Elmer W. Allen


 He was either the pointer or trainer on a quad 40 millimeter gun mount.  This mount was on the starboard side toward the stern of the ship.  He was co-captain under a man John (Red) Cardin. Red was killed in the attack. His best buddy's last name was Deward Bass. He was a gunner on the port quad 40MM and was also killed. 

When he regained consciousness the ship was in flames all around him, steam lines were bursting, and there were dead men scattered around him on the deck.  Some of these were men that were on his gun mount.  His legs were injured so badly that he couldn't stand, and he had some teeth knocked out.  The order to abandon ship had been passed, but he couldn't make it.  A shipmate came along and helped him overboard.  He floated in the sea for quite awhile before being picked up by some kind of landing craft.  He was placed aboard the hospital ship where he stayed for a few days.  I believe the ship was the USS Hope.  When he was able to walk and had his mouth healed up somewhat, he was placed ashore with some other Hadley survivors.  They were then, more or less, on their own. They and wandered around for a few days, from outfit to outfit, trying to find out what happened to their ship.  They ate where they could, and were placed on miscellaneous work parties.  There's more to the story but to sum up, Grandpa  heard of a badly damaged ship with a tremendous "Scalp Board" (which was a board on the side of the ship with little Jap flags for each plane shot down).  I believe it at Nakagusuku Bay, on the east side of the main island. He caught a  ride on a mail boat and as it went out into the bay there was the Hadley.  When he and the men with him came aboard they were "Piped over the rail"!  He said he was never so glad to see anything in his life.  My grandfather Elmer subsequently made Gunner's Mate 3/c. This should give you a little insight into what Grandpa experienced. 

He was born in Kentucky and raised in Indiana.  At the time he was drafted into the Navy he was already married to my Grandmother, Algia Neill Allen, and had three children. He was  then thirty years old.

Grandfather Elmer passed away from cancer 11/22/79. Grandmother Algia is still alive and lives in Exeter, California.   She later remarried.   Their children were, my mother Donna Wilson, my Uncle David Allen, and my Aunt Anna Nelson. 

 He was already retired when I was old enough to remember, but still had a great golf game!  I remember that my he never kicked the habit of getting up early.  He would rise around 4 am, drink coffee and play solitaire or read until the rest of us awoke.  He was a bright, intelligent man, who used to love to test my knowledge.  When I was small, he would write math problems for hours for me to solve.  It became a great game between us. 

 

Submitted by: Grandson William Allen, as recalled from memory of son David.