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Allison Albert (SBTS Writer)-Historian
to remember
Christian, William Garnet, SC2c.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Bluefield, WV
Last Address Harriman, TN
Casualty Date Dec 07, 1941
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Hawaii
Conflict World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Attack on Pearl Harbor
Location of Interment Willard Park Cemetery - Harriman, Tennessee
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Petty Officer Second Class William Christian was Killed in Action on December 7, 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was stationed aboard the USS West Virginia BB-48.
Service number: 2953059
Comments/Citation:
William Garnett Christian-2953059
William Garnett Christian was born on October 30, 1916, in McDowell, West Virginia to George Washinton Christian and Bessie Alice Critchfield. Both George Christian and Bessie Critchfield were born in Tennessee. George Christian died the year of William’s birth from an unknown cause. William had one older brother, Stanley Christian. According to census records, William lived with an aunt and uncle when he was under the age of ten and later lived with a stepdad and three other siblings. William’s highest level of education was completing his first year of high school.
William went on to marry Bertha Louise Kersey on June 13, 1936, at age 19. That same year, Bertha gave birth to their son Wendall on December 8th.
William enlisted in the US Navy on March 11, 1936 and was assigned to the Battleship USS West Virginia from 1936-1941. He earned the rank of Petty Officer Second Class and was a baker on the ship. The USS West Virginia was stationed with the US Pacific Fleet and was in port on Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
On the morning of December 7, 1941, the battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48) was moored in an outward position on battleship row and was hit by at least seven torpedoes, which blew two immense holes in her port side. The crew counter flooded so she did not capsize but sank to the harbor bottom. West Virginia was further damaged by two bombs. When the attack was over, 106 of her crew were killed. She was salvaged, repaired, and returned to active service in July 1944.
William Garnett Christian was killed in action after serving in the US Navy for five years. He was twenty-four years old and had been married for five years. His son was four years old at the time of his father’s death. William Garnett Christian was buried with his crewmates in Hawaii and was later transported in 1948 to Willard Park Cemetery in Harriman, Tennessee. His wife Bertha Louise passed away in 2005 in Orange County, California, and his son Wendall passed away twelve years later in Meridian, Idaho.
Story written by Cassidy Baugh from Brigham Young University
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org/). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Together We Served and on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.
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The fourth and final ship of the Colorado Class Battleship, USS West Virginia (BB-48) was laid down at Newport News Shipbuilding on April 12, 1920. Construction moved forward and on November 19, 1921, it slid down the ways with Alice W. Mann, daughter of West Virginia coal magnate Isaac T. Mann, serving as sponsor. After another two years of work, West Virginia was completed and entered commission on December 1, 1923, with Captain Thomas J. Senn in command.
: Displacement 32,600 Tons, Dimensions, 624' (oa) x 97' 4" x 31' 4" (Max). Armament 8 x 16"/45 14 x 5"/51, 4 x 3"/50AA 2 x 21" tt.Armor, 13 1/2" Belt, 18" Turrets, 3 1/2" + 1 1/2" Decks, 16" Conning Tower. Machinery, 28,900 SHP; Turbines with Electric Drive, 4 screws. Speed, 21 Knots, Crew 1080. Operational and Building Data: Laid down by Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, VA, April 12, 1920.
Launched November 19, 1921. Commissioned December 1, 1923. Decommissioned January 9, 1947. Stricken March 1, 1959. Fate: Sold August 2, 1959 and broken up for scrap.
USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Pearl Harbor:
On the morning of December 7, 1941, West Virginia was moored along Pearl Harbor's Battleship Row, outboard of USS Tennessee (BB-43), when the Japanese attacked and pulled the United States into World War II. In a vulnerable position with its port side exposed, West Virginia sustained seven torpedo hits (six exploded) from Japanese aircraft. Only rapid counter-flooding by the battleship's crew prevented it from capsizing. The damage from the torpedoes was exacerbated by two armor-piercing bomb hits as well as a massive oil fire started following the explosion of USS Arizona(BB-39) which was moored aft. Severely damaged, West Virginia sank upright with little more than its superstructure above the water. In the course of that attack, the battleship's commander, Captain Mervyn S. Bennion, was mortally wounded. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his defense of the ship.
USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Rebirth:
In the weeks after the attack, efforts to salvage West Virginia commenced. After patching the massive holes in the hull, the battleship was refloated on May 17, 1942 and later moved to Drydock Number One. As work commenced 66 bodies were found trapped in the hull. Three located in a storeroom appear to have survived until at least December 23.
After extensive repairs to the hull, West Virginia departed for Puget Sound Navy Yard on May 7, 1943. Arriving, it underwent a modernization program that dramatically altered the battleship's appearance. This saw the construction of a new superstructure which included trunking the two funnels into one, a greatly enhanced anti-aircraft armament, and elimination of the old cage masts. In addition, the hull was widened to 114 feet which precluded it from passing through the Panama Canal. When complete, West Virginia looked more similar to the modernized Tennessee-class battleships than those from its own Colorado-class.