Pearl Harbor Survivor

Gunner’s Mate Calvin C. Dawes

U.S.S. Raleigh

I like to keep my father’s service in World War II alive because his is an unusual story. He was seventeen when he entered the Navy. His mother had to sign for him. He was anxious to serve his country.

On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor hitting Ford Island first. The U.S.S. Raleigh, a destroyer, was fatefully moored at berth F-12. She would take a torpedo in her No.2 boiler room and claim five victories with her anti-aircraft batteries with no loss of life.

My dad was not physically injured that day. He stayed by his post loading the guns. Emotionally, he was scarred for life and suffered from PTSD before they knew what that was.

Dad wouldn’t turn eighteen until January 31^st. What an experience for any young teenager to live through and be able to share.

I’m proud of my father’s service. He stayed on that ship for six years after the attack. Dad survived to marry and father four children. He’s been gone from us for twenty-five years now, and I miss him each day. I understood him more than most, I think. On camping trips during my childhood years, he and I would talk at midnight in front of the fire and he would tell me about his experiences. Someday, I want to put those stories in a book.

The  information was written and provided by Mr. Dawes daughter, Patty Wiseman ( She is a published author of novels.)