Stewart, Hughes, Upton, Bishop, Littlehale,
Jurkovich, Dickenson, J. Durham, C. Durham and Chapman. I was put on ship-shore Radio
Circuit and sometime the Fox Circuit.
The Utah was a radio controlled target ship. The Army, Navy and Marine Corp. planes
bombed us for practice, competing with each other. Dive bombers used small metal bombs.
The big bombers used 50 and 100 pound water filled bombs with detonators. These bombing
sessions were day and night and lasted 6 to 8 weeks. Then we would go to the Navy yard for a
couple of weeks for repairs. The submarines would bounce torpedoes off of us for a few weeks,
then the P.T. boats would do the same. Then we would have gunnery schools for several
weeks. Sailors would come from all other types of ships for these schools. They would
experiment with all kinds of guns and various types of equipment. For bombing they would
remove all boats and guns except the big guns they would put steel dog houses over them.
They would put 2 layers of 10”x10” timbers over the top decks for bombing. Later on I became
the Radio Control operator and in charge of all maintenance, Radio and Sonar equipment. On
radio control runs I could control ships direction, speed and turn on and off search lights and
blow the whistle etc. from the command of the ships navigator, on board or on another ship or
even on the beach. This was with my little black box and the telegraph key. I will never forget
my first Radio Control run. I was scared to death, but after four hours of circling, changing
speeds, directions, stopping, backing up etc., I had no trouble at all. After that, it was old hat. In
the gunnery school, we would have 15 or more Radio Controlled planes to shoot down. A 1
st
class radio man named Green who was a pilot, would fly the drone planes and dive them on the
ship for the gunners to shoot down. I must say here it is not easy to stand on the Flag bridge
with Green and the Chief Quarter Master on the planes (everyone else captain and all except
the gunners in the conning tower with 12 inches of steel protecting them) and watch a plane
diving on the ship, Hoping Green be able to lift its nose just enough to miss the ship. We never
had one hit us but had some close calls.
This practice goes on and on until one day – on Dec 6, 1941, we had just completed 6
weeks of nite and day bombing out in Sail area where no other ships are allowed to be in. one
merchant ship did get into our area and was bombed but no one was hurt. The week previous
preceding Dec 6, a Japanese submarine followed us under water. We knew he was there and
Captain Steel doubled the lookouts and told us that if he attacked us that every man should ride
a deck timber if we had to abandon the ship as we had no life boats, rafts, or any guns to fight
back. The sub did not attack.
As we approached the ship channel to Pearl Harbor, we radioed the Navy yard Captain
for docking instructions, he radioed back he could not take us in the yard for two and days and
tie up in the USS Lexingtons birth (a aircraft carrier) what was out to sea. At this time I was the
only first class radioman aboard. We were preparing for Admirals inspection and I had lots of
paper work to do for inspection. (Admiral Calhoun Base Force Commander)
I must say here, I was on report and was going to Captains mast Monday morning at 9
oclock for disobedience to an officer. Commander Isquith the chief engineer ordered me off my
battle station during bombing which I refused to do so he had 5 charges against me. My
Communications officer, Commander Winser told me on the phone that if I left my battle, he
would put me on report so you see I couldn’t Win, but I had no fear going before Captain Steel.
On Dec 7th 1941 I had liberty but I needed to work on my maintence records so I took
Chief Berrys standby duty so he could go ashore to buy some uniforms (he was killed later on
the USS Astorio. I ate breakfast, went to the head and was on my way down below to the
transmitter room to do my paper work when suddenly the ship rocked, I thought a ship had
rammed us so I ran up a ladder to topside and ran out into the machine gun fire from the
Japanese torpedo planes, they were so low and close I could see the expressions on their faces
which was grins. General Quarters sounded as I dove down the ladder to the second deck and
was running down the passage way to my battle station, a bomb came through behind me the
explosion sent me sailing on my way, before I got to my battle station abandon ship orders were
sounded. I went topside under the air castle. Two officers were standing out on the deck in the
machine gun fire directing the sailors who were under the air castle when to run out and go over
the side and swim to Ford Island. Lt Hauck and Lt Little were the officers directing the men. Lt
Little was killed by the machine gun fire. I did not see any radiomen or electricians so I went to
the hatch going down and a seaman had lowered the battle bars and was standing on them.
