| Philip C. Dahlquist was commissioned for heroism aboard carrier YORKTOWN at decisive great battles of Coral Sea and Midway May 6-7 and June 4-5 l942.He had been with Jack Barrett nearly three years aboard light cruiser MARBLEHEAD from July 1924 at Philadelphia prior to September commissioning through June 1927 at Shanghai, China. Dahlquist corresponded extensively with Sophie and John Barrett about 1970 to l976, and at the suggetion of Sophie prepared a log of his Navy years.A native of Lancaster MN,born 1896, he enlisted as a seaman in supply corps.He told of the emergency repairs to Yorktown afte Coral Sea, so that she could be one of three carriers USA had available at Midway, though YORKTOWN did not have full speed. ENTERPRISE under Spruance sank three Japanese carriers, and YORKTOWN sank HIRYU, but disabled YORKTOWN had to be abandoned the next day, and DAHLQUIST worked evacuating wounded. He lowered one sailor temporarily blinded by burns by a rope that was too short - he had to cut the rope after signalling rescue vessels - the blinded sailor had to drop several feet into the water, from which he was immediately rescued, though agitated, not knowing what was happening.Dahlquist also explained fire prevention measure YORKTOWN adopted after loss of carrier LEXINGTON to fire at Coral Sea: Airplanes required a great deal of fuel -YORKTOWN began new procedure cutting fuel lines when Japanese attack planes were sighted- Yorktown reduced fires but was limping toward port - was abandoned for safety of personnel - salvage effort was continuing, but she was sunk by a Japanese submarine. |
Lt. Cdr. Phil Dahlquist sent us many letters from Eugene,Oregon in the 1970s where he became a timber salesman after retirement. He had been a shipmate of Jack Barrett 1924 - 7 on the Light Cruiser Marblehead - war games demonstrated the vulnerability of Pearl Harbor to air attack. The MARBLEHEAD visited Melbourne, Hobart (Tasmania) and Wellington NZ. Phil and Jack Barrett were in a group of about twenty who traveled by train across Tasmania to a special event in Launceston, so they were well aquainted. Phil was commissioned in 1942 for heroism at the great battles of Coral Sea and Midway. He lowered a temporarily blinded sailor into a rowboat for rescue when the YORKTOWN was abandoned because slowly sinking
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