My father was on the USS Nevada on December 7th 1941. He never talked much about it. He did say he manned an anti aircraft gun and then fought fires for the rest of the day. They then did rotations on the ship for the next few week in case Japan attached again they could at least shoot back. He watched them refloat the Nevada. He was so impressed with the divers that he applied for dive school. He reported to dive school on VE Day. He spent the next 20 years as a diver/master diver on salvage ships in the Navy. RIP Hank.
My mom's Uncle was Nevada's XO before the attack, and commander afterwards. Admiral Harry Thompson. He rushed down to the harbor in his pajamas, driving his son's jalopy.
My Grandfather was a Chief Gunner's Mate on the Nevada that fateful morning. He survived and like your father, never talked about it very much, but I do remember him saying that they continued to shoot at anything in the sky that they perceived to move for the rest of the day. The rest of the family was living in Long Beach, CA, while he was on the battle ship, and after the attack it was months before they learned he had survived. He went on to get a wartime commission and served a total of 32 years. He was my hero as I was growing up.
My Grandfather was a gunner's mate on board the USS Tennessee on December 7th, 1941. Sadly he passed away on my birthday in 2006. His ship was moored directly in front of the USS Arizona. I saw it in the aerial photograph at 0:22. I have his hat that he wore that day displayed on my desk here next to a picture of his ship. It's so seeing this picture, looking at the Aft Turret # 2 which is clearly visible and knowing that my grandfather was on that ship during the attack and when that picture was taken. Just amazing. I miss you, grandpa. Thank you for your service and your bravery.
Thank you for this video. My father served on the USS Nevada BB36 or as dad fondly referred to as " The Ol' Maru" He enlisted just after Pearl. He went to navy school and he boarded the Nevada on the west coast and remained on her for the duration of the war. My dad was proud to serve on the Nevada. I heard the stories hundreds of times but i never got tired of hearing them. I still have the letter dad received after his service for his time on the battleship and the book. It gives pretty much her history and pictures of all the men in the divisions they served. To the Greatest Generation ..... I thank you for your service.
In 1978-80, I waa Junior and Senior in high school. During that time, I was a student of JROTC, and had as my instructor (and later my friend), Lt. Commander Roy Johnson, Ret. He had served on the Nevada as a helmsmen on the ship and described that morning in detail as he and the crew galently got her boilers fired and got the ship underway. Roy said that he had been assigned at the lower bridge at the helm, when they took a hit from above by the Japanese. Roy said after the smoke and heat, he felt a warm sticky feeling all over his body. When he looked down he saw blood covering him and the surrounding bulkheads. He realized that he wasn't injured but then realized that the main bridge had been hit killing an admiral and bridge crew and it was their blood he had on him. They realized that they were sinking and didn't want to block the main channel, so they beached her. A year after graduation, Roy asked me to assist him with a reunion of the survivors of the Nevada. I agreed and made many new friends that served on the ship. I was unanimously voted as a honorary Mid Shipman and honorary member of the crew by all involved. This is an honor I will always be proud of. R.I.P. Lt. Commander Roy Johnson (Ret. U.S.N.)
That's so f-ing cool. Like yourself, I'm the same age. My uncle, Bob Olson was on the Nevada. I don't know if he went to the reunion. He was a great guy and because of him, I joined the Navy in 79. Followed him as a gunners mate, but I was in Amphibious assault on an LPD. Anyway, I like hearing stuff about the Nevada.
AND Nevada had the last laugh! During her post Pearl Harbor refit there was was a tremendous copper shortage here in the US, what with the massive conversion from peacetime to wartime manufacturing. When there was no copper available for electrical buss-bars for Nevada the Navy "bit the bullet" and used silver, a half-million dollar's worth, silver being an excellent conductor of electricity and there being no shortage of the same. Fast-forward to the post-war era and when Nevada was sunk as a target ship (After surviving TWO atom bomb tests!) they remembered too late those half-million dollar's worth of buss bars were still on board! Whoops. 🤣
My husband and I are watching this series together. We're incredibly impressed with the Captain who was blown off his ship, swam back to her, and rescued her.
My uncle, Roy Eugene, is still on the USS Arizona standing an Eternal watch with his Shipmates. Never got to meet him but he's the reason why joined the Navy.
I’m increasingly convinced that some needs have no particular interest in maritime matters to adore this channel. Our friend Mike Brady is one of the best historical documentary filmmakers of our time.
Indeed, I am an avgeek but ran out of videos for now and stumbled across this channel instead. It's quite captivating without being too sensationalist, with quality research and respectfully done - that's good ideas, creative design, planning and execution right there.
I agree entirely! I’m from Colorado, have touched a whopping 3 boats of any kind, and have never been in an ocean. Our friend Mike Brady has largely been my introduction to the maritime world. The biographies of historical ships told in smooth cadences with an abundance of visual aids would be enough to enthrall anyone!
I want to note that USS Nevada didn't just beach itself to survive but it was a deliberate action to prevent itself from clogging the harbor entrance. Had they sunk in the wrong place the harbor entrance would be blocked for weeks so the captain raced to maneuver to the coast so the Japanese couldn't sink them in the wrong place.
Great series, you’re by far one of the best RUclips creators and historians. Explaining detailed but not to complex for anyone to understand. The day is always saved, if our friend, Mike Brady, uploads a new video.
Retired sailor here... my uncle Robert(Tio Pat), was on the Nevada at Pearl Harbor. He never spoke of it. I only found out years later when he was invited to attend a memorial ceramony for WW2 vets at Pearl Harbor. Then in his 80's, he stood proudly. God Bless you sir!! Thank you. Pat L. Hallock, HT1(Ret.).
Amazing video. I want to thank you by proxy for my father, who was in the Pacific during WWII. He died a few years at the age of 94. Toward the end, he spent most of his time watching old western movies. Truthfully I'm not sure how much of the movies he understood. But I am certain he would have loved your two videos. I can see him sitting in his lounger, smiling and nodding his head. Thank you so much.
My Mom's uncle Harry Turbeville was a Seabee, an extremely talented welder and fabricator. He was deployed to Pearl Harbor at the beginning of the impossibly massive salvage work undertaken there. We can only imagine what it must have been like for those guys to cut into a mangled bulkhead to find corpses rotting in the tropical heat, over and over again, or to hear about the knocking of the trapped sailors who couldn't be saved. Uncle Harry had more hatred in his heart than anyone i have ever met; he was another kind of casualty of the war. Thank you for providing a place for me to tell someone, anyone, about Uncle Harry, who died over 40 years ago, a twisted, wounded and angry man who only really had room in his heart for his horse. At least he had that.
Yeah one does not need to die at war to be a casualty. As an elder millennial you can't swing a dead cat in my generation and not hit a veteran of the Iraq/Afghanistan war. I'm lucky, all of my friends and family came home bodily but some of them didn't come home mentally. I fought my own battles at that time and picked up a nasty drug habit to try to cope with those battles and in my journey through addiction and recovery the number of veterans I met was harrowing. I did lose friends to addiction they were just trying to ease or forget what happened over there. I still consider those people casualties of war just in a different sense. It really reflects you and your mom's character that even though your great uncle was one of those hard to love casualties you still have love in your heart to want to pass down and tell his story and keep his memory alive. I'm sure the things he witnessed and experienced were horrendous.
@@Ali_D_Katt Thank you for your beautifully written reply. i was born 14 years after WW2, well within the sphere of its echoes, from nuclear bomb drills at school to hearing my parents and others stories about life during the war. i remember the Vietnam War and the coinage of the term P.T.S.D, formerly known as shell shock, first used in reference to Vietnam Vets. There was, until he passed about 7 years ago, a Korean War Vet whom i would see out walking 3 Great Pyrenees dogs. He had a .50 caliber Browning machine gun in his living room and he carried a Walther PPK in his pocket....One day we were talking about WW2 history and i was espousing my epic rant about Douglas MacArthur's colossal tactical errors and his general failures as a human being as far back as when he ordered cavalry troops to run down the Bonus Expeditionary Force, WW1 veterans who had marched on Washington demanding their back pay, which they never received. MacArthur abandoned his men to torture and death in WW2 and then there were his blunders in Korea which caused much suffering among his men....as i ranted old Bruce's jaw dropped and his eyes glittered. his expression said it all: Somebody gets it! Somebody understands!! I am not a veteran, merely someone who reads, however i firmly and passionately believe that we must never forget the lost and broken casualties of war, and their horrible burdens of disenfranchisement, addictions which only fleetingly mask their pain at great cost, and the horrors of war which they can still see but which most people cannot. i have been sober for 32 years, and i would like to say don't give up, there is help out there, sometimes in the unlikeliest places, as long as we are open to it.
