Robert F. Nigg US Navy USS Oklahoma

My Father, Robert F. Nigg and his two brothers Ed and Herb all from Browns Valley, Minnesota and a cousin LaVerne Nigg from Peever, South Dakota were on the Oklahoma Dec 7, 1941. Robert, Ed and Herb survived the attack but LaVerne was killed during the raid. Dad enlisted in the Navy in 1940 and went aboard the Oklahoma, Ed, Herb and LaVerne joined later.  All were assigned to the Oklahoma by chance. That was before the Sullivan brothers and the Navy still allowed brothers to serve together on the same ship. Dad said; "I remember Dec 7, 1941 very well, He said, "It was about 7:55 a.m. when we were hit. I was helping the chaplain ring for church, (who was later killed). Our ship was one of the first ones hit and it didn't take long - only about seven minutes and the ship was over on its side. We were ordered to go over the side. We had on life jackets and the water was warm, but messy with litter and what not.

Information provided by Robert A. Nigg

1942 Edward Nigg, Herb Nigg and Bob Nigg All three brothers were serving aboard the USS Oklakoma on Dec 7, 1941 all three survived. Ed drowned in a boating accident on lake Traverse near Browns Valley, Minnesota while on leave.

1942 Bob Nigg while on leave in Sisseton, South Dakota.

I swam over to the battleship Maryland. I didn't know if my brothers made it until we came together several hours later at an Aid Station on Ford Island." There, the brothers learned that LaVerne didn't make it. The army took care of us for five days and we were assigned to other ships." The three brothers were reassigned to the USS Northampton - a heavy cruiser with 8-inch guns, but faster that the Oklahoma. The ship patrolled the Pacific for a year, went through Battles of Midway and the Coral Sea. It was one of the escorts for the aircraft carrier, The Hornet, when Gen. Dolittle's bombers raided Tokyo. During a night battle in the Solomon Islands, (Tallafronga), the Northampton had a surface hit and in several hours it sank. There were 1300 men on board and all made it off the ship except 52 enlisted men and 5 officers. "It is an eerie feeling falling over the side at night. We had on life jackets and swam toward the light of a destroyer. We were in the water until nearly daylight, when we were picked up. I had no idea if my brothers were alive until we all met on the destroyer on our way back to port at the Island of Espiritu Santo". He said. The three brothers survived. Dad and Ed were reassigned to the USS Boston until he was sent to gunnery school at San Diego, CA.  After that he was reassigned to Pearl Harbor, he said he could never bring himself to return to the Oklahoma's sinking site.  Ed drowned in a boating accident while on leave in Minnesota.