On a battleship,
on "Battleship Row".
USS California (BB-44)
These are my recollections of the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7th 1941.
Glen C. Turner, Seaman 1st Class
20 Years old
Born April 25, 1921
USS California (BB 44)
Battle Station; Spot One,
Main Battery Firecontrol Station.
Top of the Foremast
On the USS California, December 7th 1941 started like every Sunday in port except I had the 8 to 12 fo'c'sl sentry watch. This meant that I had to get into clean whites, have breakfast and relieve the watch 15 minutes before the hour to permit the man being relieved to eat.
An awning had been rigged on the fo'c'sl and church was being set up. Before making one round of the fo'c'sl I heard a plane roar overhead (not unusual because we were tied up along the Ford Island Naval Air Station) and then there was a large explosion at the hangers on Ford Island. I ran for the phones to report this to the Officer of the Deck but before I reached the phone, the General Alarm sounded with the announcement to "Man your battle stations-THIS IS NO DRILL! "My battle station was "Spot One" 125 feet up the foremast in the Main Battery Fire Control Station. Before I reached Spot One, the ship had already been torpedoed and was under attack from the Port side by Japanese planes. I wasn't the first man up there and the panels were being dropped to expose the gun director. Although these panels were just a thin protective covering, when they were opened it seemed as if we were personally exposing ourselves to strafing planes.
The main battery was not involved so we were utilized to spot the attacking aircraft and to report them to the guns below through the Main Battery Plotting Room.
Just outside Spot One, there was a 50 caliber water cooled anti-aircraft machine gun. The gunners mates were pounding on the locked ammunition box in an attempt to get the gun into action. It seemed to take forever to open it only to find it empty. The gun did not fire a round during the whole battle. Some of the ships aft of the California did get some guns shooting but I didn't see them score any hits.
Astern of the California, the Oklahoma took an extreme list to port and in what seemed like a very short period of time, she rolled over with just a portion of her hull showing above the water. The California now had a list to port causing me to wonder how I would get clear of the rigging if and when we rolled over.
Our 5 inch anti-aircraft guns did not get into action immediately because the ammunition readyboxes were empty and the torpedoeshad put the hoists out of action. Ammunition was passed hand over hand from the ammunition lockers to the guns and it was well into the attack before they got into action.
There was gunfire and activity by the destroyers on the opposite side of Ford Island and one of them made a run dropping depth charges. We were to find out later that they had sunk a midget Japanese Sub.
The Japanese attack was in two waves and during the lull between the two attacks, the Nevada got under way and passed down channel to our port side. This was the one thing that we had to cheer about all morning. However, when she reached a point opposite 10-10 dock, dive bombers made run after run on her and I remember her 5 inch anti-aircraft replying during the whole run.
The second wave consisted of horizontal bombers flying at high altitude from off our bow down the line of battleships. The bombs dropped by these planes did not seem as effective and many dropped in the harbor. Our anti-aircraft guns were firing as were those on the battleships behind us and this may have been the cause of the bombing being ineffective.
The California however was hit by a bomb and in addition to a heavy port list was now on fire. The harbor was covered with burning oil, further threatening the California and the tanker Neosho directly astern of us. During this second air raid, word was passed to abandon ship.
I climbed down from the mast and made my way to the starboard fo'c'sl where I took off my shoes and prepared to go into the water. I made my way first to the Quay which was crowded with other shipmates trying to leave the ship. There was a 50 foot motor launch taking men to Ford Island but there were so many trying to get into the boat that I decided to swim. It was a short swim but some of it was through heavy oil that had come from the ships that had been hit. Swimming through this oil made me ill and I threw up when I reached the island. The first thing I did after climbing up on the island was to find a hiding place which for me and several others was a baseball dugout.
After the attack was over, around 10 AM I started looking for a place to clean off the oil. I copped a pair of dungarees off a clothes line and went to a garage and wiped myself off with kerosene, put on my new found dungarees and barefooted, headed back up to the shore opposite where the California lay burning.
There were Chief Petty Officers asking for volunteers to go back aboard to help save the ship so several of us went. The first thing I did was to go to the foc'sl and reclaim my shoes. I remained aboard helping to secure lines from the ship to the Quay to keep it from rolling over and also handling fire hoses to put out fires amidships.
About sunset there was an outburst of gun fire when some planes tried to land at the Naval Air Station. We sadly had shot at and hit some planes from the Enterprise that were returning to the Naval Air Station.
Sometime after sunset, I went ashore on Ford Island and found an empty bunk, crawled in with dirty clothes and all and didn't wake until the next morning.
As a result of having gone back aboard ship, I failed to muster and was reported "Lost in Action". My parents did not find out until New Years eve that it was a mistake and I was already back at sea on the USS Astoria.
The days after the attack were ones of frustration, working parties, and fear of a Japanese invasion. The worst experience, by far was going back aboard ship on December 8th to remove bodies of my shipmates. Recovering burned and mangled bodies has left an indelible mark on my mind that refuses to go away.
On December 13th I along with many other USS California survivors were assigned to the heavy cruiser the USS Astoria. On the 15th we went to sea. During the next nine months the Astoria saw action in the battle of the Coral Sea, the battle of Midway and the invasion of Guadalcanal. Then on the night of August 8 and the morning of August 9 in the First Battle of Savo Island the Astoria was sunk in a night engagement along with the USS Vincennes, USS Quincey and HMAS Canberra.
I returned to the states in October of 1942 and went home on survivors leave. After retuning to San Francisco I was reassigned to the USS California. The ship I was on when it got sunk on December 7th. It was during the rebuilding of the California that Stella and I were married in Bremerton Washington. We had about one great year together before the California put out to sea.
On the California we went through the invasions of Saipan, Tinian and Guam and participated in the first battle of the Philippine Sea.
I was hurt and returned to a Naval Hospital in the States. My next assignment was on the YF 722 and I spent about 9 months in Eniwetok. The ship was there when the war ended.
I was discharged in November of 1946 and went to school in Chicago. After graduation I took a job as a computer engineer with Engineering Research in St. Paul, Minnesota. I worked 32 years with that company and its successor company Sperry, holding positions in computer engineering and executive management until I retired in 1983. Since that time we have lived in Minnesota.
Remember Pearl Harbor -- Keep America Alert
Glen Turner - Medals and Awards: American Defense Medal; American Theater Campaign Medal; Asiatic Pacific Theater Campaign Medal with Eight Battle Stars; Good conduct Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.
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