Try to imagine a warm, peaceful, sun-shiny morning. Now imagine yourself on an old slow ship, just returning from a cruise to Canton Island, one of the Phoenix Group, just south of the equator. This was the crew of the USS Antares at 0600, December 7th, 1941.

The Antares was an old (1917) supply ship, running almost empty after dropping off our cargo of men and supplies at Canton I. Tensions in the Pacific were heating up and a new base was goingto be constructed on this atoll. It was presently being used as a rest stop and refueling station for the ChinaClippers, flying from Australia to the States.

We had a large barge in tow which had to be disconnected and picked up by a tug before we could enter the harbor. In typical Navy fashion, the tug was late and we were lazing along in a wide circle just outside the entrance to Pearl Harbor. We had actually arrived the evening before but it was too late to get the barge picked up before dark. This was probably a very lucky break for the old II Annie-Marull.

All night long, we had cruised back and forth, parallel to the coastline with the lights of Honolulu, Hickam Field, and Pearl Harbor in view. The ship had been followed back from Canton by an unidentified submarine that we often sighted on the horizon about sunset. We didn't think much about it, nor did we think much about the constantly flashing lights along the coast that night. Apparently the Powers That Be didn't think much about it either! One of our radiomen who could read Morse Code kept insisting that it was indeed, coded Morse Code. Signals to the Japanese subs ready in place for the attack?

Our overdue tug arrived about 0630 and took the barge in tow. Now all we had to do was reel in the towing cable, a wire hawser, about 3 inches in diameter and 200 ft. long. In order to prevent rusting, it was washed downand painted with a mixture of tectal and graphite as it was reeled in by a large winch and drum on the poop deck. This was an extremely messy operation and to protect our clothing (white uniforms), we had large sheets of canvas draped over us like a parka.

So here we are, up on the poop deck, reeling in cable and getting this oily mess all over us and every thing else in sight.

We were rapidly nearing the end of our peaceful morning.......

From the ship's bridge, a midget sub conning tower, decorated with a Rising Sun, was spotted. This was obviously a no-no, having a foreign sub in these waters and the panic button was pushed. A navy PBYpatrol plane was nearby and circled over, dropping a smoke flare near the intruder. The USS Ward, an old 4 piper destroyer was also nearby and immediately initiated an attack by firing their forward deck gun and then as ~he sub submerged, went over the top of it and dropped depth charges. I remember seeing the sub partially surface, roll over and disappear. I believe that at least 1 round from the Ward's deck gun hit the conning tower.

This seemed to end the emergency and we continued on our messy way. Consider this: Had we have been on schedule, at 0700 we would have been in the narrow entrance to Pearl Harbor. Had we been sunk there, the entrance to Pearl would have been blocked for a significant amount of time! Instead, we were late and the Captain of the Japanese sub decided to come up and take a lookaround to see what the delay was. All this took place at 0700, approximately 40 minutes before the actual attack.

Did we get excited? Very little. The depth charges exploding in close proximity caused a few rivets to pop in the hull and we had a little rest from oiling down the cable but then back to work.

Still reeling in cable, a very slow job, the ship continued to loaf about just off Pearl Harbor. By now,we had tecta I and graphite all over ourselves and most everything else on the poop deck. The sun was shining, it was a beautiful morning and as soon as we got in and tied up liberty in Honoluluafter being at sea for 2 months. I could already taste a cold beer.

Not to be! About 0745 someone yelled, "Look at all the airplanes" and pointed to the north. There, rounding KienaPoint was one helluva lot of planes. More 'ho-hum' Sunday morning war games. The officer in charge of the working party had a pair of binoculars and brought the group, which was rapidly approaching, into focus.

Just as he did, a lead plane turned up in a bank around our stern and displayed a large red ball on each wingtip.Our intrepid leader screamed, "Run for your lives". We did. I thought I was the first one off the poop deck and downthe ladder to the maindeck but I guess everyone passed me because all of a sudden I was on the maindeck alone and I could hear an engine whiningand machine guns rattling. There was no cover but I crouched up against a hatch coaming and watched the SOB come in, guns firing in a strafing run. Even today, over 62 years later, I can still see the shiny disc of the propeller, the red blinking guns, and even see the pilot inside his plexiglass cockpit. He banked and pulled up right over me and I will swear that he was grinning. The crew that got inside the superstructure said they could hear me cussing over all the other noise. As soon as the plane pulled up, I joined them.

Now the attack was on full scale. We could see and hear explosions all over Pearl and Hickam Field. It was unbelievable.

The Japanese actually had the audacity to attack the greatest navy in the world. Not only attack us but they were kicking our butts. It literally turned our world upside down.

The attack continued for what seemed like hours. The Antares total armament consisted of two .30 ca!. Lewismachine guns. They were mounted on the ship's railing fore and aft and I wouldlike to say that they turned the tide of the battle but they were of no consequence. We were strafed but suffered no casualties except our pride. We were 'straddled' a few times by shore batteries, apparently thinking that we were a troop ship.

By now we had discarded our canvas ponchos and had managed to smear our oily residue all over everything in our immediate area. In every situation, no matter how grim, there seems to be some bit of humor. Here we are dirty, scared to death, trying to stay under cover, and our Captain passed the word, Ail hands shift into the uniform of the day. The uniform of the day will be undress whites".

I'm sure there was some logic but it was difficult for us to find it. Maybe the whites made a better target than our dungrees against the dark background of the ship. I didn't care, I was already in whites because I had never been issued dungarees. That wasn't good enough tho, I had to go put on clean whites, thus ruining the second set for the day.

A t last the attack was over and we had survived! Pearl Harbor was a nightmare.

Flames, smoke, ships sinking, the Arizona exploding,the Oklahoma rolled over. All this we could see as we passed back and forth across the mouth of the harbor. It was too much of a mess for us to go into the harbor to our berth so we were
routed into HonoluluHarbor for a short stay until a place could be made for us.

Thus ended December 7th, 1941.