“December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan,” as said by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Congress on Dec. 8, 1941. The suprise attack on Pearl Harbor, one of the most pivoted moments in United States history, severely crippled the fighting capabilities of the Pacific Fleet for the onset of World War II. After the attack, monumental efforts went into rescuing men still trapped on the sunken vessels and salvaging material from the wrecks. Now, 80 years later, three rifles salvaged from the U.S.S. California have been discovered by the Archival Research Group and can be documented to this rescue and salvage operation following the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

The U.S.S. California, BB-44, was a one of two Tennessee Class “super-dreadnought” battleships built by United States Navy at the end of World War I. First launched in November 1919 and armed with 12 14″ naval guns, she and her sister helped form the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s modern battle line during the inter-war period. She was nicknamed “The Old Prune Barge,” due to the large amount of prunes her namesake state of California produced at the time. She became the flagship of the Pacific Fleet and was one of the first battleships to acquire radar in 1940.

The U.S.S. California (BB-44) at her mooring next to Ford Island during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The ship is low in the water and listing to the port side after suffering two torpedo hits. In the background, the destroyer U.S.S. Shaw burns, and the damaged battleship U.S.S. Nevada begins to beach herself at Hospital Point.

During the attack on Pearl Harbor, she was moored outside Ford Island at the front of “Battleship Row,” just ahead of the U.S.S. Maryland and U.S.S. Oklahoma. She was targeted and was struck by two torpedoes and one bomb. The torpedoes ripped massive holes in the port side of the ship, resulting in extensive flooding, compounded by the fact that many of the watertight doors below deck had been left open. Water from the torpedo damage entered the fuel lines to the generators, and the ship lost power. Dead in the water, the ship sank slowly and settled into the silty harbor bottom, upright with only her main deck and super-structure remaining above the waterline.

After the attack, efforts were made to salvage any remaining equipment left onboard the stricken vessels that was still of use. Despite resting on the bottom, the U.S.S. California began to sink even deeper as the hull began to slide down an embankment on the harbor bottom, necessitating efforts to remove extra weight and usable materials as quickly as possible. On Feb. 13, 1942, Capt. Joel Bunkley wrote a memorandum to the commandant of the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, transferring small arms salvaged from the U.S.S. California to one of the four coastal artillery batteries around the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

A photo of salvage operations underway on the wreck of U.S.S. California after the attack. Note how low the main deck is in the water, along with the water being pumped out of the hull. As the U.S.S. California settled into the silty bottom of Pearl Harbor, the hull began to slide down an underwater embankment ever deeper, necessitating the removal of usable materials and extra weight from the ship. This included the removal of the ship’s 14″ naval guns, which are already missing from the turrets in this photo.

This transfer included 352 M1903 rifles, 53 M1911 pistols, 26 Browning Automatic Rifles, 16 Lewis machine guns and two Thompson submachine guns. Eight batteries were constructed following the attack on Pearl Harbor, but the salvaged small arms were only sent to batteries one, two, three and four. The authors of this article have compiled a list of coastal artillery batteries which were constructed around the island of Oahu as defensive measures against further seaborne attacks.

A document in which Lt. Comdr. Berthold (salvage officer) advises the transfer of property to the Supply Department of the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard. Photo courtesy of Archival Research Group.

The memorandum written by Capt. Buckley does not specify whether the rifles are Springfield or Rock Island Arsenal manufacture. However, he did record the serial numbers in ascending order, making it easier to see trends in serial number ranges.

The first page from a list of rifle serial numbers from the Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. California, transferring salvaged property to the Commandant of the Navy Yard of Pearl Harbor. Note rifle S/Ns 664504 and 1024813 are contained in the list of rifles sent to Battery No.2. Photo courtesy of Archival Research Group. 

The second page of the list of M1903 rifle serial numbers recovered from the wreck of the U.S.S. California, with rifle serial number 1011683 transferred to Coastal Artillery Battery No. 4. Photo courtesy of Archival Research Group.

A handful of rifles which have been discovered and documented as being salvaged off the U.S.S. California has been compiled by the authors. A brief description of technical details of the M1903 rifles is below:

Of the three rifles examined, S/N 664507 does not appear in like-new condition, but does not show signs of corrosion or heavy pitting. S/N 1011683 presents itself in an almost like-new condition. It also exhibits many features of a non-rebuilt rifle with original finish, and bears no signs of surface pitting. On S/N 1024813, it does show signs of an overhaul, but still bears original finish and no surface pitting.

With those observations, it is likely these small arms were retrieved from the U.S.S. California before salt-water corrosion could set in. It should be stated that even though the memo does not specify Springfield Armory or Rock Island Arsenal manufacture, all are serial numbers that are exclusive to Springfield Armory and above the range of duplicate serial numbers (Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal bearing the same serial number on the receiver).

M1903 S/N 664507.

When examining one of the U.S.S. California rifles, a question that comes up is: “Why aren’t these rifles showing signs of salt-water damage?” Unfortunately, the documentation does not specify when these small arms were salvaged. Without any documentation, it could have been hours, days, weeks or even a month following the sinking. But, considering the intensity of the salvage operation and the fact that U.S.S. California was continuing to settle deeper after sinking, the removal of such items would have been urgent.

The memo does not state the conditions of the armory when they were retrieved (whether it was flooded or in watertight compartments, etc.). The location where the small arms were stored could have played a factor on the rifles’ good condition. If the armory was located on one of the upper decks, it may have been unaffected due to the ship sinking in shallow water.

M1903 S/N 1011683.

