My father was on the Solace. Eye witness to the whole attack,
Said they had to stack the bodies in the hallways like cord wood.
It should be noted that black sailor Doris Miller received the Navy Cross at Pearl Harbor. He was a mess attendant (a cook). From Wikipedia:
“Miller helped carry wounded sailors to safety during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He then manned an anti-aircraft gun and, despite no prior training in gunnery, shot down between four and six enemy planes.”
Some folks say he should have received the Medal of Honor, but the Navy wasn’t all that enlightened back in those days. Who knows? Maybe race had everything to do with it. Maybe race had nothing to do with it.
Miller was killed in action in 1943.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Miller