Two bombs were dropped near Roland Peachee on board the USS Rigel. One was near the bow and went through a motor lifeboat, but didn't explode. The second landed in the water between the Rigel and a nearby tanker full of high test aviation fuel. The water spray and shrapnel from it injured two or three sailors and both ships were lightly damaged. Fortunately, the tanker did not explode.
Members of the USS Rigel's crew helped save crew of the USS Oklahoma after it capsized. They used their cutting torches to cut through the one-inch armor plate on the hull near the propeller shaft.
Later, Mr. Peachee was aboard the Rigel as it participated in the battles of Coral Sea, Guadalcanal, New Britain, Cape Gloucester and New Guinea.
Mr. Peachee died February 7, 2016, and will be buried Feb. 16th at the Northern Nevada Veterans' Cemetery.
--GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
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