That was his job. I could see through the bars and men were on the ladders as far as I could
see so I told the seaman to raise the bars so the men could get out. He would not do so I said if
you dont I will slug you besides you need to get out of here and abandon ship. He said what is
your rate. I showed my chevrons on my sleeve so he said OK I have to obey you. He raised the
bars. You do that with a crank on a winch. The radiomen and electricians came out but not all
of them so I went down below and told them to get out. I missed one man (the name Bird is
scratched out in the original text) who was cut out later that night. He had a pair of pliers and a
flashlight. He was trapped in the double bottoms he beat on the hull with the pliers and under
welders cut him out. We took six torpedoes and two bomb hits besides all the strafing. When I
got topside under the air castle the ship keeling to portside about forty five degrees. Every one
was gone over the side. As I came out a steel box of Deck gear came sliding down, hit me
knocked me down and pinned me against the galley bulkhead, I struggled and finally got loose
and crawled up and got my hands in the scuppers as the ship rolled over. I stood up on her side
and could not go off on the Ford Island side for the keel which I guess is about 12 feet wide.
The torpedoes all hit the Port side and that is the way she rolled. The ten by ten timbers were
all in the water so I could not dive yet, the fuel oil covered the water for about fifty yards I was
afraid the oil would catch fire. Many ships were on fire. Yes fuel oil will burn on water. I could
not go yet. I looked forward and my buddy only in his shorts was standing on the bow waiting
for a chance to dive in the timbers and the oil. In the meantime, planes and shrapnel were
falling all around as you know everything that goes up must come down. I decided to let
Jurkovich go first and I would be the last off the ship. Finally he dove off. I looked for the best
opening. I did not have to dive very high as the side of the ship was near the water. I swam
through the oil, in fact I am sure I broke a speed record but no one was there to time me. I got
on a timber like a log in a creek and watched the fight. All of this happened in about seven and
one half minutes. The oil did not catch on fire thanks to Chief Peter Tomich who stayed aboard
and secured all four boilers and went down with the ship. Thanks Peter Tomich you saved my
life. Peter and fifty four more bodies are still in the Utah. We had crew of about 400, 100 were
killed. I floated around out there about forty five minutes before being picked up. A Japanese
submarine surfaced about a hundred yards from me and fired a torpedo at the USS Curtis, it
missed and landed on the beach at Pearl City. When the sub surfaced and fired the torpedo, a
5 inch 38 gun on the Curtis hit his conning tower, at this time a destroyer was bearing down on
me, I was afraid he would run over me but the man on the helm gave a hard right rudder and
missed me. (Thanks to another man I will never know. The destroyer rammed the submarine,
ran over him and dropped two depth charges on him. They later raised the sub in two pieces.
A couple of sailors in a USS Helena Captains gig came around the North end of Ford Island and
picked up Jurkovich then came on after me. I was covered with so much fuel oil they had a
hard time getting me into the boat. After dunking me five or six time, I got over the gunnel of the
boat. I was so slick with oil, they dropped me on my head to the bottom of the boat. They did
not know much about running the boat and killed the engine. While we were trying to get
engine started a flight of fighter Planes come over and strafed us. We did not get hit but the
boat was shot up pretty bad.
He said where to? I said Pearl City. About that time they started bombing and strafing
Pearl City, so we turned toward the Channel coming into Pearl Harbor. We were doing nicely
until the planes came after us again, strafing us. Were about 100 yards from Ford Island
seaplane ramp, so we four bailed out, swam ashore. I often wondered where, and how far out
to sea it wound up.
After getting to the beach, the Planes were still strafing and bombing all over the place.
We four parted our ways, Jurkovich and I ran onto a ditch, I suppose it was dug for a water line.