Thus, it made them perfect to be repurposed while the ship was undergoing long-term salvage. It is also reasonable to speculate that, due to the national emergency, they could have been prioritized to be removed immediately before the effects of salt-water corrosion could take place. Rifle S/N 664507 does show some signs of pitting and corrosion one might expect from a rifle being salvaged from a tropic harbor. However, S/Ns 1011683 and 1024813 do not show similar signs of corrosion. At the present time, it is unknown as to whether S/N 664507’s corrosion is linked to Pearl Harbor’s salt water or not.

This memo has also caused some confusion in its interpretation. Some have interpreted that these small arms were salvaged from specific locations within the ship, believing that the term “batteries” referred to are the ship’s turrets. Understanding Naval terminology can offer some additional clarification. A ship’s armaments are referred to as “primary” and “secondary” batteries, and the turrets are numbered.

M1903 S/N 1024813.

Some historians have debated whether these small arms would have been for use of the Navy personnel or the Marine detachment aboard the U.S.S. California. These would almost certainly be for issuance to the naval personnel and landing parties. The common practice for the Marine detachment was to bring aboard, maintain and handle their own small arms. The responsibility for this property belongs to the Commanding Officer of the Marine detachment, not the Commander of the ship.

The next question that should be addressed is, “Why a battleship needs small arms?” The naval landing party would augment the Marine detachment aboard the ship. It consisted of personnel taken from areas of the ship which were not crucial for its operational needs. Its primary function was as the ship’s security. This should not be confused with security onboard the ship.

Landing party members aboard the U.S.S. California, sometime in the late 1920s to early 1930s. The U.S.S. California’s sister-ship, the U.S.S. Tennessee, can be seen in the background. Take notice of the two Marine officers supervising the formation. It is reasonable to believe that the rifles we’ve examined may be shouldered by one of these sailors.

The naval personnel of the landing party would combine with the Marine detachment to form a larger landing force in certain cases, such as securing and stabilizing a hostile port. One example of combined landing parties was the United States’ occupation of Veracruz. The Marine detachment oversaw training of the naval personnel in infantry tactics. It should also be noted that the Marines and Navy had separate armories for maintaining, repairing and storing their small arms. They only combined for training and carrying out landing party operations.

It is reasonable to assume that all weapons would be prioritized for retrieval, although this is not directly stipulated in the correspondence. Viewing through the lens of 2021, it is rather difficult to imagine a land invasion by Japanese troops on the island of Oahu. It is clear now that it was never an immediate strategic intention of the Imperial Japanese Navy. However, on Dec. 8, 1941, the strategic intentions of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Army were still unknown. With the fear of a possible invasion, it is easy to understand why all weapons would be prioritized for reissue to bolster defenses around the island.

A view of the markings in the stock of M1903 S/N 1024813. Note the original D.A.L. inspector stamp followed by a post-war Springfield Armory S.A./J.F.C. rebuild cartouche as well as the added “Hatcher” hole in the receiver.

After the small arms were salvaged, it remains unclear what, if any, future service these small firearms saw. It is possible that they sat out the rest of the war at either one of the Coastal Artillery Batteries or were transferred again to one of the military installations around the island. The U.S. Navy did not adopt the M1 Garand service rifle until September 1945, and the M1903 rifle was declared obsolete in 1947. These rifles were likely replaced sometime after the official adoption date of the M1 in 1945, or shortly after the M1903 was declared obsolete.

As for the U.S.S California, her story did not end in the mud of Pearl Harbor. After extensive efforts to patch the two torpedo holes and regain buoyancy, she was re-floated in March 1942. In October 1942, she sailed for Puget Sound Naval Yard, Wash., for long-term repairs and reconstruction. While being repaired, the ship was modernized and refitted with a new superstructure, radars and anti-aircraft mounts. Finally, on Jan. 31, 1944, the rebuild was completed, and she underwent a series of sea trials before rejoining the Pacific Fleet.

The U.S.S. California underway in 1944 after her extensive repairs and rebuild at Puget Sound Naval Yard, Wash. Note the redesigned superstructure, added radars and anti-aircraft mounts.

Back in the fight, U.S.S. California’s battle record included the invasions of the Saipan, Guam and Tinian in the summer of that year. In October 1944, the ship took part in the largest naval battle of World War II, the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. On the night of Oct. 25, 1944, a U.S. naval force under the command of Rear Adm. Jesse Oldendorf, which included the Pearl Harbor veteran battleships U.S.S. California, U.S.S. West Virginia and U.S.S. Tennessee, encountered a Japanese battle line sailing up the Surigo Strait.

The Japanese force, commanded by Vice Adm. Shoji Nishimura and comprised of the battleships I.J.N. Fuso, I.J.N. Yamashiro and the heavy cruiser I.J.N. Mogami, attempted to sneak up the strait toward U.S. amphibious forces landing on the island of Leyte. In the ensuing battle, the U.S. battleships crossed the enemy’s “T” and opened fire with devastating accuracy, thanks to their radar-guided gunnery. All three Japanese ships were lost during this engagement, and it marked the final gun dual between battleships in naval history. U.S.S. California served for the remainder of the war before being decommissioned in 1947, and she was eventually scrapped in 1959.

Another view of M1903 S/N 1024813.

It is often said by the firearm collecting community: “Buy the rifle and not the story.” These words are commonly repeated almost as a mantra when advising fellow collectors on the most intriguing of backstories. Specifically, to help avoid a costly mistake. Most stories attached with a price tag typically are just that, stories that cannot be validated.

These three rifles serve as the exception to that rule, and show that one can in fact accept and prove a story with primary source documentation. These rifles also serve as a humble reminder of one of the darkest moments in U.S. history. Their unique history would have been lost, had the connection had not been made between the rifle’s respective serial numbers and documentation obtained at the National Archives. For more information on other serial numbers of small arms salvaged from the U.S.S. California after Pearl Harbor along with other documentation, visit archivalresearchgroup.com.

Article by ANDREW STOLINSKI NEIL DUFFY