@@ToniPfau An unfortunate truth. Over the years i have met a few young people from Japan and Germany who are dedicated pacifists, well read and articulate in their desire to make the world a better place. For many years here in New Mexico i was fortunate enough to be a patient of Dr. Ken Yamamoto, a kind, decent man, animal rescuer, and a native son who passed before his time. i always wondered if his family were interred in a camp here in New Mexico however i never wanted to bring it up, however in retrospect i am certain that they were.
My grandparents sent my mother to Hawaii in 1947 as a college graduation present. She told me about taking a boat tour of the harbor and seeing how much damage still remained after 6 years. I went there with my parents in 1971 and we did the same boat tour, and visited the Arizona memorial. It was a moving experience.
One of the five Japanese midget subs was never found. Anything ever found over the years. They raised one in the early 1960s at Pearl Harbor. It is really amazing what salvage work and getting the sunken ships back in action.
This is by far the best report on these ships I have seen in many years. Thank you. My Father served on the Vestal at wars end after serving on a destroyer escort as signal man during Okinawa.
I used to work with Al Weddle. RIP. He was a diver and helped rescue fellow sailors after the attack. USS Tangier. His battle station was the stern gun.
Incredible!! I was blown away with the first video of this series- and now this. Your only half way through yet I feel these should be mandatory viewing for every American high school history student! Mike, your ability to present a compelling and riveting story is truly a remarkable gift!
The destruction at Pearl Harbor looked overwhelming. But with lots of ingenuity and even more hard work, the sailors and other workers did an outstanding job. Good job with this video.
As a Nevadan, the ship always fills me up with pride. The salvage teams did an incredible job saving her. There is another fact that wasn't mentioned here. After Arizona's guns were salvaged, some made it on to Nevada, so in essence both the Arizona and the Nevada got their revenge. I'm still saddened that the ship wasn't saved as a museum ship, but I'm glad that the wreck was rediscovered.
Right, the problem with Nevada and the battle ship New York as well was both were "hot" with radiation after the Bikini A-Bomb tests. New York had been promised to the state of New York as a memorial and museum ship but the radiation made that impossible. The same would have been true of Nevada. They were even too "hot" for scrapping.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 But in essence they were very different ships from those that were attacked at Pearl Harbor. They underwent very extensive modernization.
@@chriswhitehouse9137 Modifications after Pearl Harbor? Certainly. Upgrades in communication equipment, radar installation, most likely new fire control systems for the main batteries as well. But the fact they were "different" ships wouldn't have prevented them from being donated as museum or memorial ships. Nevada and New York may have been WW1 era ships but their combat careers were pure WW2.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 Sure. She did great things at Normandy and Iwo Jima. She should have been a museum piece for that along. But she looked very little like the ship at Pearl Harbor.
The History Channel.... It's a mystery why it's still going. It should be history itself. It should be renamed Alien Tinfoil Hat Channel. We would like to ask two questions of the man with the exploded hair.... ''How much have you made from all this? Also, do you actually believe any of this crap you are pushing???'
The greatest monuments to the souls and ships lost at Pearl Harbor were those ships restored and the hard- working people who repaired them. Not all monuments are static.
Another amazing episode. I look forward to the next two! The story of the events that followed the treacherous Japanese attack, and the miraculous salvage of most of the ships is awe inspiring. The bravery and selflessness of the many men and officers that served in world war two is truly remarkable. Their courage under fire, determination in the face of overwhelming odds, and unwavering dedication to their comrades and country exemplify the highest ideals of heroism. Their sacrifices laid the foundation for the freedoms we enjoy today, and their legacy continues to inspire generations. Each story of valor and resilience from the events of Pearl Harbour are a testament to the indomitable human spirit.
This episode would offer a compelling mix of historical drama, technical ingenuity, and emotional storytelling, appealing to viewers interested in military history, engineering, and World War II narratives.
Not gonna lie, very rarely have I ever seen anyone tackle the salvaging of these ships in a documentary, it's usually just glossed over by giving the time it took, while the focus is on the fighting and retaliations. Thank you, this is absolutely fascinating!
Excellent video! Just one tiny correction, if I may: hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is not odorless per se. It's actually quite pungent, with a smell similar to rotten eggs. In sufficient concentrations, however, it quickly deadens the sense of smell (temporary anosmia) via its ability to attack nerves, and thereby becomes undetectable. It's highly toxic, corrosive, and highly flammable to boot. Bad stuff, and a major hazard to oil and gas workers (which is how I originally received some education on it). They use electronic detectors, of course-but we were still instructed to GTFO and raise the alarm if we ever got a whiff of rotten eggs...and reminded that it was _not_ a good thing if the smell subsided!
I was going to comment the same. Worked 3 years in a sulfur recovery unit. One guy opened a rail car without supplied air and was immediately overcome by the H2S gas. Lucky for him, he fell off the rail car instead of into the molten sulfur.
I did a lot of work back in the '90s in refineries as a factory Steam Turbine Service Representative and the safety training always emphasized that if you smell rotten eggs, do not sniff the air twice to make sure that's what you smelled. An almost impossible human response to stop. And run CROSS WIND if no breathing apparatus was available. We were also told, "You'll only smell it once, so don't blow it off. (ignore it)"
The timing of this couldn't be any better, as I just returned from Oahu. Had my second trip to Pearl Harbor and all these places firsthand, and it's still just as it was. They've immortalized just about everything from that day. Damage to buildings still have the impact marks and shell holes, and the USS Arizona is still leaking her fuel oil. For how chaotic that day may have been, it's an incredibly somber place today, though only two battleships remain in battleship row.
Without a doubt some of the finest documentary work. Are you paying attention History Channel? Probably not. Eagerly awaiting the next parts. Thank you for your respect and dedication to fine content.
My grandpa was a civilian contracted bell helmet diver and underwater welder with the navy and one of a dozen men sent from bremerton navy yard ( puget sound , Washington) to pearl help cut open ships and rescue people and then salvage and refloat ships. He got there days after the attack and stayed for a year working 12 hr days diving on the ships cutting metal and recovering many hundreds of bodies. He only left because he was drafted to the army and sent to the Philippines with Mc Arther and then became a POW and survived the Battan Death march and 2 yrs in a Japanese POW camp.
Pearl Harbour, December 7th 1941 Fall of Corregidor May 1942 Surrender of Phillipines April 1942 Bataan death march 9th April 1942 One year diving plus basic training plus specialist training? maths no work! If he made it to the New Guinea campaign in 43 that would make more sense? Or he was prior national guard, got activated and his unit went to the Phillipens so he skipped the basic training stages?
Thank you for pronouncing "Maryland" correctly! I've been to Pearl Harbor and visited the USS Arizona Memorial. Your narration really gives me a much better sense of the rescue, recovery, and repair than I could get reading off the National Park Service plaques. Brilliant series! I can't wait to see the rest!
Great job!!! I spent a few years at Pearl. Man, it's like no other place. The history just comes through. I think you did a fantastic job telling this part of the story!
People might not know Captain Cassin Young was killed at Guadalcanal not quite a year after Pearl Harbor. A year or so after that the Navy named a destroyer after him, and the USS Cassin Young is still around today as a museum ship in Boston.
my grandfather was stationed on bb40 uss new mexico, he served throughout the entire pacific theater. The new mexico was hit by 2 kamakzis and he said he was amazed by just how hard of a beating the ship would take.
Pretty much all of them were decommissioned by 1950 and scrapped by 1960 or sunk as targets. As "standard" US Navy battleships their flank speeds topped out at 21 knots, too slow to keep up with 30+ knot carriers.
MIKE!!! This is a fantastic vid on the salvage operations of Pearl!! Most are fast n skimpy. NOT YOURS!! Great vid!! Great detail!! Great photos and of course, narrative!! Keep it up buddy!! Again very professional!
Wow! The quality of this video is comparable to those professionally produced at television network studios or major production houses. As a matter of fact, this production/video exceeds the overall quality of many produced by those facilities. Mike, I very much look forward to more upcoming videos from you. Rest assured in knowing that many of us are in awe with your productions. Well researched, well produced and very interesting. You have a talent for what you do and I greatly appreciate the time and effort you put forth. Thank you!
excellent video, however 21:15 Nevada did not have reciprocating steam engines, she had geared turbines. It was her sister Oklahoma that had triple expansion engines, to see which was best. The turbines won and subsequent battleship classes used them.