We layed end to end in the ditch to avoid the strafing as much as possible. After a while there
came a lull between flights so Jurkovich and I got out of the ditch, covered with oil and now dirt.
We ran across the seaplane ramp, Jerk in his shorts and Barefooted, me in my shorts but I did
have oil soaked shoes. Jerk said where do we go now? I said lets try that building over there.
The fighters were coming again leading the big bombers. We were running I thought at a pretty
good pace when a sailor passed us. As he went by he said Reckon I’ll ever see Brooklyn
again? I said I was just wondering about that myself. By that time he was out of sight. We got
to the building just as the planes arrived. It was what seemed to be a nice building, concrete
walls, a few windows, steel frame work overhead with a corrugated Iron roof. But it was filled
with cased ammunition. Jurkovich said Oh Brother can you pick em, if one of those big eggs
(bombs) hits us our folks will never know what happened to us. The machine gun bullets were
now comming through the glass windows, we layed end to end against the wall below the
windows. A 1800 lb bomb fell just outside the building. That’s when I lost hearing in my right
ear. The roof of the building raised up and sailed away. The concussion was terrific. It made
powder out of the rest of the windows. How do I know the big bombs weighed 1800 Pounds
some were duds and they weighed them. At that time 1800 pounds was a big Bomb. At the
time it seemed to be over so Jurkovich found a box of tin helmets. We took one each. Walked
out tin hat and shorts. We saw a line of sailors over at one building, we got in line, finally got
down to the door of the building and they handing out rifles. They ran out when we got to the
door. We didn’t need one anyway.
Buildings were burning, Planes, ships burning smoke was heavy, wind was blowing, We
got cold. We did not know where to go or what to do. We had lost our home and everything we
had. Ambulances were running around picking up people. We noticed some trucks running
around, drivers calling out different ships names. Finally a bobtail truck came along calling Utah
sailors. We got on he drove us around to the Administration building, one of a very few that
was not burning. There in front of the building was what was left of our crew. As we walked up,
covered with oil and dirt, Captain Steel looked up and said what in the hell happened to you
guys? As I remember we said something like somebody loused up our home. He told one of his
officers to go find us some clothes. The officer said Captain where should we go? I don’t know
but if you don’t find any don’t come back. The rest of the crew had dried out in their white
uniforms and looked sharp except me, Jurkovich and a third class electrician named Gurtz he
was covered in oil like we were. We always called him Gertie. The officer finally came back with
3 shirts and 3 pair of dungarees. That was it, no under ware shoes or hats. The clothing supply
was exhausted.
We told Captain Steel we wanted to go someplace and get some of the oil and dirt off of
us before putting on the only clothes we had, he said go ahead. Jerk, Gertie and me went over
to the Air Station chow hall and found a small room alongside the chow hall. The hall and also
the small room was filled with injured and burned sailors. Ambulances were hauling them off as
fast as they could.
We went into the room, pulled off our shorts. One Air station sailor got us some rags but
we needed something to wash off the oil, so he went out and he came back with a gallon can of
vinegar, that would not do any good except let us know we had some scratches we did not know
we had. He went out again and came back with a 5 gallon can of benzine. We used that and
got most of it off.While we were doing that , two women came in the room, they were helping get
the wounded and burned out in the ambulances. Gertie started jumping up and down hollering
what do we do now? I said Gertie you have been bombed, torpedoed and machine gunned and
that did not seem to bother you to much but two ladies comes here, catches you naked and you
blow your top, turn your back to them and get the oil off. They did not come in here to see you.
“Yeh” I guess you are right.
After we got most of the oil off, (It took months to get it all off) we walked back to where
our crew were, most of them were verbal ordered to various ships. Commander Winser was
there and he told us to go to the USS Argonne. We caught a boat and reported to the Argonne
and immediately put on the watch list. That night I was standing between 2 sailors talking to
them when a burst of fifty caliber machine gun fire came through the side of the ship hitting one
in the chest and the other was hit in the arm which severed his arm below his elbow. The Lord
had his hand on my shoulder.
