My dad, Frank Dolan, remembered that his repair ship, the Vestal, moved alongside the USS Arizona on this date, a Friday in 1941, in preparation for work to begin the following Monday.
We tied up to her, portside to portside, meaning that the Arizona as well as all of the other battleships faced south, and we faced north. All of these huge battleships with 14-inch or 16-inch guns were a sight to behold. After our lines were tied, the weldors threw their welding ground leads over to the Arizona where they were clamped securely, ready for Monday.
Of course, the infamous Japanese attack on Sunday morning will change everyone's plans.
 |
| "Battleship Row" on December 7, 1941 |
Source: Frank L. Dolan's account
No comments:
Post a Comment