Chapter II: Historical Record
(continued)

Vessels Sunk

It was one thing to repair damaged ships, but it was quite another to raise a sunken vessel. "There was a feeling of depression throughout the Pearl Harbor area," wrote Captain Wallin, "when it was seen and firmly believed that none of the ships sunk at Pearl Harbor would ever fight again."

The USS SHAW (Destroyer)

The USS SHAW, while in floating drydock No. 2, was struck by errant bombs intended for the escaping USS NEVADA. The first two projectiles struck the vessel near the forecastle just aft of gun No. 1. This caused an explosion of the ship's forward platform deck, severing the bow forward of the bridge. A third bomb passed through the bridge, rupturing the fuel tanks and starting a fuel oil fire that caused the forward magazines to explode.

Within minutes, the floating drydock sank, taking the forward section of the ship with it. The remainder of the ship remained afloat. It was reported at the time that the ship was a total loss.

However, it was decided that the forward section be replaced by a fabricated bow when the ship was docked on the Yard's Marine Railway on December 19, 1941. The vessel was moved once more to the restored floating drydock No. 2, where a bridge and a temporary mast and ship's control station were installed. Trials were held to test its seaworthiness, and the SHAW departed for Mare Island on February 9, 1942, for permanent repairs.

Floating Drydock No. 2

The floating drydock was occupied by the USS SHAW during the attack. Japanese bombs began dropping on and near the dock around 8:50 a.m. It is estimated that five bombs from Val dive bombers recorded near misses or direct hits, causing 155 holes in the vessel and, finally, its sinking.

Salvage and repair began within weeks, and the dock was raised on January 9, 1942. Hasty patchwork made it ready for its first customer, the USS SHAW. Permanent repairs were completed by May 15, 1942.

SOTOYOMO (Tug)

This vessel was forward of the USS SHAW within the confines of the floating drydock. Because of the explosions and fires that racked the SHAW, the SOTOYOMO sank. It was expected that the tug was a total loss, but careful salvage and ship-raising techniques prevailed. In the summer of 1942, the SOTOYOMO was restored to full-time duty at Pearl Harbor.

The USS DOWNES (Destroyer), the USS CASSIN (Destroyer)

The CASSIN was occupying drydock No. 1 with the DOWNES to its starboard side and the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, the PENNSYLVANIA, aft. As the attack progressed, the drydock was bracketed by several bomb hits. As a result of fires, fragmentation and flooding of the drydock, the vessel was lost.

The damage was so extensive that the two vessels were considered beyond repair. On further examination, it was found that the main propulsive machinery was sound, as well as the hulls and other general machinery.

The newly named Pearl Harbor Repair and Salvage Unit went to work immediately to restore the vessel's floatability. On December 12, the PENNSYLVANIA was moved, and the drydock was drained to allow the crews to reblock the destroyers. By February 18, 1942, the ships were removed from drydock.

Both ships were sent to the West Boat at Mare Island Navy Yard to be reconstructed. The DOWNES reported to the fleet for duty in November 1943 and the CASSIN in February 1944.

The USS NEVADA (Battleship)

Originally the NEVADA was the end vessel of Battleship Row. While the attack was underway, the battleship attempted to sortie from the harbor around 8:40 a.m. Its gallant dash for safety ended at Hospital Point with the beaching of the ship to prevent it from sinking in the harbor channel.

An assessment of the NEVADA's damage after the attack found:

1. A torpedo had struck the ship at 8:10 a.m. near frame 41, while the ship lay moored at Battleship Row.

2. At 9:00 a.m. five 250kg bombs struck the ship almost simultaneously, causing fires and large holes in upper and main decks.

3. As a result of the fires, the boiler rooms were abandoned due to smoke.

4. Flooding continued progressively, with water eventually occupying the whole ship. Very few compartments below the water line were found dry.

Later that morning, the NEVADA was moved to Waipio Point with assistance of tugs, in order to prevent the ship from be coming a navigation hazard in the narrow channel near Hospital Point.

The Salvage and Repair Unit found on examination that the most serious obstacle to overcome was a hole created by the torpedo roughly 48 feet long by 25 feet deep. A large patch intended for the OKLAHOMA (which proved unworkable) was diverted to the NEVADA. After dynamiting and dredging the bottom on which the ship rested, the patch was fitted to the vessel. To accomplish the task of repairing the NEVADA, over 400 dives were made by Navy and civilians (Pacific Bridge Company), totalling 1,500 diving hours.

Hazards were always present, and two fatalities occurred aboard the NEVADA from inhalation of hydrogen sulfide gas, which in high concentrations was undetectable and lethal. Later on, divers wore litmus paper on their suits to measure the gas.

