Frederick Delong

Frederick Delong Cridersville Ohio local history World War II Pearl Harbor military service community history Cridersville Historical Society. DECEMBER 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii A publication of the CRIDERSVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 111 W. Sugar Street PO Box 2444 Cridersville, Ohio 45806 Frederick Delong and the USS Arizona Frederick Delong was born on May 12, 1912 in Cridersville, Ohio. His parents were Frank and Emma Delong. His father was the great grandson of Daniel and Catherine Bowsher, who were among the first pioneer families to arrive in the area in 1836. Their log home is now located at 603 E. Main Street in Cridersville. Frederick was the youngest of three chil- dren. Their family lived at 113 W. Main Street. He graduated from Cridersville High School in 1930. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. in August 1939. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii In 1962 the wreck of the Arizona was designated as a national shrine. The memorial straddles, but does not touch the ship’s hull. The memorial includes a shrine room listing the names of lost crew members on a marble wall. Frederick Delong is among those names. More than two million people visit the USS Arizona Memorial each year. Shortly before 8:00 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft from six aircraft carriers struck the U.S. Pacific Fleet as it lay anchored in Pearl Harbor, and caused de- struction to the warships and installations defending Hawaii. On board Arizona, the ship ’s air raid alarm went off at 7:55 a.m. Shortly after 8:00 a.m., ten Japanese torpedo bombers from two aircraft carriers attacked the Arizona. Each plane carried armor -piercing shells modified into 1,757 pound bombs. Five planes bombed the ship ’s midship to stern and the others hit the bow area. The Japanese planes scored four direct hits. The last bomb hit at 8:06 a.m. penetrating the armored deck near the ammunition magazines. About seven seconds after the hit, the forward magazines detonated in a cataclysmic explosion. The explosion vented through the sides of the ship, destroying much of the interior of the forward part of the ship and tearing it in half. The bombs and resulting explosion killed 1,177...