Walter Theodore Larson US Navy USS Nevada

I was born in a small town in northwestern Wisconsin called Danbury, population 350. Our town had only a two-year high school so we had to go to Webster, which was nine miles away. I graduated from Webster High School in May 1940. After graduation I worked in a store for three months, then started my own business sawing stove wood. I earned $1.25 an hour and my helper earned $0.50 per hour. We had a good thing going as most everyone needed stove wood and I had the only saw rig. I joined the Navy in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on December 20,1940. I was sent to Great Lakes Naval Training Center with eight other men from the area. We completed our training the first part of February 1941. Our company was sent to Seattle, Washington, where we were assigned to the battleship U.S.S. Nevada BB-36. When I first saw it, I couldn't believe anything that big could float. A week or so after coming aboard, the ship sailed for Long Beach, California. On the way we ran into a storm. I think most of the crew got seasick as most of us were new and had never been to sea. My company was sleeping on ammo conveyors below decks and we all were sick. My friend and I headed for topside for fresh air, as things were real bad in our compartment. On the way to topside we went by sickbay, where they were handing out big dill pickles, which helped a lot. We were all assigned to divisions. I was the only one assigned to "E" Division (Electrical) as a striker. I was first assigned to the distribution gang. Then after a month or so I joined the lighting gang, which I liked much better. I was promoted to Fireman 3/c. My battle station was the aft searchlights, which were high up on the aft. mast. Our job was to change the carbon in the lights as they burned down, a very hot job. On the morning of December 7, 1941, I had just finished my breakfast and was in the lighting shop to wash some clothes. The time was 7:55 a.m. a sailor came running down the passage way yelling "General Quarters, the God damn Japs are bombing the hell out of us." Just then General Quarters sounded. We all took off for our battle stations. As I got top side, about to climb up the mast to the searchlight platform, another electrician striker said to me, "I don't think I want to go up there." I reminded him that it was a general court martial if you didn't go to your battle station. He said, "You go first," which I did. When we got to the platform there were a couple other men there. One seaman was on machine gun watch and had a 30-cal. machine gun, the one with the old round clip for ammunition. There were fires and smoke all over the Harbor. I remember seeing some of the ships being torpedoed. The big explosions were on battleship row. I could see a lot of Jap planes overhead. Then a torpedo plane came at us. We took a hit on the forward part of the ship. As the plane banked away from us, we all yelled at the guy with the gun to shoot as the plane wasn't too far away from the ship. I can still see the holes being punched in the bottom of the plane. It went down in the bay not too far astern. As the plane hit the water, the back canopy opened and a Jap started to get out. The plane just went down and him with it. I can remember thinking this is for real, as it was the first person I had seen killed. A while after this I saw explosions in the dry dock area where the U.S.S. Pennsylvania, U.S.S. Cassin, and U.S.S. Downes were. I don't remember which ship got hit or when, but about that time the U.S.S. Arizona got hit by a bomb. The main magazine exploded and a ball of fire went up hundreds of feet. The noise was tremendous and the heat hit us like a blast furnace as we were tied up just to the stern of the Arizona. Soon after that we were ordered off the searchlight platform, to go below to help where we could. As we made our way down we closed a hatch on the stern of the ships after deck. I remember wondering why we had to man the searchlights in daytime. I never did get an answer as I and another striker headed below to the lighting shop. We stopped at the sick bay to ask if we could help in any way, and we were told to go below to the armor deck. About that time two black men came in and they were burned badly, the skin was just hanging from their arms. They were in a lot of pain. I remember the doctor telling them to sit in the corner while he took care of men who were really hurt. We went below and helped wherever we were needed. In the meantime the ship got underway. As of now we had been hit by a torpedo and two bombs. As we started to go out of the Harbor, the second wave of Jap dive-bombers took after us hoping to sink us in the channel blocking it so no other ships could get out. Six more bombs hit us. We dropped anchor at Hospital Point just before hitting the channel. After the second wave was over, they moved us across the channel and beached us clearing the channel. A causeway was built to shore so we could get off in case of another attack. Sometime in the afternoon General Quarters sounded and we were ordered to go ashore into a sugar cane field. As each man was about to leave the ship he was given a rifle and some ammunition. When my turn came, the officer said, "you look pretty young to get a rifle so you carry ammunition for a marine who had a B.A.R. he needs some help." So that's what I did. After the all-clear sounded, we went back aboard ship. The electrical gang went to work getting back as much power and lighting as we could. That night we were taken ashore to the recreation hall where we got something to eat. We also got a shower and clean clothing. We slept in the bowling alley, all I had was a blanket and a pillow. I don't remember if it was hard or not as I was so tired. After the second attack, I was one of those who helped pick up the dead from number five casements where a bomb had hit. I helped pick up parts of bodies and put them on stretchers and carried them out to the after deck to be identified. I helped carry two bodies out. I couldn't go back again so was told to leave. I was asked if I was scared. I don't think during the attack I was as our training was just automatic. That night, when things slowed down, it started to sink in as to what had really happened. Then I think I started being scared. Also maybe from seeing the dead and wounded and thinking that I could have been one of them. We each got a card to send home to let our families know how we were. You crossed out the words that didn't pertain to you. Years later after I was out of the service, I found this card in some of my mother's things and I still have it. Most of us were put into pools to be transferred to other ships that needed personnel. On December 14th I and several other electricians were transferred to the U.S.S. Saratoga, an aircraft carrier. I was assigned to the number one motor as she was an electric drive ship. My battle station for General Quarters was in main control, and I stood watch on the generator flats. On our first trip out we were torpedoed. We returned to Pearl Harbor for some repairs. Then we went to Bremerton , Washington for major repairs. We had just finished repairs when the battle of Midway was going on so we just missed being in that battle. We did take some planes out there after it was over. About this time I made 3rd Class electrician mate . Then in August 1942 at the invasion of Guadalcanal, we were torpedoed again by a submarine, which blew up the high tension cell in main control stopping us dead in the water. Two officers, another electrician, and I worked 52 hours straight dismantling and repairing it. The ship got underway with top speed of 12 knots. We went back to Pearl Harbor, then to Bremerton, Washington. After this repair job we headed back to the South Pacific and the war.

Information provided by Walter Larson.

DOB: 1/26/1923 Service Dates: 12/20/1940 - 11/19/1947 Military Career: USS Nevada; USS Saratoga; ETC School Washington, DC; USS LCI (G) 455; USS Bunker Hill; Sub-Group One, Bremerton, WA; American Campaign; Asiatic-Pacific - 8 stars; American Defense - Fleet Clasp; WWII Victory; Good Conduct Navy Unit Citation. Civilian Career: Northwest Bell Telephone Co. -- worked in Iowa for 10 years then moved to Minneapolis, MN, and worked in PBX Department for another 26 years. Retired 12/1983 with 36 years of service. Family: Married to Jere; have five daughters; we live in Minneapolis, MN, in the summer and in Alamo, TX, in the winter (Winter Texan).