KELLEY-ARCHIE

PEARL  HARBOR  SURVIVOR

Archie P. Kelley was born into a Navy family.  He graduated from the US Naval Academy in February 1941 and his first duty assignment was the battleship USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  When the alarm sounded on December 7, 1941, announcing the attack on the fleet at Pearl Harbor, Ensign Kelley sprinted to his battle station wearing his white uniform but with no shoes or hat.  Sensing the situation was critical, he gave the command to set condition “Zed,” an order to close the ship’s watertight doors and hatches.  The order was carried out before seven torpedoes hit the West Virginia, an action that allowed counter-flooding and prevented the ship from rolling over although it did settle to the bottom.  For his actions, Kelley has been credited with permitting the ship to eventually return to service.

After the battle, Kelley served as Gunnery Officer aboard the destroyer USS Gansevoort which was part of the island-hopping strategy that followed.  His post-war duty was in the Navy’s nuclear program, working on development of the USS Nautilus and the USS Seawolf, the Navy’s first two nuclear submarines.  Kelley eventually retired from the Navy with the rank of captain after 30-years of service during which he served seven years in combat.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)