Retired Navy chief boiler tender and Pearl Harbor survivor John Durst, seen Dec. 2, 2005, in his Palm Springs home, holds a 1940 photograph of himself at 18 years old. / Desert Sun file photo
John Durst
Age: 88
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Residence: Palm Springs
Military branch: U.S. Navy
Ship: USS Maryland
Years served: 1939-1945
Rank: Boiler Tender First Class
Family: Wife Willie Mae; two children; five grandchildren
About this series
Staff writer Denise Goolsby will profile desert veterans from World War II on a regular basis through the end of 2010 — the 65th anniversary of the end of the war. Contact her at (760) 778-4587 or via e-mail at denise.goolsby@thedesertsun.com
Coming tomorrow
The Desert Sun will present a package of stories in remembrance of the 68th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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John Durst was onboard the USS Maryland the morning the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
The U.S. Navy Boiler Tender First Class was 20 years old and had a girlfriend waiting at home for his return.
The following are excerpts from his diary during and after the attack:
Dec. 6, 1941: Went out to sea for another run and one of the look-outs said he spotted a sub. When we came in and went on liberty, they told us not to say anything to any body what we saw. We all had a pretty good idea the enemy was hanging around Pearl Harbor. But all the Bright men with their gold stripes said it wasn't possible.
Next morning I was getting ready for the admirals inspection on December 8th. But Sunday morning December 7th, 1941 after breakfast I was shinning (sic) my shoes and put my shorts on getting ready to go over on the (USS) Oklahoma to church. She was tied up to us on the out board side.
Pretty soon there was a hell of a rocket (sic) and I stuck my big head out of a port hole, looking over on Ford Island as the dirt was flying high and airplanes were coming right for the “Mary.” I hollered, something awful, but by that time general quarters was blazing away.
The fire room was locked when I finally got there and had to cuss like hell to get the keys away from some guy who was in a state of panic and opened the fire room.
We had to get the engines running and get out of the harbor. I got the door open and hatch up, half falling and half sliding down a thirty foot ladder into the fire room.
What a hell of a mess. The boiler had been secured for some time and the dam (sic) boiler was full of water. I got the bottom blow open and the leg valves and over board valves open and ready to light off. It should take three hours to raise steam in these new boilers but from the time of General quarters it had only been 15 minutes. There was so much water in the super heaters that when I opened the steam stay, that hit the turbines, I just about blew her up. But they wanted her in so I give it to um.
Down in the engine room every thing was going well now, but the Okay (sic) was getting hit hard and every time a torpedo hit I kept burning my butt every time I hit something, then picked my self up and kept moving.
Then when we got it, I thought sure fire the world was coming to an end. By this time the Oaky (sic) had tipped over and had us pined (sic) in against the keys so we couldn't get out. So finally about two o'clock, I secured the Boilers and we went up on the third deck. A bunch of heavy bombers came over the Mary, but we didn't get hit.
They needed volunteers to take a motor launch and go over to a tug out in the harbor to fight the fires on the (USS) West Virginia and (USS) Arizona, so I was in charge of a party of twelve men.
Everything was locked out by the time we got started, bodies and oil so thick all over the water the motor launch could hardly get through it. But with all the fire the Harbor was lighted up pretty good, (so we) finally found the tug.
With my men on board, got the pumps started and pretty soon every Buddy (sic) was like a Bunch of Demons, doing things that you would think impossible to be done.
We anchored the tug close in and stayed in the one spot so we worked the fires from there. All the dead guys we got we put them in a boat they had tied up and hauled them away.
I was covered with oil from head to foot and my eyes burned so much all I could see were red balls of fire.
We fought the fires and saved who we could get into the night. That evening three planes came in dipped there (sic) wings and we fired shooting them down. In the morning they found out they were our planes, the third plane hit Ford Island, the pilot got out with only a broken arm and a few cuts on his head. The Pilot of the plane came to the Mary and said “never want to get near your ship again.”
The Maryland's bow was under water, the stern high, a hole about four feet high and six feet wide near the bow. The Oklahoma next to us rolled over on here (sic) side while men cutting holes in her trying to get some of the men out.
The (USS) Tennessee with a Bomb between turret and the conning tower. The Arizona broke right in two. The (USS) California tied up by a key alone was hit port side and was slowly tipping over. The Old (USS) Utah was on the opposite side of ford Island from us, she was turned completely over and the Ogallala (USS Oglala) by the docks was turned over too.
For weeks we worked to get us out from between the Oklahoma and the keys, when the screws turned over the men that were drowned came up and I was in charge of collecting the bodies and loading them into a boat.
After thirteen days and nights of work we finally pulled ourselves out and headed for Bremerton Washington to get patched up and overhauled.
The days seemed like years as we headed through a storm that was so bad we only crept along, but finally saw land.
Headed through the straits and closing in on Bremerton, “good old Bremerton,” a sight of envy to every mans (sic) eyes that was about to see the girl he loved.
I had to stay on board one more day before leave which seemed like a year. I finally got to see my honey January 1, 1942. Here (sic) kisses were from heaven itself, it felt like I could lick the whole world.
January 9, 1942 we were married in Bremerton at the Catholic Church or should I say in the Priest Parlor in the evening.
The thoughts of death were blurred, as Pat was beautiful, very young and lovely. She wore a beautiful blue dress to match her eyes; I wore my “SAILOR SUIT.”
