In honor of December 7, 1941, here is the story of a young man that lived through the ‘day that shall live in infamy.’
Robert was ready to leave. He was 18, graduated from high school, and eager to see the world. His hometown, Mulberry, Indiana, with a population of less than 1,000 just didn’t seem big enough anymore. He read letters from his older brother John describing the exotic South Pacific islands he was visiting with the Navy. Robert was ready for that kind of adventure, so in September 1940 he enlisted in the Navy.
The first exotic location he saw was the Navy Training Center Great Lakes near Kenosha, Illinois. But within a few months he was on one of the Navy’s great dreadnaught battleships, USS West Virginia, and sailing to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory.
The West Virginia joined seven other battleships along Ford Island in Pearl Harbor’s Battleship Row.
December 7, 1941, was a Sunday and many of the ships’ crews were on leave. Those remaining on ship were just beginning a bright, clear tropical day in Hawaii when ‘general quarters’ was heard. Sailors saw a sky filled with Japanese planes dropping bombs and torpedoes.
“A few seconds later General Quarters was sounded. almost simultaneously all hell broke loose. The ship commenced exploding, shaking and rocking.” – Robert S. Kronberger
Men raced to their assigned battlestations, but already the USS West Virginia – known as WeeVee to her crew- was taking serious damage. She and the Tennessee were moored side by side and directly behind the Arizona. Fuel leaking from the Arizona engulfed the West Virginia in flames. Two bombs and seven torpedoes ripped huge holes in her hull and destroyed much of her superstructure. Because the West Virginia was on the outside of the Tennessee, she caught more of the torpedoes and was listing severely to port. Men from the West Virginia and other ships fired at the Japanese planes with whatever guns and ammo had escaped damage. Then her sailors heard ‘abandon ship.’ Crew below deck worked to climb tilting, oil-slick ladders. Men dove into fire-covered water, others found that the the ship’s severe listing allowed them to jump directly onto the Tennessee’s deck. The WeeVee began to fill with water but quick counterflooding allowed the her to settle to the bottom of the channel without capsizing.
After three hours the battle was over. The West Virginia had lost 106 men including her commanding officer, Captain Mervyn S. Bennion. She lay at the bottom of the harbor along with the Arizona and Oklahoma. In the harbor sailors fought fires, manned rescue boats, pulled comrades, both dead or alive from the waters. The Arizona would continue to burn for two more days.
Many of the WeeVee crew swam to Ford Island where they were gathered and transferred to the Tennessee.
“We mustered the West Virginia crew this morning; they are going to stay aboard as Tennessee sailors until further notice; the beautiful West Virginia is no more. “ — Ensign George McCartney Hunter
As ships arrived in Pearl Harbor they would request sailors to fill out their crews and the survivors of the sunken and damaged ships were reassigned. Seaman Robert Bennett along with many other West Virginia crew were assigned to the USS Lexington.
The West Virginia had been a battleship, the Lexington was an aircraft carrier. She was assigned missions in the Pacific, including the Battle of the Coral Sea – May 4-8, 1942. In this battle she suffered massive damage from Japanese bombs and torpedoes. Fires, power failures and flooding finally forced her captain to order ‘abandon ship.’ So for the second time in five months, Seaman Bennett went over the side as his ship sank beneath him.
Ships came alongside of the Lexington to pick up men and lifeboats. Most of the Lexington crew including Bennett were taken aboard the USS Minneapolis who then sailed to New Caledonia to put off the survivors.
Robert served in the Navy until the end of the war. He returned to Mulberry where, his wanderlust gone, he lived until his death in 1984.
Surprisingly, the West Virginia would serve again. Repair crews patched her holes, pumped out the water and refloated her. She was refitted and fought at Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. She was in Tokyo Bay on August 31, 1945 when Japan surrendered.
Connection: Robert Willis Bennett was my first cousin 2x removed. His mother, Elda Fickle Bennett, and my great-grandmother Fina Fickle Horlacher were sisters. Note: Robert’s brother was the subject of my blog “John W. Bennett – WWII” on February 13, 2016.
A wonderful collection of stories about the West Virginia and the source of the quotes in this blog is “Battleship USS West Virginia (BB48)” at https://www.usswestvirginia.org/
familyconnectionsblog - 