"You just don’t kill a battleship that way…"(Video interview, 9:49)

Ivan Arnold Harris

Ivan Harris [detail from video] War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Navy Unit: USS Nevada (BB 36); USS Mirth (AM 265); Minesweeper USS YMS 365 Service Location: San Diego, California; Norfolk, Virginia; Cleveland, Ohio; Seattle, Washington; New York; Pearl Harbor Rank: Boatswain's Mate First Class Place of Birth: Silt, CO

Ivan Arnold Harris enlisted in the Navy with a sense of adventure, which served him well on the morning of December 7th. Bouncing back from the shock of attack, he was able to handle the coming days with his characteristic resiliency and joie de vivre. He describes his pride and affection for the USS Nevada and its sister ship, the USS Oklahoma; his worst moment came when he realized that the Oklahoma had been sunk. After cleaning up the Nevada little by little, he and his crew accompanied the ship as she ventured stateside and then on convoy duty in the Atlantic.