Trapped at Pearl Harbor

Stephen Bower Young was a seaman first class assigned to gunnery duty in turret no. 4 on the Oklahoma when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Struck by torpedoes, the battleship started to sink, and Young and others became trapped when it overturned. Here, he recounts their terrifying experience with stunning clarity, recalling their frantic search for an escape route and horror at finding the exits blocked. He describes the water's inexorable rise, inch by awful inch; the sickening taste of fuel oil; the foul smell of the air; the nervous wisecracks echoing through the cold darkness; and finally the silence, as the possibility of rescue becomes ever more remote. Undeniably one of the most spellbinding events to unfold during the air raid, this true-life story of Young's escape rivals that of any fiction thriller.

Auteur

By Stephen Bower Young

Texte du rabat

Author Stephen Young was a seaman first class assigned to gunnery duty in turret no. 4 on the battleship Oklahoma when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The battleship was struck by several torpedoes and began to sink, trapping Young and others when it overturned. With incredible realism, Young recounts this terrifying experience, recalling the frantic search for an escape route, the horror of finding the exit blocked, and such unforgettable detail as the water's inexorable rise, the sickening taste of fuel oil, the foul smell of the air, the nervous wisecracks, and finally the silence as the possibility of rescue became ever more remote.