Erv Schmidt—Featured Speaker at Naval Station Everett—Dec. 7th

Author: January 1, 2013

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Long time member of Post # 8870 and Pearl Harbor survivor, Erv Schmidt, was the featured speaker at the Naval Station Everett Pearl Harbor Remembrance. The ceremony, which commemorated the 71st Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, was conducted on December 7, 2012 in the Commons. After introductory remarks by Base Commander Captain Michael Coury, Erv was introduced to the large gathering that included two other Pearl Harbor survivors, several WW II veterans, numerous descendants of servicemen and women who had been stationed at Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack, and many officers and enlisted personnel from Naval Station Everett. Erv provided those in attendance with a riveting account of the moments just prior to the attack and the actions he took once he and his shipmates knew they were under attack. Erv had been assigned to the battleship USS California and had participated in numerous training cruises prior to that fateful day. When the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred at a few minutes before 8:00 AM on December 7, 1941, Erv was several levels below the main deck, getting ready to go to church, when the first of two torpedoes struck the California. One of Erv’s bunk mates was killed instantly by the blast. Dazed by the attack, Erv and several of his bunk mates tried to make their way to their battle stations. They were overcome by smoke and fumes on the second deck, and survived only because shipmates carried them to the main deck where the fresh air revived them. After a second torpedo struck, the ship began to list and the Captain issued the order to abandon ship. Erv was on the main deck and chose to remain on the ship with three of his shipmates, who could not swim. They were the only remaining personnel on the ship, and they manned a 50 cal. anti-aircraft gun to fire at the attacking Japanese planes. Late in the afternoon, Erv and his three friends were evacuated and shortly thereafter, the USS California sunk. Of the 1500 men assigned to the USS California, over 200 of them were killed in the attack. Three days after the attack, Erv was reassigned to a heavy cruiser, the USS Chicago and the ship immediately left Pearl Harbor to serve as reinforcement to the Australian and New Zealand forces in the vicinity of the Coral Sea

Long time member of Post # 8870 and Pearl Harbor survivor, Erv Schmidt, was the featured speaker at the Naval Station Everett Pearl Harbor Remembrance.  The ceremony, which commemorated the 71st Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, was conducted on December 7, 2012 in the Commons.  After introductory remarks by Base Commander Captain Michael Coury, Erv was introduced to the large gathering that included two other Pearl Harbor survivors, several WW II veterans, numerous descendants of servicemen and women who had been stationed at Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack, and many officers and enlisted personnel from Naval Station Everett.

Erv provided those in attendance with a riveting account of the moments just prior to the attack and the actions he took once he and his shipmates knew they were under attack.  Erv had been assigned to the battleship USS California and had participated in numerous training cruises prior to that fateful day.

When the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred at a few minutes before 8:00 AM on December 7, 1941, Erv was several levels below the main deck, getting ready to go to church, when the first of two torpedoes struck the California.  One of Erv’s bunk mates was killed instantly by the blast.  Dazed by the attack, Erv and several of his bunk mates tried to make their way to their battle stations.  They were overcome by smoke and fumes on the second deck, and survived only because shipmates carried them to the main deck where the fresh air revived them.  After a second torpedo struck, the ship began to list and the Captain issued the order to abandon ship.

Erv was on the main deck and chose to remain on the ship with three of his shipmates, who could not swim.  They were the only remaining personnel on the ship, and they manned a 50 cal. anti-aircraft gun to fire at the attacking Japanese planes.  Late in the afternoon, Erv and his three friends were evacuated and shortly thereafter, the USS California sunk.  Of the 1500 men assigned to the USS California, over 200 of them were killed in the attack.  Three days after the attack, Erv was reassigned to a heavy cruiser, the USS Chicago and the ship immediately left Pearl Harbor to serve as reinforcement to the Australian and New Zealand forces in the vicinity of the Coral Sea.