US Navy Gunners Mate 3rd Class Ernest Cory Harris Jr. was born in Pensacola, Florida in 1912, the son of Ernest Cory "Edward" Harris Sr. (1889-1973) and Mary Louise "Mamie" Conway (1892-1940). His father was born in Atlanta, Georgia however moved to Pensacola prior to 1900. Here, he met and married Mamie on January 3, 1912. His father supported his family his whole life as an automobile mechanic. In 1918, his father was a mechanic for the Pensacola Auto Company at 108 West Intendencia Street. Following Mamie's death in 1940 in New Orleans, LA, he would remarry a woman by the name of "Kay" and move to Meridian, Lauderdale County, Mississippi in 1954. He would pass away and was buried in Meridian in 1973.
After WWII began, Ernest Jr. enlisted in the US Navy and was quickly stationed aboard the cruiser (CA-34) USS Astoria in the South Pacific. Men were needed quickly as the Japanese juggernaut relentlessly marched across the South Pacific. The "do or die" battle to stop this juggernaut was Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. And it was there that 3rd Class Ernest C. Harris Jr. found himself in August 1942.
On the morning of August 7, 1942, he and his ship was supporting the Marine landing on Guadalcanal while repulsing any Japanese counterattack against the offshore transports. However, on the night of August 8 the Japanese sent a large task force of seven cruisers and a destroyer to interrupt the landing and reestablish their control over Guadalcanal. Opposing them were eight American cruisers and 15 destroyers. However, the Americans were divided into three groups, totally separate from one another. The Japanese attack struck the northernmost comprised of the Astoria, Vincennes, and the Quincy.
On the night of August 9th, the enemy force hit them at 0150 hours and a tremendous firefight ensued. The Astoria was shot to pieces by 0255 hours and lay dead in the water, totally vulnerable to total destruction by the Japanese. Luckily, the enemy commander chose that exact moment to withdraw.
The fire below decks of the Astoria grew in intensity with explosions sounding throughout the ship. The order to abandon ship was finally given as the ship slowly took on water and totally disappeared at 1216 hours taking Ernest Harris' remains along with fellow Pensacolian James Otis Caraway and 217 others down to a watery grave. In the meantime, the Vincennes had already sunk at 0250 hours taking a young Pensacola boy, George Vincent Lockwood down with her. Their sister ship, the Quincy had preceded them at 0238 hours and sank with Pensacolians Thomas Louis Richards aboard and Arthur Pete aboard. The losses were terrible with three cruisers destroyed and almost a thousand sailors killed but the enemy had been turned back and the Marine landing on Guadalcanal was saved.
コメント