My dad joined the navy in feb 1942 and march headed to pearl to join others in the salvage efforts. My dad was a machinest first class. He told stories of sailors on deck of the uss Holandia doing calisthenics as bubbles would emerge from the deepths and talked about the stench and some men puking on deck or others that got gravely ill days later from it. With most of his time spent in the belly of the ship making parts he only saw and smelled it once but even at 72 he said that smell haunted him and was set off by some smells like the day we were cutting up a dead tree in the woods. He died later that year but it took him over 50yrs before he told the tales of the days at pearl. Later the uss holandia would be a transport carrier and repair ship. She still did her part in the war even though she was a small carrier. I have talked to many sailors about pearl that survived just curious about it. A common comment was. Boy you dont know what horror and loss is. 1000s of good men left to the sea to rot like the meat mike talked about. So think of that smell for a bit.😢
long time watcher first time commentor. TY for these videos i dont think there is any way this could have been done more professional, considerate, reverant, and truthful. TY once again
I just stumbled across this video 2 days after returning from Hawai’i. My reason for going there was not sun ‘n surf, but to see Pearl Harbor, a place I’ve always wanted to see since my father was there on December 7, 1941. Ironically on the 5th my father wrote to a friend stationed in Georgia. They talked about promotions and assignments and how beautiful and boring things were in Hawai’i, be careful of what you wish for. It is postmarked on the 6th. His friend kept the letter until 1996 when he sent it to my mother. My father only told one war story this is it. So, a little before 8am my father was washing up to go to Mass on the Arizona. That would have been with a bar of soap, a face cloth and a bucket of water. When the first bomb hit, he said, that must be a boiler, boilers blow all the time. When the second one hit, he said, something is really wrong 2 boilers don’t blow. Just then General Quarters was sounded; he took the bucket, dumped it over his head, wrapped the towel around his waist and ran to his battle station wearing just a towel for the whole battle. Maybe you have seen my father in the Ben Affleck/ Matt Damon Pearl Harbor movie. Near the beginning of the attack before they know what’s really going on you can catch a glimpse of a sailor on deck wearing just a towel. My father was on the USS Tennessee (BB43) the battleship that’s not talked about all that much probably because it did not sustain a lot of damage and was still seaworthy at the end of the day. But the Tennessee blocked by the quays, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Arizona so it could not go anywhere; eventually it went to Bremerton, Washington. In Jonathan Utley’s book about the Tennessee he said the Captain of the Tennessee ordered a speed of 5 to 10 knots to push back the burning oil from the Arizona.
My Fathers Uncle, " My Great Uncle Henry Kalinowski was on , and still is on ,the US Arizona . His name is on the monument that was placed over the ship. The Story is legendary in my family , but well documented. Henry was not supposed to be on the Arizona that Sunday Morning . He had shore leave , but instead took the day duty of one of his Buddies who was getting married that Sunday. Henry died in place of his friend. Sadly I doubt his friends wedding took place that day due to the events that unfolded. I have copies of many letters that Great Uncle Henry wrote on US Arizona stationary , and sent back to his family and girlfriend in Ashtabula Ohio. Of course there were no more correspondence after that fateful day. A very poignant story , that I am surprised was never elaborated upon in any documentary or Hollywood film. There is a small section of HWY 8 between Cleveland Ohio and Ashtabula which has been named the Henry Kalinowski highway. and a monument has been erected to him in Downtown Ashtabula City.
Such courage, dedication and determination is incomprehensible today! Our society has lost so much of what made these women and men-both the living and dead- so great! Every day we lose more and more and soon they will all be gone, taking with them the greatness that gave them what was needed to win the war against such overwhelming EVIL! THANK YOU AGAIN, MICHAE, for sharing your vast research and knowledge with us. You do these men and women so proud with your hard work and dedication! You and your team truly are a treasure to all their memories and great accomplishments!
My friend Mike Brady, absolute beautiful series man. So glad I found these. I’m an avid war documentary watcher and have ran out of WW2 videos to watch and this has made my day!! Can’t wait for part 3 & 4!
This video popped up as a suggested topic. Very well put together. Very informative. And it was even more interesting than it normally would have been because of the fact that I was at Pearl Harbor just 3 weeks ago on vacation. Now I HAVE to go back and watch part 1 and will be looking for 3 and 4. Well done.
Joke was mostly on the Japanese. Most of the capital ships there were quite old. Arizona and Oklahoma were built before the first world war and were obsolete. The Japanese didn't seem to know about all the ships being constructed at the very time of the Pearl Harbor strike
100% correct about the Arizona and Oklahoma and a few others The Japanese were looking for the Carrier Fleet as soon the Japanese found out the aircraft Carriers were not at Pearl Harbor one of the Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto said I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping a giant man was he correct
Most of Japan’s battleships were in the same predicament. Older ships built before or during ww1 and modernized in the 30s. Their most modern ships were carriers and cruisers with only a handful of fast battleships added in the late 30s.
It ironic with the Japanese Air forces was so focus on the USA battleships, they forgotten one VERY important detail. Next door were the ENTIRE USA Pacific fleet fuel storage units. Had Japan attack these storage units. USA wouldn't have any fuel for at least 6 months. That alone could have really change the war as we know it.
Thank you for this information. My uncle survived the attack on Pearl. He Never talked about it and we never knew what happened to the Oklahoma after the attack ended. When we visited the site, we left a lei in gratitude that he was not #300. RIP Uncle Dale.
Nevada wasn't just a participant on D-Day, she was the US flagship. After the war, she wound up being the target for the first nuclear test at Bikini atoll. She survived both bombs tested then, only to later be scuttled off of Hawaii due to her being so radioactive that she couldn't be decontaminated. Her wreck was rediscovered just a few years ago.
In damage control school they use Nevada as an example of how to save a ship. Nevada was the ONLY battleship to get underway, which caused the Japanese attackers to concentrate on her (to try and sink her in the channel) after being hit by two b torpedoes and five bombs (numbers vary by source). The Pearl Harbor yard tower ordered he to be run aground, at Hospital Point. When she was grounded her DC crews were fighting fires and counter-flooding, moving TONS of water after. She was down by the bow some NINTEEN FEET (NEARLY DOUBLE HER NORMAL DRAFT FORWARD). 6 6 HOURS LATER, AT THE CHANGE OF TIDE, THE FIRES WERE UNDER CONTROL, AND TUGS HAD TO BE CALLED BECAUSE SHE FLOATED OFF!
Just a note recognizing that the ship being refloated with the inflatables is the minelayer USS Oglala at the 1010 dock. So many incredible stories of the salvage. I highly recommend Descent Into Darkness: Pearl Harbor 1941: A Navy Diver's Memoir by Commander Edwin C Raymer and also Pearl Harbor: Why, How, Fleet Salvage and Final Appraisal by Vice Admiral Homer Wallin, which was published by the Naval Institute. This video series really illuminates both works.
Thanks so much for this very informative documentary on the salvaging of so many of the ships that were damaged at Pearl Harbor! This is the first time that I have learned about the salvage operations after the attack. It’s also the first time I learned about all of the ships that were at Pearl Harbor, including the USS Maryland, the ship named for my home state. I had no idea that she was there. It was so interesting to learn that she was repaired and returned to duty (after being reported as sunk by the Japanese) and was very active during World War II. Thanks so much for bringing us this story!
The book "Descent Into Darkness: Pearl Harbor, 1941: a Navy Diver's Memoir" by Edward C. Raymer goes into incredible detail as to what the divers did. Hellish is the word. But one funny story (funny cuz it's not me) was one diver was inside a wreck in the oily, black water, and found he had a huge sugar-cane spider in his helmet, crawling over his face.
Ok so the image of the USS Nevada being raised from the water in the state that it was in, being able to float and eventually sail under her own power was just incredible. Huge respects to the repairmen of yesteryear for pulling these miracles off.
@@yoyodynepropulsionsystems ok so i swore i typed in Nevada for the ship being raised but uh, i guess youtube had other plans for some reason. anyways, thanks for correcting me.
What an incredible effort - and so many firsts that were a "learn as you go" sort of thing. I cannot imagine the emotional trauma some of those men went through in clearing out the ships. Such a good series thus far - looking forward to part 3.
⚒I love this video. It takes me back to my times living on a war ship. I served on the USS Little Rock CLG-4 from 1973-1976 as a Hull-Tech Repairman and those were the best times I had. I was one of the lucky ones who survived the Vietnam war because I was stationed in Europe. My elder brothers did not make it back from Vietnam. God Bless All Veterans. Thanks
Really enjoyed this, it was a horrific event but damn near everyone focuses on the battleships and nothing else. Good to hear about the 'little' guys and other ships
Incredible video detailing the monumental task of salvage. There is a wonderful book titled "Decent into Darkness" written by one of the divers. He recounts an event. While moving through compartments he could feel the arms of drowned crewmen floating about him against the overhead. It must have been an other worldly experience.
