Homer N. Wallin

In an amazingly short span of time, most of the warships damaged in the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor were salvaged and refloated. This immense and costly operation eventually came under the direction of Captain (later Vice Admiral) Homer N. Wallin, who here describes the basic steps involved in salvaging the USS Oklahoma,which had capsized during the attack. Although the Oklahoma never saw action again, the salvagers successfully righted and refloated her, providing a fascinating textbook example of the tremendous industrial resources, as well as recuperative powers, of the United States at that time.

Of first importance to Fleet Commanders was the task of readying ships for a full fleet engagement with the Fleet of Japan. At that time no information was at hand on the enemy's location, the strength of his force, or his intentions with regard to...