I must stop the story here for a moment to say I was at the US Naval Station in Algiers
across the Mississippi river from New Orleans. I was rooming with a Chief Metal Smith by the
name of Bentley that picked me up in the Helena boat. I finally got to thank him after ten years.
Later Jurkovich and I was transferred from the Argonne to the Radio Material Officer in
the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard. He sent us to a new radio transmitter station in Makalapa to install
transmitters and equipment. We were installing transmitters for Ford Island Combat
Intelligence, Army, 14th Naval District and (Cincpac) Commander of the Pacific Fleet and all
Pacific Areas Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. The greatest man I ever worked for.
During this time Captain Graham the 14th District took us away from Captain Becker but
left on the same job. Captain Redman Admiral Nimitz communications officer took us away
from Captain Graham. Now we are on Cincpac’s Flag allowance months later with no pay, no
uniforms not even a hat, eating at the Submarine base chow hall, talking our way in and out of
the Navy yard Marine gate guards and us out of uniform. Now this is no easy chore.
Finally after months we got our pay records from Washington DC got paid. All this time
we had one shirt, one pair of dungarees, no under ware. Wash our clothes ever night, sleep
naked while our clothes dried. Now with money we sent ship mates to Honolulu and bought us
some clothes and hats.
In the meantime Washington sent my other records to Australia, naturally they thought I
would show up down there. After a year I did not show up so they sent my records to the Navy
at Pearl. Navy yard Personel office could not find me so they charged me with desertion. I did
not worry about this as I was with the naval Command in the Pacific and the flag personnel
officer got me out of that.
Jurkovich and I requested many transfers from Cincpac with no avail. The Duty with
Cincpac was the best there was but you never got to see the good ole USA. We volunteered for
Direction Finder operators on top of a mountain on the island of Maui, Cincpac said no. We
volunteered to go to Samoa and work for Commander Winser who requested us, Cincpac said
no. Our former Executive officer of the USS Utah Commander Harris was made captain of
Battleship California he came to see us and ask us if we would go with him on the California and
fight her, we said yes, he ask Cincpac for us they said no. The Blimp submarine hunting
Service asked for volunteer radio operators, I volunteered Cincpac said no and not to ask for
another transfer. The USS Pennsylvania and the USS West Virginia were the Flag Ships while
we were at Cincpac. A Flag is the Admiral, his staff is his officers, his sailors are called Flag
personnel. I say this because when I say Flag you will know what I mean. Jurkovich and I were
together for four years. I finally got off the flag but I will not tell you how I did it. I was sent back
to the USA for reassignment, I caught a merchant ship for transportation, the weather got bad,
the merchant marine crew got lost and we wound up at Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands.
We turned around and finally got to San Francisco. Bad weather and high seas all the way. The
Navy Bureau of naval personnel in Washington DC sent orders for me to report to naval training
station at Farragut Idaho for instructors school. I did not want to be a radio instructor but this
was better than being shot at or bombed. I got interested in the sociology class and stayed. I
finished the school. Was sent to the University of Idaho radio school as a instructor and
supervisor. There ten months. The school closed and I was sent to Seattle Washington for
assignment to Alaska.
At Seattle I made one more request. I got there a day early and went to the Bremerton
Navy yard looking for a ship. The Battleship New Jersey was in the Navy yard for overhaul, so I
went aboard, the messenger took me below to the radio room. There was my old shipmate
Chapman in charge. He was first class and I ask who their chief was. He said they did not
have a chief, they left two chief radiomen in Okinawa. Staley and Alpha, two chiefs I was with at
Cincpac. Chapman called his communication officer on the ships phone and he immediately
came down to the radio room. I met him and told him I was looking for a ship and I had done
duty with Staley and Alpha. He said if you even know them, you have a job. I reported to the
communications officer Commandant 13th Naval District and requested the USS New Jersey.
He said no I need a flag chief here at Comm 13. I stayed there in the wire room until the war
was over.