Propaganda, but NOT History, has led us to believe that the Empire of Japan began its territorial expansion in the 1930’s, invading China, creating the puppet State of Manchukuo and “Provoking” the war with the Western Powers. But, Was this really, how events happened? Did Japan invade China and South East Asia? It seems so. However, the Propaganda does NOT say that for centuries, all Asia was invaded by Western Powers. England occupied India, Burma (Myanmar); Borneo, Sumatra, Singapore, Malaysia and China (Hong Kong, Nanking, Shanghai, etc). France dominated all Indochina. The Netherlands intervened by the Force of its Arms, to all of Indonesia. And Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and of course, also the United States were in South East Asia cuz, for example this country, the US, occupied the Philippines since 1898. (Spanish-American War). Thus the panorama in the 30's, the Empire of Japan, when defeating to the Tsarist Russian Empire, it also decided to "Grow" by invading its neighbors. In those years, all European nations had colonies in Africa, India, the Middle East, Australia, Asia and America. (England came to occupy almost ¼ part of the planet). For its part, the US, in 113 years of existence as a nation in those years, had "Grown" 711 the size of its territory from its original 13 colonies. Now is the picture clear? Japan for its part, had fought on the side of the winners in World War I (1914-1918), and they, the Japanese, not awarded any "Gain". The western victors of WWI divided the world. Japan was excluded. Thus, Japan's motives for attacking and expanding as the Europeans and the US did seem clearer, right? Then they, the Japanese, attacked China in 1931, which was occupied by 6 Western Powers for almost a century. None of the Western Powers occupying China at this time, OPPOSED or fought Japan for Invading China. NONE! Then, 11 years later after having occupied the territory of China and coexisted without any problem with the Western Powers within China, they, the Japanese, attacked Hawaii, which in turn, this Island had been occupied and annexed by the US in 1898. (In 1900-01, Hawaii became US territory and Hawaii ceased to be an independent nation after more than 630 years of sovereignty. By the time Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States had just completed the 40th anniversary of the military occupation and annexation of Hawaii). They, the Japanese, attacked Singapore, which was then a Colony of England. They, the Japanese, attacked the Philippines, which were occupied by the US and whose Gov’r, Douglas MacArthur reined as Emperor. Yup… Truly like an Absolute Autocrat. Therefore, the Japanese did NOT attack (In the 40’s), Singapore, Burma, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Borneo, Timor, the Philippines, etc. In reality, the Japanese attacked England, France, Holland, the US, etc. That is, the Japanese attacked the Western Powers invading all of Asia. That is the verifiable truth. The Empire of Japan didn’t invade. Japan fought against the Invaders. The Japanese didn't start the War. The War in, and for, Asia had begun in 1847. And here are some other facts to consider: The US has taken advantage of and intervened without justification in the Marquesas Island. (Massacre. 1813). US Forces seize Nuku Hiva Island (French Polynesia 1813), and establish here «The First US Naval Base», in the Pacific. This historical fact is important, cuz in 1813, the US had NO Territorial Land nor Maritime Rights in the Pacific Ocean, until 1848, when the US seized California and other Mexican territories facing the Pacific. Oh, yes! The Wars to dominate Asia are not over yet. The last one was in Vietnam and the most recent will be on the Island of Taiwan. But, Propaganda has made us believe that the good guys were us, the US. And of course… Nanking was a horrendous Genocide committed by Japan, but, it was no more horrendous than the 12 Genocides committed by the United States in his History and all over the world. Nor was it less horrendous than the Genocide committed by King Leopold II of Belgium, in Central Africa. Nor was Nanking more or less horrendous than the Genocides that the British Empire committed in America, Africa, Australia, Middle East, India and also in China too. In the Philippines (1898-1902), the US Army produced a Genocide of One Million people dead. Yup: ONE MILLION. And now, the Japanese are our friends and allies. But, to fight against China, AGAIN!!! Well… No More. No More British Malaya nor British Borneo nor British wherever. No More French Indochina. No more Dutch Indies. No More Portugese Domains. No More US Domain here. Asia is for Asians and “The China Sea” belongs to CHINA. Westerns powers have nothing to do in Asia. NOTHING!!! .
Absolutely great video, you did a great job in telling this extremely interesting story, that is so often completely forgotten. Normally documentaries will only tell us the fighting stories. This was a fight on a different level, but worthy to be told. Looking forward to the next episodes. 👍
I just wrote an essay on how Pearl Harbor was the most pivotal moment for the US in the 20th century, not for fun, I'm just restarting college after a 20 year hiatus
I was aboard the USS Preble DDG-46 (the 5th Preble) but the 4th Preble, DD-345 (later designated DM-20 in 1937 and again to AG-99 in 1945), was in Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941. She was in dry docks port of the Cassin and Downs. Her crew helped fight fires and also man guns on other ships as the Preble had no ammo due to being in dry dock. I'm trying to find photos of her there but so far have been unsuccessful. Thank you for this video and honoring the men that day, both living and dead. God bless.
A few comments. Nevada was not as damaged as may have been presented here. She was initially beached not because she was sinking, but because she had been ordered not to sortie and her anchor windlass had been wrecked by a bomb (photo at 15:25) and she had no way to drop anchor. Her damage reports states "the story is one of a losing fight against water spreading through boundaries and fittings which should have been watertight but actually were not." Vestal reported that she was hit by dive bombers, but this is incorrect. Arizona was hit twice by two separate five-plane formations and Vestal was also struck in the same drops as the Japanese were using a five-plane V formation. At 27:50 it is stated that Drydock 2 was the only drydock capable of handling a ship of Nevada's size. This is incorrect or imprecisely worded - Pennsylvania was in Drydock 1 at the time of the attack and longer and wider and with a deeper draft. What is likely correct is that Drydock 2 was ten feet DEEPER than Drydock 1 and if Nevada was drawing more than than her normal draft it is likely that the 35 foot depth of Drydock 1 wasn't deep enough and that Drydock 2's 46 foot six inch depth was required.
Ive been learning about Pearl Harbour for many years. And just when i thought i had seen and heard it all you come along and provide not only a great little history lesson; but you also provide some amazing footage ive never seen before. 10/10 would recommend.
My father was on the USS Nevada on December 7th 1941. He never talked much about it. He did say he manned an anti aircraft gun and then fought fires for the rest of the day. They then did rotations on the ship for the next few week in case Japan attached again they could at least shoot back. He watched them refloat the Nevada. He was so impressed with the divers that he applied for dive school. He reported to dive school on VE Day. He spent the next 20 years as a diver/master diver on salvage ships in the Navy. RIP Hank.
My uncle was also onboard that day...
My mom's Uncle was Nevada's XO before the attack, and commander afterwards. Admiral Harry Thompson.
He rushed down to the harbor in his pajamas, driving his son's jalopy.
My Grandfather was a Chief Gunner's Mate on the Nevada that fateful morning. He survived and like your father, never talked about it very much, but I do remember him saying that they continued to shoot at anything in the sky that they perceived to move for the rest of the day. The rest of the family was living in Long Beach, CA, while he was on the battle ship, and after the attack it was months before they learned he had survived. He went on to get a wartime commission and served a total of 32 years. He was my hero as I was growing up.
nice
Bless those sailors. My father was on LST 51. Your father, my father, bless those guys...
My Grandfather was a gunner's mate on board the USS Tennessee on December 7th, 1941. Sadly he passed away on my birthday in 2006. His ship was moored directly in front of the USS Arizona. I saw it in the aerial photograph at 0:22. I have his hat that he wore that day displayed on my desk here next to a picture of his ship. It's so seeing this picture, looking at the Aft Turret # 2 which is clearly visible and knowing that my grandfather was on that ship during the attack and when that picture was taken. Just amazing. I miss you, grandpa. Thank you for your service and your bravery.
L pm
wow...thats great RIP grampa
Thank you for this video. My father served on the USS Nevada BB36 or as dad fondly referred to as " The Ol' Maru" He enlisted just after Pearl. He went to navy school and he boarded the Nevada on the west coast and remained on her for the duration of the war. My dad was proud to serve on the Nevada. I heard the stories hundreds of times but i never got tired of hearing them. I still have the letter dad received after his service for his time on the battleship and the book. It gives pretty much her history and pictures of all the men in the divisions they served. To the Greatest Generation ..... I thank you for your service.
In 1978-80, I waa Junior and Senior in high school. During that time, I was a student of JROTC, and had as my instructor (and later my friend), Lt. Commander Roy Johnson, Ret. He had served on the Nevada as a helmsmen on the ship and described that morning in detail as he and the crew galently got her boilers fired and got the ship underway. Roy said that he had been assigned at the lower bridge at the helm, when they took a hit from above by the Japanese. Roy said after the smoke and heat, he felt a warm sticky feeling all over his body. When he looked down he saw blood covering him and the surrounding bulkheads. He realized that he wasn't injured but then realized that the main bridge had been hit killing an admiral and bridge crew and it was their blood he had on him. They realized that they were sinking and didn't want to block the main channel, so they beached her.
A year after graduation, Roy asked me to assist him with a reunion of the survivors of the Nevada. I agreed and made many new friends that served on the ship. I was unanimously voted as a honorary Mid Shipman and honorary member of the crew by all involved. This is an honor I will always be proud of.
