When I asked him to write the account of the salvage I expected a well So he was in the thick of the Pearl Harbor attack from its onset. At the time of Pearl Harbor Captain Wallin was serving as Battle Force engineer and was charged with overall responsibility for fleet repair and alterations. He intensively studied ship construction in all its intricate facets, then he went on to various efficiently performed duties. The United States owes him an unpayable debt for this high service among many others in his long career.įollowing graduation at the Naval Academy in the Class of 1917, Ensign (and later Lieutenant) Wallin entered into the Navy' s then Construction Corps. So the account he masterfully tells covers what he masterfully accomplished. In a matter of time it would surely rule the Americas.Ĭaptain Wallin salvaged most of the broken Pearl Harbor fleet that went on to figure prominently in the United States Navy's victory. Without victory at sea, tyranny soon would surely rule all Asia and Europe.
Unless the United States regained control of the sea, even greater disaster loomed. He witnessed the events of that shattering and unifying "Day of Infamy." His mind began to race at high speeds at once on the problems and means of getting the broken fleet back into service for its giant task.
On 7 December 1941 the then Captain Wallin was serving at Pearl Harbor. He had served intimately with Admiral Nimitz and with Admiral Halsey in the South Pacific, has commanded three different Navy Yards, and was a highly successful Chief of the Bureau of Ships. He was exactly the right man for it - in talent, in perception, and in experience. We were delighted when Admiral Wallin agreed to undertake the job. The Navy has long needed a succinct account of the salvage operations at Pearl Harbor that miraculously resurrected what appeared to be a forever shattered fleet. It is Admiral Wallin's own handicraft, with only minor modifications by this staff.
Therefore, all will be interested in the unique volume that follows. Pearl Harbor will long stand out in men's minds as an example of the results of basic unpreparedness of a peace loving nation, of highly efficient treacherous surprise attack and of the resulting unification of America into a single tidal wave of purpose to victory.
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