On February 12, 1942, the NEVADA was refloated and sent to drydock No. 2. There the ship was repaired to be seaworthy for the voyage to Puget Sound Navy Yard, Washington. It arrived on May 1, 1942, and was reconditioned and modernized. In late December 1942 it rejoined the Pacific Fleet.

The USS CALIFORNIA (Battleship)

The CALIFORNIA was struck by two torpedoes and one bomb (250 kg) that resulted in a serious fire. The flooding of the vessel was slow but progressive. Two factors played in the loss of the CALIFORNIA: 1) Water and oil permeated the vessel due to open manholes, ventilation systems and ruptured pipelines. This caused the abandonment of fire rooms and engine rooms. 2) An oil fire from the ARIZONA drifted down and around the CALIFORNIA resulting in a temporary abandonment of the ship at the most critical moment in which the crew was attempting to keep the CALIFORNIA afloat.

Eventually, the crew returned and counterflooded to correct a list of 16 degrees. The vessel avoided turning turtle by this method and settled on the bottom.

A few days after the attack the ship was evaluated for salvage and repair. The immediate need was to lighten ship. All non-essential material, fuel, ammunition, machinery and main gun batteries were removed. Salvage workers placed coffer-dams around the ships forecastle and quarterdeck. The water was then pumped out of the flooded spaces and the CALIFORNIA was refloated on March 24, 1942. One incident did mar the successful salvage of the CALIFORNIA. On April 5, 1942, prior to the ship going into drydock, a powerful explosion ripped the CALIFORNIA. It appears that gasoline vapor built up in a fuel storage compartment and was ignited by a naked light bulb or defective wiring. The result was the loss of a window frame patch. The setback was only temporary. The ship was placed in drydock No. 2 on April 9, 1942. During this time permanent repairs were made on the structural damage to the ship. In October of that year, it steamed back to the West Coast and underwent further repair work and modernization at Puget Sound Naval Yard. Less than a year later, the CALIFORNIA returned to the fleet.

The USS WEST VIRGINIA (Battleship)

During the attack, the WEST VIRGINIA was moored just forward of the ARIZONA. Berthed next to the WEST VIRGINIA was the TENNESSEE. Being the outboard ship, the WEST VIRGINIA received perhaps seven torpedo hits. The exact number may never be known because of the extensive damage done to the port side. At least three torpedoes smashed below the armor belt, and one or more struck the armor belt, displacing it. Possibly two torpedoes went through holes made by the first torpedo hits causing explosions within the armored second deck and wrecking the aft steering gear, resulting in the loss of the rudder. Fortunately, the two bombs that struck the WEST VIRGINIA were duds. One pierced gun turret No. 3 and the other passed through the foretop and landed on the second deck.

Damage to the ship's port side was extensive, and the hull damage was so serious that the vessel proved difficult to raise. The chief problem with salvaging the ship was sealing the hull. The use of special underwater concrete and huge patches measuring 13 feet by 50 feet enabled the WEST VIRGINIA to be raised. More than 800,000 gallons of fuel oil was pumped out of the vessel. More than 67 bodies or more were removed from the ship. Of particular note were three bodies found in a storeroom near the ship's fresh water pump. Empty cans and marks on a calendar gave evidence that they had survived until December 23, when the air gave out.

On May 17, 1942, the WEST VIRGINIA was refloated and entered drydock No. 1 on June 9. Temporary repairs were made at this time to ready the vessel for its cruise to Puget Sound for permanent repairs and modernization. On July 4, 1944, the "Wee Vee" returned to the Pacific Fleet.

The USS OKLAHOMA (Battleship)

As the Japanese torpedo planes made their initial runs on Battleship Row, the OKLAHOMA received much of their attention. It is estimated that five to seven torpedoes struck the vessel during the first 15 minutes of the attack. Damage was so extensive that the OKLAHOMA capsized at its berth.

In a memorandum to the chief of naval operations from Rear Admiral William Furlong, commandant of Pearl Harbor's Navy Yard, dated October 17, 1942, the condition and salvage summary of the OKLAHOMA was outlined. Of particular note was the section on the ship's general condition.

The vessel capsized in approximately 40 feet of water through an angle of 150 degrees to port (away from Ford Island) at Berth F-5, where the ship was moored outboard of the USS MARYLAND. At mean low water the center line at keel is about one foot above water at the after end of the skeg just forward of the rudder and about 2 1/2 feet below water at the bow. This center line is approximately 215 feet away from quay F5-S and 245 feet from F5-N, measured horizontally and normal to the line of the quays. Reports from survivors and examinations by divers both inside of the vessel by entering through the bottom of the ship to the underside of the second deck and outside the ship indicate that there is considerable damage along the port side due to torpedo hits and near misses by bombs. The exterior examination indicates five areas of damage above the mud line centered respectfully at frames 38, 43, 56, 80 and 97 and interior diving operations thus far completed have revealed structural damage on the port side of the third deck from frames 48 to 68 and from 90 to 95, and on the first platform from 48 to 68. There appears to be complete penetration into boiler room No. 2 (forward port side). Soundings indicate that the port side of the ship and the superstructure are buried in mud to maximum depth of 20 to 25 feet. The masts are bent or broken and lying approximately horizontal near the surface of the mud. Analysis of test borings show that from frame 54 aft, the ship is resting on comparatively solid material, whereas the forward end is essentially floating in soft mud. This soft material increases in depth toward and beyond the bow of the ship.