R.I.P. Lt. Commander Roy Johnson (Ret. U.S.N.)
Well done @christophergeorge132!👍
You're a good man. Well on you.
That's so f-ing cool. Like yourself, I'm the same age. My uncle, Bob Olson was on the Nevada. I don't know if he went to the reunion. He was a great guy and because of him, I joined the Navy in 79. Followed him as a gunners mate, but I was in Amphibious assault on an LPD.
Anyway, I like hearing stuff about the Nevada.
That is absolutely an amazing story !
That is incredible, yet very credible. Thank you for sharing!
Knowing how much effort it took to actually sink Nevada later after the war, makes the damage she took look trivial. Still glad to see her story told.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Able and Baker Atomic bomb tests couldn't sink her.
Some atomic bomb : "I'm gonna send that old battleship to the bottom"
Nevada : "Bring friends"
@@TheIndianalain or navada: i didnt here no bell
She was the target ship of Operation Crossroads in 1946.@@peterbrazier7107
AND Nevada had the last laugh! During her post Pearl Harbor refit there was was a tremendous copper shortage here in the US, what with the massive conversion from peacetime to wartime manufacturing. When there was no copper available for electrical buss-bars for Nevada the Navy "bit the bullet" and used silver, a half-million dollar's worth, silver being an excellent conductor of electricity and there being no shortage of the same.
Fast-forward to the post-war era and when Nevada was sunk as a target ship (After surviving TWO atom bomb tests!) they remembered too late those half-million dollar's worth of buss bars were still on board! Whoops. 🤣
My husband and I are watching this series together.
We're incredibly impressed with the Captain who was blown off his ship, swam back to her, and rescued her.
My uncle, Roy Eugene, is still on the USS Arizona standing an Eternal watch with his Shipmates. Never got to meet him but he's the reason why joined the Navy.
I’m increasingly convinced that some needs have no particular interest in maritime matters to adore this channel. Our friend Mike Brady is one of the best historical documentary filmmakers of our time.
I was just thinking that!
Indeed, I am an avgeek but ran out of videos for now and stumbled across this channel instead. It's quite captivating without being too sensationalist, with quality research and respectfully done - that's good ideas, creative design, planning and execution right there.
I agree entirely!
I’m from Colorado, have touched a whopping 3 boats of any kind, and have never been in an ocean. Our friend Mike Brady has largely been my introduction to the maritime world.
The biographies of historical ships told in smooth cadences with an abundance of visual aids would be enough to enthrall anyone!
@@elizabethbeierle7464is ,😮
I want to note that USS Nevada didn't just beach itself to survive but it was a deliberate action to prevent itself from clogging the harbor entrance. Had they sunk in the wrong place the harbor entrance would be blocked for weeks so the captain raced to maneuver to the coast so the Japanese couldn't sink them in the wrong place.
Indeed. It surprises me that the attack did not include mines laid at the entrance and a few more left inside to hamper free movement for a few hours.
Great series, you’re by far one of the best RUclips creators and historians. Explaining detailed but not to complex for anyone to understand. The day is always saved, if our friend, Mike Brady, uploads a new video.
Ok..by Idea
Retired sailor here... my uncle Robert(Tio Pat), was on the Nevada at Pearl Harbor. He never spoke of it. I only found out years later when he was invited to attend a memorial ceramony for WW2 vets at Pearl Harbor. Then in his 80's, he stood proudly. God Bless you sir!! Thank you. Pat L. Hallock, HT1(Ret.).
Amazing video. I want to thank you by proxy for my father, who was in the Pacific during WWII. He died a few years at the age of 94. Toward the end, he spent most of his time watching old western movies. Truthfully I'm not sure how much of the movies he understood. But I am certain he would have loved your two videos. I can see him sitting in his lounger, smiling and nodding his head. Thank you so much.
My Mom's uncle Harry Turbeville was a Seabee, an extremely talented welder and fabricator. He was deployed to Pearl Harbor at the beginning of the impossibly massive salvage work undertaken there. We can only imagine what it must have been like for those guys to cut into a mangled bulkhead to find corpses rotting in the tropical heat, over and over again, or to hear about the knocking of the trapped sailors who couldn't be saved.
Uncle Harry had more hatred in his heart than anyone i have ever met; he was another kind of casualty of the war.
Thank you for providing a place for me to tell someone, anyone, about Uncle Harry, who died over 40 years ago, a twisted, wounded and angry man who only really had room in his heart for his horse. At least he had that.
Yeah one does not need to die at war to be a casualty. As an elder millennial you can't swing a dead cat in my generation and not hit a veteran of the Iraq/Afghanistan war. I'm lucky, all of my friends and family came home bodily but some of them didn't come home mentally. I fought my own battles at that time and picked up a nasty drug habit to try to cope with those battles and in my journey through addiction and recovery the number of veterans I met was harrowing. I did lose friends to addiction they were just trying to ease or forget what happened over there. I still consider those people casualties of war just in a different sense.
It really reflects you and your mom's character that even though your great uncle was one of those hard to love casualties you still have love in your heart to want to pass down and tell his story and keep his memory alive. I'm sure the things he witnessed and experienced were horrendous.
@@Ali_D_Katt Thank you for your beautifully written reply. i was born 14 years after WW2, well within the sphere of its echoes, from nuclear bomb drills at school to hearing my parents and others stories about life during the war. i remember the Vietnam War and the coinage of the term P.T.S.D, formerly known as shell shock, first used in reference to Vietnam Vets.
There was, until he passed about 7 years ago, a Korean War Vet whom i would see out walking 3 Great Pyrenees dogs. He had a .50 caliber Browning machine gun in his living room and he carried a Walther PPK in his pocket....One day we were talking about WW2 history and i was espousing my epic rant about Douglas MacArthur's colossal tactical errors and his general failures as a human being as far back as when he ordered cavalry troops to run down the Bonus Expeditionary Force, WW1 veterans who had marched on Washington demanding their back pay, which they never received. MacArthur abandoned his men to torture and death in WW2 and then there were his blunders in Korea which caused much suffering among his men....as i ranted old Bruce's jaw dropped and his eyes glittered. his expression said it all: Somebody gets it! Somebody understands!!
I am not a veteran, merely someone who reads, however i firmly and passionately believe that we must never forget the lost and broken casualties of war, and their horrible burdens of disenfranchisement, addictions which only fleetingly mask their pain at great cost, and the horrors of war which they can still see but which most people cannot.
i have been sober for 32 years, and i would like to say don't give up, there is help out there, sometimes in the unlikeliest places, as long as we are open to it.
Godspeed Uncle Henry. 🙏🙏❤️🇺🇸
he saw and did to much😢
@@ToniPfau An unfortunate truth. Over the years i have met a few young people from Japan and Germany who are dedicated pacifists, well read and articulate in their desire to make the world a better place. For many years here in New Mexico i was fortunate enough to be a patient of Dr. Ken Yamamoto, a kind, decent man, animal rescuer, and a native son who passed before his time. i always wondered if his family were interred in a camp here in New Mexico however i never wanted to bring it up, however in retrospect i am certain that they were.
All 4 parts combined would be a great documwntary
Drachinifel has done this as well
@@moparman2nd He did! It's a great series. :)
@@moparman2ndyeah but he’s not our friend like Mike Brady from oceanliner designs
I don't doubt it'll appear as a supercut when completed; long videos are all the rage now.
He really does make great videos
My grandparents sent my mother to Hawaii in 1947 as a college graduation present. She told me about taking a boat tour of the harbor and seeing how much damage still remained after 6 years. I went there with my parents in 1971 and we did the same boat tour, and visited the Arizona memorial. It was a moving experience.
I actually got emotional watching this! Great tribute to Pearl Harbor!
yes. effected me too. Made me feel good about what this country can do when it puts its mind into doing it.
One of the five Japanese midget subs was never found. Anything ever found over the years. They raised one in the early 1960s at Pearl Harbor. It is really amazing what salvage work and getting the sunken ships back in action.
This is by far the best report on these ships I have seen in many years. Thank you. My Father served on the Vestal at wars end after serving on a destroyer escort as signal man during Okinawa.
So glad to have part 2! Can’t wait for part 3. This series is so well done!
I used to work with Al Weddle. RIP. He was a diver and helped rescue fellow sailors after the attack. USS Tangier. His battle station was the stern gun.
i hope to see part 3 soon!! anything that gets posted is a treat, but this series in specific has proven to be extra interesting so far :D
Incredible!! I was blown away with the first video of this series- and now this. Your only half way through yet I feel these should be mandatory viewing for every American high school history student! Mike, your ability to present a compelling and riveting story is truly a remarkable gift!
This is a fascinating look at a side of Pearl Harbor most people never even think about. Bravo, and thank you!
Nice work, sir. Clear, concise, logical story-telling with excellent graphic back drops. Keep up the good work!