My one year turned out to be five years. I came home Dec 19 1945. By no means have I
told you all the things that happened along the way. That it self would be a book. I have sailed
the Pacific, North and South, the Atlantic and Carribiean Sea. Now I must tell you some things
about the Navy and Pearl Harbor as I see it. You don’t get much from the history books and if I
or some one else were there don’t tell you, you will never know.
Admiral Kimbel and General Short were not guilty but they took the rap. The guilty ones
were in Washington D.C. They also allowed the news casters and radios to report out all kinds
of things that was not true. We heard this and it just burned us up, but we could not utter a
word. They censored our mail and cut out all kinds of things that really meant nothing. For
instance I had a fungus break out on my right hand after staying in the salt water so long. I
could not write home. I had to get my shipmates to write for me. My wife and folks thought I
was injured and kept asking me in their letters what was wrong. I told them in my letters, I had a
fungus on my hand. I know Tojo in Japan cared less about my sore hand. I took 19 months to
cure it. The doctors thought for a while they would have to cut off two fingers. The American
people often criticise the Armed Forces, Why did you do this and that etc. The answer is
regulations.
The regulations in peace time, for instance at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. No
ship could go into port with ammunition in the gun ready boxes. Ammunition had to be stored in
the temperature controlled magazines. Why was the battle fleet in port at the time of the attack?
The carriers were out to sea. The Battle force was out to sea in manuvers. Only a few ships,
auxiliary, tankers etc, were in Port. The ocean was full of submerged Japanese submarines,
which was hampering fleet manuvers. The battle forces commander, Admiral Pye was angered
by this and sent a message to Admiral Kimmel asking permission to do some depth charge
practice. The answer was no, the second and third messages were sent. The same answer no.
After the third message was sent, Admiral Kimmel ordered the fleet in. This was very much a
advantage for the Japanese and their surprise attack plan. The offshore patrol ships were
circling the Islands not too far out. The other group were doing the same farther out. The patrol
planes were doing their job, flying 500 miles out, a left turn 50 miles and then back fo Ford
Island Naval Air Station. On each Sunday morning the Army, Navy and Marine planes would
practice air raids on the military installations. No one paid any attention to all the planes in the
air. After all of them were on the ground, the Japs came in. Many of our planes did not have
guns on them, thanks to our people in Washington D.C. The Japanese did most of their dirty
work in the first fifteen or twenty minutes due to the fact that our gunners had to get the
ammunition to their guns. After that, it was our fight, but the damage had been done.
Our carriers went after them but was low on fuel and had to return to port. It seemed all
of the circumstances was in their favor. I was told 350 planes came in. I do not know how
many of them got back to their carriers but I saw many shot down. I do not know the number
that were killed or wounded, but it seems about three thousand five hundred killed and four
thousand wounded. There are 55 bodies of my shipmates still in the hull of my ship. They were
going to raise and salvage the ship and remove the bodies but gave up after it was raised part
way, deciding it was not practical.
There was a two man sub in the harbor the night of Dec 7th. They chased it all over the
harbor. It got under the Hospital ship USS Relief. Divers went down and put chains around it.
A floating crane pulled it out, carried it over to a dock, layed it down and captured the the 2 man
crew.
At this point you may wonder how I knew about the three messages admiral Pye sent
asking for permission to hold depth charge practice. Well I knew the radioman that sent them.
Regulations, you cannot do that in peace time.
Could this sort of thing happen again? Yes. I only hope our people in Washington D.C.
always remember this and take steps to not let it happen again. Will there ever be peace in the
world? I will let the Bible answer that. Please read Matthew chapter 24 and verse 6. I know I
do not have to remind you that I am not a writer, you know that after reading this short account
of the attack.
History books do not give you much information on this, only one small paragraph in one
history book I read, so I hope this clears up at least some points on your mind. The United
States has often been criticized for dropping the atom bomb on Japan. Just remember and tell
your children and every one else, Had there not been the Pearl Harbor attack, there would not
have been the atom bomb on Japan.
I have lived away Past my three score and ten years. What lays ahead for me? Only
the Lord can answer that.
May the Lord Bless you.
I
