Oral history interview with Robert F. Feller, [videorecording], 2002.

ArchivalResource

Feller, Robert F., 1921-. Oral history interview with Robert F. Feller, [videorecording], 2002.

Oral history interview with Robert F. Feller, [videorecording], 2002.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/777009005

Robert F. Feller, a Verona, Wisconsin native, discusses his Navy service during World War II, including his experiences during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Feller talks about enlisting in the Navy, boot camp and radio school at Great Lakes (Illinois), and assignment to the USS Oglala, a mine ship based at Pearl Harbor (Hawaii). He states his job entailed maintenance work on teletypes and code machines. Feller touches on doing mine sweeping maneuvers, spotting Japanese submarines, and picking up a load of mines and TNT the day before the Pearl Harbor attack. He details his experiences on December 7th, 1941: recognizing incoming Japanese airplanes, seeing the nearby USS Helena get hit by a torpedo, and abandoning ship when the concussion of the explosion broke his ship's seams. Feller states his ship "tipped over on the side right next to the dock and we crawled off--didn't even get wet." He discusses his state of mind and the sights he saw from the docks, including sailors swimming through oil burning on the water. He describes his view of the base and harbor activity in the days after the attack. Feller states he couldn't do more than send a pre-printed postcard to his family saying, "I'm okay," and the rumors his family heard that he had lost a leg to sharks. After a six-month stay at the submarine base, Feller speaks of moving into a new bomb-proof building. He talks about cleaning and repairing code machines for the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet (CINC-PAC), and he characterizes Admiral Nimitz. Feller describes the code room, communications methods from headquarters, and security measures. He talks about carrying gas masks into town during the years after the attack. He recalls revisiting Hawaii on the 50th reunion, portrays the layout of the harbor, and remembers thinking the Japanese were going to invade the island the night after the attack. Feller mentions recreation at Kahala (Hawaii). Discharged in December of 1945, he talks about attending vocational school, his career as an electrician, and being in the Naval Reserves until 1969.

Video recording : 2 video cassettes (ca. 40 min.) ; sd., col.; 1/2 in.Transcript : 17 p.

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center