Captain Wallin voiced an opinion that the size of the OKLAHOMA and the ship's general condition made salvage questionable. It was also expressed, however, that it was important to rid the harbor of this derelict ship and make the berth at F-5 available for other ships. By May 1942, contractual agreements were made between the Navy and Pacific Bridge Company to complete that task. It has been said that the righting of the OKLAHOMA was the most technically difficult task faced by the salvage division at Pearl Harbor.

After much discussion and planning, the solution was found. Twenty-one electric winches fastened to the shoreline of Ford Island would pull the ship over by means of cables attached to 40 foot wooden and metal struts bolted or welded to the upturned hull of the ship. Before any of this could occur, 350,000 gallons of fuel oil were pumped out of the ship's tanks, and nearly 2,000 tons of coral soil were dumped onto the harbor floor to prevent the vessel from slipping along the bottom once the righting began.

The righting operation began on March 8, 1943, and was eventually completed by June 16 of that year. With the ship upright, patches were needed to repair the gaping holes along the port side of the ship. In all, seven were required to seal the port side. As in the case of the USS WEST VIRGINIA, underwater concrete called tremie sealed the sections that were patches. It was during this period that the grim task of removing 400 bodies was completed.

The ship was refloated on November 3, 1943, and taken into drydock No. 2 on December 28. There it was stripped of its equipment, auxiliary machinery, guns, stores and ammunition.

With new classes of battleships appearing in the fleet, it was felt that it was not worth the effort and expense to restore the badly damaged OKLAHOMA to service. The ship was decommissioned on September 1, 1944. During the years up to 1947, the ship was moored at Middle Loch, Pearl Harbor. In 1947, it was sold for scrap for $146,000 to the Moore Drydock Company on the West Coast. On May 10, 1947, the OKLAHOMA left Pearl Harbor for the last time. While under tow by two tugs, it was lost in a storm 500 miles northeast of the big island of Hawaii on May 17.

The USS OGLALA (Minelayer)

On the morning of the attack, the OGLALA was moored outboard of the cruiser HELENA at 1010 dock. A torpedo passed underneath the OGLALA and struck the cruiser on the starboard side. The concussion of the explosion ruptured the lower port shell (hull) plating, causing extensive flooding and eventual sinking. It was realized early on that the vessel was going to be lost so the tug HOGA was brought along side to move the ship to the stern of the HELENA at dockside. It was there it rolled over on its starboard side.

Because the ship was so old, there was no great priority to press it back into service. However, the clearing of 1010 dock was of vital importance to the naval facility. Several solutions were drawn up to deal with the OGLALA. The most radical was to dynamite the ship and remove the broken sections for scrap. This idea was set aside when it was realized how much explosives would be needed to complete the work.

The solution that did prevail was the use of salvage pontoons. The process was rather simple in application. The pontoons would be sunk alongside of the vessel and the ship pumped dry. With the ship sealed, the pontoons attached by cable, were inflated, thus lifting the ship.

As simple as the process sounded, the raising of the OGLALA was not a simple task. The first attempt on April 11, 1942, failed when the pontoons broke lose. The second attempt on April 23 was successful in raising the vessel but failed when an underwater pump stopped working. The third attempt almost caused the ship to sink once again, when a fire broke out aboard ship on July 2, 1942.

Finally, a day later it entered drydock No. 2 for temporary repairs so that it would be seaworthy for its trip to the Navy Yard at Mare Island in California. By February 1944, it was reconditioned and placed back into service.

Conclusion

By late 1944, Captain Wallin and his salvage teams had completed their task. The greatest maritime salvage operation the world had ever witnessed was history. Eighteen of 2l vessels had been returned to service. Supposedly insurmountable obstacles had been overcome by courage and skillful engineering. Lack of materials, fire and gas hazards, removal of explosives, extensive diving in hazardous waters and the removal of bodies were but a few of the major problems facing the salvage workers. In a cooperative effort, the civilian companies and the military authorities had achieved what others had deemed impossible. Overshadowed often by the disastrous day of infamy, it is a small footnote of history yet to be fully explored.

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