CHAPTER 3

ARCHIVE INDEX

Davenport, Irving J.

(On board OKLAHOMA at Pearl Harbor.) OKLAHOMA participated in firing drills on 2-3 December; entered Pearl Harbor on evening of 6 December. Duty section made ready for Admiral Kidd's annual inspection. "These preparations included opening the blisters, dead air spaces below the water line, for cleaning, and also the removal of all firing pins and locks from the guns for cleaning." Describes how the ship acted upon being hit by six or eight torpedoes. Davenport was with the XO, Kenworthy, who gave order to abandon ship. Davenport jumped into the water between the MARYLAND and OKLAHOMA and swam to Ford Island.

Class of 1940 fatalities in the OKLAHOMA were J. P. Hittorf, Marshall Darby, and I. A. R. (Igloo) Thompson—who all had stations in the bowels of the ship.

"Pearl Harbor -- December 7th." This is a good account; he was OOD that Sunday morning, and so was on deck at 0745. "The sound of aircraft. Not at all unusual around Pearl, although Sunday was usually quiet in that respect." Davison was in the communications booth with the BM of the Watch when an explosion hit; they got to the lifeline, went over the side -- with the intention of swimming back to the accommodation ladder -- when Davision saw the forward half of the battleship was gone. "The decks had been collapsed and sunk -- virtually instantaneously. Picked up by another officer in a motor launch; badly burned, he went to the hospital where he remained until around Christmas.

Seven classmates were lost in ARIZONA. "Suddenly, with no chance to oppose it, with no warning at all, their futures were terminated. No chance to marry, no chance to have a family, no chance to develop their budding professionalism -- no chance whatsoever to make their contributions to the world we live in. We repaired most of our ships, we went on as a navy and as a country to success. They were denied all opportunity to play their part. I think that is the real tragedy of Pearl Harbor."