The destruction at Pearl Harbor looked overwhelming. But with lots of ingenuity and even more hard work, the sailors and other workers did an outstanding job. Good job with this video.
As a Nevadan, the ship always fills me up with pride. The salvage teams did an incredible job saving her. There is another fact that wasn't mentioned here. After Arizona's guns were salvaged, some made it on to Nevada, so in essence both the Arizona and the Nevada got their revenge. I'm still saddened that the ship wasn't saved as a museum ship, but I'm glad that the wreck was rediscovered.
Right, the problem with Nevada and the battle ship New York as well was both were "hot" with radiation after the Bikini A-Bomb tests. New York had been promised to the state of New York as a memorial and museum ship but the radiation made that impossible. The same would have been true of Nevada. They were even too "hot" for scrapping.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 But in essence they were very different ships from those that were attacked at Pearl Harbor. They underwent very extensive modernization.
@@chriswhitehouse9137 Modifications after Pearl Harbor? Certainly. Upgrades in communication equipment, radar installation, most likely new fire control systems for the main batteries as well. But the fact they were "different" ships wouldn't have prevented them from being donated as museum or memorial ships. Nevada and New York may have been WW1 era ships but their combat careers were pure WW2.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 Sure. She did great things at Normandy and Iwo Jima.
She should have been a museum piece for that along.
But she looked very little like the ship at Pearl Harbor.
@@chriswhitehouse9137 So what?
Mike, your content is better than The History Channel. Excellent work!
Fully agree. Last time I watched The History Channel, it was pretty much no longer about history. That was maybe 12-15 years ago.
The History Channel.... It's a mystery why it's still going. It should be history itself. It should be renamed Alien Tinfoil Hat Channel. We would like to ask two questions of the man with the exploded hair.... ''How much have you made from all this? Also, do you actually believe any of this crap you are pushing???'
I agree. Both History Channel and Discovery Channel are a joke now.
There are 100s of Pearl Harbor attack videos, but none of what came after. Great video!
Modem ships wouldn't be salvageable.
The greatest monuments to the souls and ships lost at Pearl Harbor were those ships restored and the hard- working people who repaired them. Not all monuments are static.
Can't wait for parts 3 and 4. This is great documentary.
Thanks! Really appreciate you doing this series on Pearl Harbor. Awesome job as usual…🍻
Another amazing episode. I look forward to the next two! The story of the events that followed the treacherous Japanese attack, and the miraculous salvage of most of the ships is awe inspiring. The bravery and selflessness of the many men and officers that served in world war two is truly remarkable. Their courage under fire, determination in the face of overwhelming odds, and unwavering dedication to their comrades and country exemplify the highest ideals of heroism. Their sacrifices laid the foundation for the freedoms we enjoy today, and their legacy continues to inspire generations. Each story of valor and resilience from the events of Pearl Harbour are a testament to the indomitable human spirit.
Thank you, Mike...this series is engrossing. So amazed to see how these ships were rehabilitated!
This episode would offer a compelling mix of historical drama, technical ingenuity, and emotional storytelling, appealing to viewers interested in military history, engineering, and World War II narratives.
Not gonna lie, very rarely have I ever seen anyone tackle the salvaging of these ships in a documentary, it's usually just glossed over by giving the time it took, while the focus is on the fighting and retaliations. Thank you, this is absolutely fascinating!
Excellent video! Just one tiny correction, if I may: hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is not odorless per se. It's actually quite pungent, with a smell similar to rotten eggs. In sufficient concentrations, however, it quickly deadens the sense of smell (temporary anosmia) via its ability to attack nerves, and thereby becomes undetectable. It's highly toxic, corrosive, and highly flammable to boot. Bad stuff, and a major hazard to oil and gas workers (which is how I originally received some education on it). They use electronic detectors, of course-but we were still instructed to GTFO and raise the alarm if we ever got a whiff of rotten eggs...and reminded that it was _not_ a good thing if the smell subsided!
Very interesting fact, thanks! That’s horrible stuff.
I was going to comment the same. Worked 3 years in a sulfur recovery unit. One guy opened a rail car without supplied air and was immediately overcome by the H2S gas. Lucky for him, he fell off the rail car instead of into the molten sulfur.
As a millwright we dealt with H2S in the refineries and sewer plants, etc. you smell rotten eggs you leave the area immediately. Nasty stuff
@@JayneCobb88 I suspect your colleague was overcome by sulfur dioxide instead of hydrogen sulfide.
I did a lot of work back in the '90s in refineries as a factory Steam Turbine Service Representative and the safety training always emphasized that if you smell rotten eggs, do not sniff the air twice to make sure that's what you smelled. An almost impossible human response to stop. And run CROSS WIND if no breathing apparatus was available. We were also told, "You'll only smell it once, so don't blow it off. (ignore it)"
WOW , Mike! Incredible story of the salvage effort to rebuild the Pacific fleet. Can't wait til part 3!!
The timing of this couldn't be any better, as I just returned from Oahu. Had my second trip to Pearl Harbor and all these places firsthand, and it's still just as it was. They've immortalized just about everything from that day. Damage to buildings still have the impact marks and shell holes, and the USS Arizona is still leaking her fuel oil. For how chaotic that day may have been, it's an incredibly somber place today, though only two battleships remain in battleship row.
Without a doubt some of the finest documentary work. Are you paying attention History Channel? Probably not. Eagerly awaiting the next parts. Thank you for your respect and dedication to fine content.
My grandpa was a civilian contracted bell helmet diver and underwater welder with the navy and one of a dozen men sent from bremerton navy yard ( puget sound , Washington) to pearl help cut open ships and rescue people and then salvage and refloat ships.
He got there days after the attack and stayed for a year working 12 hr days diving on the ships cutting metal and recovering many hundreds of bodies.
He only left because he was drafted to the army and sent to the Philippines with Mc Arther and then became a POW and survived the Battan Death march and 2 yrs in a Japanese POW camp.
@celestedestiny...Wow....what an incredible journey your grandpa had..!!
Pearl Harbour, December 7th 1941
Fall of Corregidor May 1942
Surrender of Phillipines April 1942
Bataan death march 9th April 1942
One year diving plus basic training plus specialist training? maths no work!
If he made it to the New Guinea campaign in 43 that would make more sense? Or he was prior national guard, got activated and his unit went to the Phillipens so he skipped the basic training stages?
Thank you for pronouncing "Maryland" correctly! I've been to Pearl Harbor and visited the USS Arizona Memorial. Your narration really gives me a much better sense of the rescue, recovery, and repair than I could get reading off the National Park Service plaques. Brilliant series! I can't wait to see the rest!
I appreciate this series. It’s odd but I am a big civil war and WWII buff. Your commentary and compassion for both the men and ships is amazing.
Awesome, I was impatiently waiting for part 2.
Keep making great videos 👍🏾
Same!
Incredible story. Thank you for shining a light on this. I am eagerly awaiting Part 3.
Great job!!! I spent a few years at Pearl. Man, it's like no other place. The history just comes through. I think you did a fantastic job telling this part of the story!
People might not know Captain Cassin Young was killed at Guadalcanal not quite a year after Pearl Harbor. A year or so after that the Navy named a destroyer after him, and the USS Cassin Young is still around today as a museum ship in Boston.
One of the most remarkable stories I have ever seen. What a magnificent and wonderful effort of near super human endeavour. Fantastic presentation
A fitting tribute to the truly incredible work done by the salvage teams at Pearl Harbor.
my grandfather was stationed on bb40 uss new mexico, he served throughout the entire pacific theater. The new mexico was hit by 2 kamakzis and he said he was amazed by just how hard of a beating the ship would take.
Half of the ships at Pearl Harbor will later get their revenge at Surigao Strait.
They were called "The Pearl Harbor Ghosts" and they got their revenge all right.
Pretty much all of them were decommissioned by 1950 and scrapped by 1960 or sunk as targets. As "standard" US Navy battleships their flank speeds topped out at 21 knots, too slow to keep up with 30+ knot carriers.
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 The japanese got smoked at Surigao Strait
@@rogerstlaurent8704 That they did. Those were old battleships but they could still shoot.
5 out of 8. Little more than half
this series has been awesome. thank you for your efforts.
MIKE!!! This is a fantastic vid on the salvage operations of Pearl!! Most are fast n skimpy. NOT YOURS!! Great vid!! Great detail!! Great photos and of course, narrative!! Keep it up buddy!! Again very professional!
Wow! The quality of this video is comparable to those professionally produced at television network studios or major production houses. As a matter of fact, this production/video exceeds the overall quality of many produced by those facilities. Mike, I very much look forward to more upcoming videos from you. Rest assured in knowing that many of us are in awe with your productions. Well researched, well produced and very interesting. You have a talent for what you do and I greatly appreciate the time and effort you put forth. Thank you!
