Monday, May 31, 2021 | 2 a.m.
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On a day devoted to remembering the nation’s sons and daughters who served in the military, we take a moment to note a special anniversary in store for the nation and for the state of Nevada.
When Dec. 7 rolls around this year, it will mark the 80th anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor — a day when the battleship USS Nevada carved out a place in history as a symbol of resilience and strength. Today, the ship remains a testament to the sacrifices made by all who served on it, and to Nevada’s contributions to the defense of the nation.
Built in 1914, the Nevada was the oldest of the eight battleships moored in the harbor that day. As carrier-based Japanese planes launched at dawn and assembled for the attack, the eight battleships were moored side by side in the quiet harbor, aligned in rows of two that made them sitting ducks for the aerial ambush.
Shortly before 8 a.m., as the crew of the Nevada was finishing breakfast and preparing for what was expected to be a routine day, the first of two waves of aircraft dove in for their assault, primarily targeting battleship row. Within 20 minutes, the nearly 200 planes in the first wave inflicted massive damage: the USS Arizona, USS West Virginia, USS Oklahoma all went down. The USS California, the flagship of the Pacific force, took a torpedo hit and was ordered abandoned.
The Nevada wasn’t spared. A torpedo slammed into the ship’s side, opening a 1,500-square foot hole, and water poured in.
What happened next lives on in Navy lore. Despite the damage and the ongoing attack, the Nevada was able to back away from its berth and make a run to open water.
It was a truly heroic effort, carried out by a crew whose average age was just 19 1/2 years old. As sailors worked to charge up the ship’s boilers enough to move the vessel — a process that took more than 30 minutes — gunners on the decks returned fire despite being bombed and strafed. The ship would become the first to down a Japanese aircraft, and would shoot down at least four total as it gathered steam and headed down the channel.
The Nevada would not make it out of the harbor, however. Limping from its damage, it was an easy target for dive bombers that pounded the ship with at least six strikes, setting it afire and causing more hull damage. But even then, it drew fire intended for other ships in the harbor, and from Hickam airfield.
Fearing that the ship would block the harbor, commanders ordered it to be run aground.
But when the attack ended around 9 a.m., the Nevada had survived. It settled into water that was shallow enough to allow for salvaging operations.
The ship spent two months on the bottom, where it underwent 1,500 hours of work by Navy and civilian divers to be refloated. In February, the Nevada was brought back to the surface, then sent to dry dock for two months of work that made it seaworthy. From there, it went to the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Washington for permanent repair and modernization work.
The Nevada returned to service in October 1942, less than a year after nearly being destroyed, and went on to fight in five amphibious assaults in both the European and Pacific theaters of operation.
Its crew members would be heavily decorated for their actions at Pearl Harbor, including two who received the Medal of Honor. They were: Chief Boatswain Edwin J. Hill, who led a 10-man group in swimming to unhook the ship’s mooring lines, then returned to the ship and was killed after being knocked overboard by bomb blasts; and Donald K. Ross, a machinist who helped to keep electricity flowing from the dynamo room until becoming blinded and being rendered unconscious by smoke, steam and heat.
A friend of Ross, former Nevada Gov. Mike O’Callaghan, described the sailor’s heroism in a column he wrote in 2000 as the executive editor of the Las Vegas Sun.
“He told me that he was shaving that morning and ‘had just finished scraping one side of my face and ready to start on the other side when I heard the noise,’ ” O’Callaghan wrote. “He looked out of a porthole toward Ford Island, ‘where there was a big black and red cloud of smoke.’ He also saw enemy aircraft and knew we were at war.”
O’Callaghan went on to describe Ross’ actions as the sailors worked furiously to get the ship moving, based on a story from U.S. News & World Report:
“Four 1,600-pound bombs struck. The fourth bored down to the third deck and exploded, sending fire through the ventilators. One blast hit Ross in the face. Steam filled the room. ‘Get the hell out of here!’ Ross yelled to the 27 crewmen in his section. ‘Now!’ Sightless, he felt his way to the generators and shut them down, then slumped unconscious.
“As he fell, his chest pressed the talk button on his phone. A sailor on the line heard him breathing, rushed in and pulled him out. By now, his breathing had quit. But, after artificial respiration, he revived — and realized that an exhaust needed turning off. He returned to the inferno and shut it down, then went below to deal with other generators. He tried to move an unconscious sailor, only to pass out himself. Comrades saved them both. Ross thought smoke had kept him from seeing. Actually, he was blind and remained so for days. Not until after Christmas did his sight fully return.”
That was only one of many stories of bravery and sacrifice aboard the USS Nevada that day. The ship was awarded more Navy Crosses for heroism that day than any crew in the Navy’s history.
“The Navy today says that our core values are honor, courage and commitment,” said retired Adm. Samuel Cox, director of Navy History and Heritage Command, during a commemoration ceremony for the Nevada in Pearl Harbor on the 75th anniversary of the attack. “We stress core attributes like integrity, initiative and toughness. Well, 75 years ago, yesterday, the crew of the Nevada showed the Navy and the world the true meaning of ... those words.”
The actions of the USS Nevada crew are just one reminder of our state’s role in protecting the nation.
To all those who served aboard the ship, and all Nevadans who have served in uniform, we offer our deepest appreciation today.
