Charles R. Davis US Navy USS Argonne |
On the day before the attack, (Saturday Dec. 6th 1941) three of us ship's company signed up to play golf at the officer's club golf course. We had an early tee time, so we slept on topside so that we would be wakened by the dawn patrol of P.B Y. (patrol bombers) taking off. Strangely, in all the months that I was stationed at Pearl, this was the only morning there was no dawn patrol. Since we overslept and missed our tee time, we went to chow. This was around 7 a.m. After chow I went to my locker and got my Xmas cards that I had bought in Honolulu the day before. Then, as I was at our ship's post office addressing the cards, I heard the boatswain's whistle and the announcement over the ship's P.A. system; "ALL HANDS MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS NOW!" I thought to myself, why are they having a drill on a Sunday morning? As I stepped out of the "fo'c'sle" (forecastle) onto the forward main deck, I saw planes and bomb blasts coming from battle ship row across the harbor from our ship, the USS Argonne. When I asked what's going on, a shipmate said, "The Japs are attacking us!" Then I said," I didn't know they were mad at us." I went back aboard to get my photo album and a pair of boots I had just purchased, and hid them under a pile of life jackets out on dock 1010. I then boarded a motor launch and we began lifting the survivors and wounded from the water. Then we took them to the Aiea landing to be taken to the naval hospital and we went back for more. I saw some personnel floundering on the other side of some oil fire on the water. Since I was a pretty good swimmer, I thought I would be able to swim under the fire and help them to dry land on Ford Island. As it turned out I didn't quite make it and received 1st degree burns on my face and crude oil in my eyes. I was taken to a dispensary at the officer's club for recovery. Three days later I was sent to the battle ship Arizona to recover lost seamen. I wouldn't care to say anymore about this duty. Incidentally, I found my photo album and boots where I hid them. |
Information provided by Charles R. Davis. |