Wow--fantastic academic treatment of a very important tie in history for the US and US Navy.
excellent video, however 21:15 Nevada did not have reciprocating steam engines, she had geared turbines. It was her sister Oklahoma that had triple expansion engines, to see which was best. The turbines won and subsequent battleship classes used them.
My dad joined the navy in feb 1942 and march headed to pearl to join others in the salvage efforts. My dad was a machinest first class. He told stories of sailors on deck of the uss Holandia doing calisthenics as bubbles would emerge from the deepths and talked about the stench and some men puking on deck or others that got gravely ill days later from it. With most of his time spent in the belly of the ship making parts he only saw and smelled it once but even at 72 he said that smell haunted him and was set off by some smells like the day we were cutting up a dead tree in the woods. He died later that year but it took him over 50yrs before he told the tales of the days at pearl. Later the uss holandia would be a transport carrier and repair ship. She still did her part in the war even though she was a small carrier. I have talked to many sailors about pearl that survived just curious about it. A common comment was. Boy you dont know what horror and loss is. 1000s of good men left to the sea to rot like the meat mike talked about. So think of that smell for a bit.😢
long time watcher first time commentor. TY for these videos i dont think there is any way this could have been done more professional, considerate, reverant, and truthful. TY once again
I just stumbled across this video 2 days after returning from Hawai’i. My reason for going there was not sun ‘n surf, but to see Pearl Harbor, a place I’ve always wanted to see since my father was there on December 7, 1941. Ironically on the 5th my father wrote to a friend stationed in Georgia. They talked about promotions and assignments and how beautiful and boring things were in Hawai’i, be careful of what you wish for. It is postmarked on the 6th. His friend kept the letter until 1996 when he sent it to my mother. My father only told one war story this is it. So, a little before 8am my father was washing up to go to Mass on the Arizona. That would have been with a bar of soap, a face cloth and a bucket of water. When the first bomb hit, he said, that must be a boiler, boilers blow all the time. When the second one hit, he said, something is really wrong 2 boilers don’t blow. Just then General Quarters was sounded; he took the bucket, dumped it over his head, wrapped the towel around his waist and ran to his battle station wearing just a towel for the whole battle. Maybe you have seen my father in the Ben Affleck/ Matt Damon Pearl Harbor movie. Near the beginning of the attack before they know what’s really going on you can catch a glimpse of a sailor on deck wearing just a towel. My father was on the USS Tennessee (BB43) the battleship that’s not talked about all that much probably because it did not sustain a lot of damage and was still seaworthy at the end of the day. But the Tennessee blocked by the quays, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Arizona so it could not go anywhere; eventually it went to Bremerton, Washington. In Jonathan Utley’s book about the Tennessee he said the Captain of the Tennessee ordered a speed of 5 to 10 knots to push back the burning oil from the Arizona.
My Fathers Uncle, " My Great Uncle Henry Kalinowski was on , and still is on ,the US Arizona . His name is on the monument that was placed over the ship. The Story is legendary in my family , but well documented. Henry was not supposed to be on the Arizona that Sunday Morning . He had shore leave , but instead took the day duty of one of his Buddies who was getting married that Sunday. Henry died in place of his friend. Sadly I doubt his friends wedding took place that day due to the events that unfolded. I have copies of many letters that Great Uncle Henry wrote on US Arizona stationary , and sent back to his family and girlfriend in Ashtabula Ohio. Of course there were no more correspondence after that fateful day. A very poignant story , that I am surprised was never elaborated upon in any documentary or Hollywood film. There is a small section of HWY 8 between Cleveland Ohio and Ashtabula which has been named the Henry Kalinowski highway. and a monument has been erected to him in Downtown Ashtabula City.
Where are Parts 3 & 4 ??
Such courage, dedication and determination is incomprehensible today! Our society has lost so much of what made these women and men-both the living and dead- so great! Every day we lose more and more and soon they will all be gone, taking with them the greatness that gave them what was needed to win the war against such overwhelming EVIL!
THANK YOU AGAIN, MICHAE, for sharing your vast research and knowledge with us. You do these men and women so proud with your hard work and dedication! You and your team truly are a treasure to all their memories and great accomplishments!
My friend Mike Brady, absolute beautiful series man. So glad I found these. I’m an avid war documentary watcher and have ran out of WW2 videos to watch and this has made my day!! Can’t wait for part 3 & 4!
What a great series! Thanks to Mike and team, another fantastic production.
A WWII collaboration with Mark Felton would be a dream team.
This video popped up as a suggested topic. Very well put together. Very informative. And it was even more interesting than it normally would have been because of the fact that I was at Pearl Harbor just 3 weeks ago on vacation. Now I HAVE to go back and watch part 1 and will be looking for 3 and 4. Well done.
Joke was mostly on the Japanese. Most of the capital ships there were quite old. Arizona and Oklahoma were built before the first world war and were obsolete. The Japanese didn't seem to know about all the ships being constructed at the very time of the Pearl Harbor strike
100% correct about the Arizona and Oklahoma and a few others The Japanese were looking for the Carrier Fleet as soon the Japanese found out the aircraft Carriers were not at Pearl Harbor one of the Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto said I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping a giant man was he correct
The killer part is they couldn't get to North Carolina or Washington, which became a BIG problem for them very quickly.
Most of Japan’s battleships were in the same predicament. Older ships built before or during ww1 and modernized in the 30s. Their most modern ships were carriers and cruisers with only a handful of fast battleships added in the late 30s.
They broke the main rule you don't mess the boats . In all of history that's not ended well for anyone, starting way back with the barbary pirates.
@@rogerstlaurent8704No, he didn't. It's been proven he said nothing of the sort. Stop spreading fake @ss false information
It ironic with the Japanese Air forces was so focus on the USA battleships, they forgotten one VERY important detail. Next door were the ENTIRE USA Pacific fleet fuel storage units. Had Japan attack these storage units. USA wouldn't have any fuel for at least 6 months. That alone could have really change the war as we know it.
Fortunately Japan’s strategy missed that key point!
Fantastic documentary, I had no idea that the Americans had managed to save some ships. Congratulations to the whole team. Greetings from Portugal 🇵🇹
I love this man's videos. I love history and he does an excellent job with his subjects.
Thank you for this information. My uncle survived the attack on Pearl. He Never talked about it and we never knew what happened to the Oklahoma after the attack ended. When we visited the site, we left a lei in gratitude that he was not #300. RIP Uncle Dale.
I didn't know they salvaged the ships that were sunk in pearl harbor. what a great video with good information, thanks mike!
Nevada wasn't just a participant on D-Day, she was the US flagship. After the war, she wound up being the target for the first nuclear test at Bikini atoll. She survived both bombs tested then, only to later be scuttled off of Hawaii due to her being so radioactive that she couldn't be decontaminated. Her wreck was rediscovered just a few years ago.
In damage control school they use Nevada as an example of how to save a ship. Nevada was the ONLY battleship to get underway, which caused the Japanese attackers to concentrate on her (to try and sink her in the channel) after being hit by two b torpedoes and five bombs (numbers vary by source). The Pearl Harbor yard tower ordered he to be run aground, at Hospital Point.
When she was grounded her DC crews were fighting fires and counter-flooding, moving TONS of water after. She was down by the bow some NINTEEN FEET (NEARLY DOUBLE HER NORMAL DRAFT FORWARD).
6 6 HOURS LATER, AT THE CHANGE OF TIDE, THE FIRES WERE UNDER CONTROL, AND TUGS HAD TO BE CALLED BECAUSE SHE FLOATED OFF!
Just a note recognizing that the ship being refloated with the inflatables is the minelayer USS Oglala at the 1010 dock. So many incredible stories of the salvage. I highly recommend Descent Into Darkness: Pearl Harbor 1941: A Navy Diver's Memoir by Commander Edwin C Raymer and also Pearl Harbor: Why, How, Fleet Salvage and Final Appraisal by Vice Admiral Homer Wallin, which was published by the Naval Institute. This video series really illuminates both works.
Thanks so much for this very informative documentary on the salvaging of so many of the ships that were damaged at Pearl Harbor! This is the first time that I have learned about the salvage operations after the attack. It’s also the first time I learned about all of the ships that were at Pearl Harbor, including the USS Maryland, the ship named for my home state. I had no idea that she was there. It was so interesting to learn that she was repaired and returned to duty (after being reported as sunk by the Japanese) and was very active during World War II. Thanks so much for bringing us this story!
The book "Descent Into Darkness: Pearl Harbor, 1941: a Navy Diver's Memoir" by Edward C. Raymer goes into incredible detail as to what the divers did. Hellish is the word. But one funny story (funny cuz it's not me) was one diver was inside a wreck in the oily, black water, and found he had a huge sugar-cane spider in his helmet, crawling over his face.
Excellent book the way that they excavated the mud under the hull alone would give any normal human nightmares
Best Maritime Historian on U tube , by a country mile! Well done sir!
