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Chief Warrant Officer Edward Wentzlaff USN Signed Naval Art
Naval Art  Signatures S to Z  Wentzlaff, Edward |
Chief Warrant Officer Edward Wentzlaff USN
Edward Louis Wentzlaff was born on November 16th, 1917, entered the U.S. Navy on December 8th, 1937 and he was aboard the USS Arizona on December 7th, 1941 during the Pearl Harbor attack. Wentzlaff, one of just 335 aboard the ship to survive, was spared because he ran to his battle station instead of fleeing below. Aside from singed eyebrows and hair from the fires that raged on board, he wasn't injured. Ordered to abandon ship, he was too terrified to jump overboard, where flames 3 feet high leapt on the surface of the water from fuel pouring out of the ship. Instead, with another sailor, he ran down a gangway to an admiral's barge, which was tied up to the ship. As the Arizona rapidly sank - the ship went down in just nine minutes - it began to drag the barge down with it. Wentzlaff frantically cut it loose, while the other crew member started the engine. Waves of Japanese planes continued to strafe the harbor, and the two rescued any survivors they could. Wentzlaff was one day away from the end of his enlistment period on the day of the attack, and had plans to go into the resort business in Wisconsin with a Navy buddy, but he wasn't permitted to leave the Navy as America's involvement in World War II began. He served in a variety of roles throughout the war, and was on the USS Yorktown, which was sunk at the Battle of Midway. Wentzlaff left the Navy in 1946 as a Chief Warrant Officer. He died on 10th September 2013 at the age of 95.
| Chief Warrant Officer Edward Wentzlaff USN - Signed Naval Art Naval Crew Signatures |
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The Calm Before the Storm by Robert Taylor. Dawn had broken to reveal another glorious day in paradise, and on board the USS Arizona and the repair ship USS Vestal alongside, the crew were taking it easy. All next week they would be hard at work preparing for sea, but today was Sunday, and that meant light duties. On the Arizona, the duty crew were preparing the stern of the battleship, erecting the awnings for the ships band at Morning Colors. The young officer in charge smiled approvingly, it was an inspiring scene and he thought that the recently overhauled battleship had never looked more impressive. But within the hour he would glance skyward, and a frown of puzzlement crease his forehead as, out of nowhere, Japanese carrier-based aircraft were descending on the unsuspecting naval base. As he registers the bright red circles on their wings, the blood froze in his veins. He realized that hell had come to Pearl Harbor! Then, just before 08.10hrs, the unthinkable happened. A bomb from a Nakajima B5N Kate high-altitude bomber penetrated the ship's armor plated deck and exploded in the forward magazine. Within seconds a cataclysmic blast ripped through the Arizona, devastating the mighty ship which would burn for two days, taking with her the lives of nearly twelve hundred men. In tribute to all those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor on that infamous day Robert Taylor has created his poignant new landmark painting. The Arizona has since become the focal point for the memorial at Pearl Harbor and this moving piece portrays this proud ship as those who survived would surely like to remember her - in all her glory prior to the attack. |
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