As a sailor, there’s nothing worse than the thought of being trapped below decks while she sinks.
Part 3 is coming .. So is Christmas. Just kidding. Thanks Mike. Love the content.
Ok so the image of the USS Nevada being raised from the water in the state that it was in, being able to float and eventually sail under her own power was just incredible. Huge respects to the repairmen of yesteryear for pulling these miracles off.
The Arizona lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor and was listed as a national memorial in 1966.
@@yoyodynepropulsionsystems ok so i swore i typed in Nevada for the ship being raised but uh, i guess youtube had other plans for some reason. anyways, thanks for correcting me.
I'm shocked to discover there's footage of the Pearl Harbor attack! I had no idea!
Another great video, thanks, Mike!
You sir do better work than any historical channel I've seen on television of any year.
What an incredible effort - and so many firsts that were a "learn as you go" sort of thing. I cannot imagine the emotional trauma some of those men went through in clearing out the ships. Such a good series thus far - looking forward to part 3.
⚒I love this video. It takes me back to my times living on a war ship. I served on the USS Little Rock CLG-4 from 1973-1976 as a Hull-Tech Repairman and those were the best times I had. I was one of the lucky ones who survived the Vietnam war because I was stationed in Europe. My elder brothers did not make it back from Vietnam. God Bless All Veterans. Thanks
Really enjoyed this, it was a horrific event but damn near everyone focuses on the battleships and nothing else. Good to hear about the 'little' guys and other ships
I really like this series Mike! Please keep the videos on it coming!
Some of USS Arizona’s 14” guns were placed on the Nevada. So in a way the spirit of the Arizona kept fighting on long after she was sunk.
Incredible video detailing the monumental task of salvage. There is a wonderful book titled "Decent into Darkness" written by one of the divers. He recounts an event. While moving through compartments he could feel the arms of drowned crewmen floating about him against the overhead. It must have been an other worldly experience.
This story boggles the mind even long after the war. Amazing 😊
The Japanese thought they had killed the entire battleship fleet the US had in the Pacific.
Most of them were just... resting.
Propaganda, but NOT History, has led us to believe that the Empire of Japan began its territorial expansion in the 1930’s, invading China, creating the puppet State of Manchukuo and “Provoking” the war with the Western Powers. But, Was this really, how events happened? Did Japan invade China and South East Asia? It seems so. However, the Propaganda does NOT say that for centuries, all Asia was invaded by Western Powers. England occupied India, Burma (Myanmar); Borneo, Sumatra, Singapore, Malaysia and China (Hong Kong, Nanking, Shanghai, etc). France dominated all Indochina. The Netherlands intervened by the Force of its Arms, to all of Indonesia. And Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and of course, also the United States were in South East Asia cuz, for example this country, the US, occupied the Philippines since 1898. (Spanish-American War). Thus the panorama in the 30's, the Empire of Japan, when defeating to the Tsarist Russian Empire, it also decided to "Grow" by invading its neighbors. In those years, all European nations had colonies in Africa, India, the Middle East, Australia, Asia and America. (England came to occupy almost ¼ part of the planet). For its part, the US, in 113 years of existence as a nation in those years, had "Grown" 711 the size of its territory from its original 13 colonies. Now is the picture clear? Japan for its part, had fought on the side of the winners in World War I (1914-1918), and they, the Japanese, not awarded any "Gain". The western victors of WWI divided the world. Japan was excluded. Thus, Japan's motives for attacking and expanding as the Europeans and the US did seem clearer, right? Then they, the Japanese, attacked China in 1931, which was occupied by 6 Western Powers for almost a century. None of the Western Powers occupying China at this time, OPPOSED or fought Japan for Invading China. NONE! Then, 11 years later after having occupied the territory of China and coexisted without any problem with the Western Powers within China, they, the Japanese, attacked Hawaii, which in turn, this Island had been occupied and annexed by the US in 1898. (In 1900-01, Hawaii became US territory and Hawaii ceased to be an independent nation after more than 630 years of sovereignty. By the time Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States had just completed the 40th anniversary of the military occupation and annexation of Hawaii). They, the Japanese, attacked Singapore, which was then a Colony of England. They, the Japanese, attacked the Philippines, which were occupied by the US and whose Gov’r, Douglas MacArthur reined as Emperor. Yup… Truly like an Absolute Autocrat. Therefore, the Japanese did NOT attack (In the 40’s), Singapore, Burma, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Borneo, Timor, the Philippines, etc. In reality, the Japanese attacked England, France, Holland, the US, etc. That is, the Japanese attacked the Western Powers invading all of Asia. That is the verifiable truth. The Empire of Japan didn’t invade. Japan fought against the Invaders. The Japanese didn't start the War. The War in, and for, Asia had begun in 1847. And here are some other facts to consider: The US has taken advantage of and intervened without justification in the Marquesas Island. (Massacre. 1813). US Forces seize Nuku Hiva Island (French Polynesia 1813), and establish here «The First US Naval Base», in the Pacific. This historical fact is important, cuz in 1813, the US had NO Territorial Land nor Maritime Rights in the Pacific Ocean, until 1848, when the US seized California and other Mexican territories facing the Pacific. Oh, yes! The Wars to dominate Asia are not over yet. The last one was in Vietnam and the most recent will be on the Island of Taiwan. But, Propaganda has made us believe that the good guys were us, the US. And of course… Nanking was a horrendous Genocide committed by Japan, but, it was no more horrendous than the 12 Genocides committed by the United States in his History and all over the world. Nor was it less horrendous than the Genocide committed by King Leopold II of Belgium, in Central Africa. Nor was Nanking more or less horrendous than the Genocides that the British Empire committed in America, Africa, Australia, Middle East, India and also in China too. In the Philippines (1898-1902), the US Army produced a Genocide of One Million people dead. Yup: ONE MILLION. And now, the Japanese are our friends and allies. But, to fight against China, AGAIN!!! Well… No More. No More British Malaya nor British Borneo nor British wherever. No More French Indochina. No more Dutch Indies. No More Portugese Domains. No More US Domain here. Asia is for Asians and “The China Sea” belongs to CHINA. Westerns powers have nothing to do in Asia. NOTHING!!! .
Thanks!
Absolutely great video, you did a great job in telling this extremely interesting story, that is so often completely forgotten. Normally documentaries will only tell us the fighting stories. This was a fight on a different level, but worthy to be told. Looking forward to the next episodes. 👍
I just wrote an essay on how Pearl Harbor was the most pivotal moment for the US in the 20th century, not for fun, I'm just restarting college after a 20 year hiatus
Amazing accurate and thorough job done here. Thank you so much for documenting this massive effort!
I was literally wondering 30 minutes ago when part 2 was coming.
I was aboard the USS Preble DDG-46 (the 5th Preble) but the 4th Preble, DD-345 (later designated DM-20 in 1937 and again to AG-99 in 1945), was in Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941. She was in dry docks port of the Cassin and Downs. Her crew helped fight fires and also man guns on other ships as the Preble had no ammo due to being in dry dock. I'm trying to find photos of her there but so far have been unsuccessful. Thank you for this video and honoring the men that day, both living and dead. God bless.
I JUST watched part 1 yesterday and wondered if there were ever going to be a part 2 😂
Same here
About time. : P
Where did you find part 1? I can’t find it
I can't find it either....
@@PeterWolniewicz Same question. Where is it?
Hey. Its our friend Mike Brady. Your content is top drawer.
A few comments. Nevada was not as damaged as may have been presented here. She was initially beached not because she was sinking, but because she had been ordered not to sortie and her anchor windlass had been wrecked by a bomb (photo at 15:25) and she had no way to drop anchor. Her damage reports states "the story is one of a losing fight against water spreading through boundaries and fittings which should have been watertight but actually were not."
Vestal reported that she was hit by dive bombers, but this is incorrect. Arizona was hit twice by two separate five-plane formations and Vestal was also struck in the same drops as the Japanese were using a five-plane V formation.
At 27:50 it is stated that Drydock 2 was the only drydock capable of handling a ship of Nevada's size. This is incorrect or imprecisely worded - Pennsylvania was in Drydock 1 at the time of the attack and longer and wider and with a deeper draft. What is likely correct is that Drydock 2 was ten feet DEEPER than Drydock 1 and if Nevada was drawing more than than her normal draft it is likely that the 35 foot depth of Drydock 1 wasn't deep enough and that Drydock 2's 46 foot six inch depth was required.
Ive been learning about Pearl Harbour for many years. And just when i thought i had seen and heard it all you come along and provide not only a great little history lesson; but you also provide some amazing footage ive never seen before. 10/10 would recommend.
pearl harbor is a special interest of mine i’m so happy part 2 is finally here, thank you mike brady from oceanliner designs
Totally interesting episode (series). Thanks for cranking these out, they're always a treat.