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Cranston Fine Arts Naval Art and Artists Veteran Signatures E to H Hetrick, Clarendon

Seaman Clarendon Hetrick USN

Clarendon Hetrick was born 26th May 1923, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 17 on his parents' signature and reported for training in San Diego in the latter half of 1940. He joined the USS Arizona in January 1941. On the morning of 7th December, Hetrick was in the latrine, about half-shaved, when the Japanese attack began. 'I ran out on the forward deck, looked up and saw one airplane going across the sky with a red meatball on it. I knew what was going on right away then.' Hetrick headed for battle station below deck, where he had been trained to help move ammunition for the big guns. As the ship began to fill with smoke, the men were ordered to leave. The Arizona was already starting to sink as Hetrick made his way to the edge of the deck. He could see no lifeboats, but he watched as other crewmen leaped into the water and half-swam, half-walked the short distance to Ford Island, where the Arizona had been moored. He looked at the water and jumped. Hetrick was assigned to the USS Lexington, an aircraft carrier. He would later join the USS Saratoga, fighting in battles across the Pacific Ocean until the end of World War II. He was injured in fighting at Iwo Jima. In 1949, his stint with the Navy finished, Hetrick enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He died on 18th April 2016, aged 92.

Seaman Clarendon Hetrick USN - Signed Naval Art

The Calm Before the Storm by Robert Taylor. 2 of 3 editions available. All 3 editions feature up to 5 additional signatures. £210.00 - £325.00

Text for the above items :

The Calm Before the Storm by Robert Taylor. Dawn had broken to reveal another glorious day in paradise, and on board the USS Arizona and the repair ship USS Vestal alongside, the crew were taking it easy. All next week they would be hard at work preparing for sea, but today was Sunday, and that meant light duties. On the Arizona, the duty crew were preparing the stern of the battleship, erecting the awnings for the ships band at Morning Colors. The young officer in charge smiled approvingly, it was an inspiring scene and he thought that the recently overhauled battleship had never looked more impressive. But within the hour he would glance skyward, and a frown of puzzlement crease his forehead as, out of nowhere, Japanese carrier-based aircraft were descending on the unsuspecting naval base. As he registers the bright red circles on their wings, the blood froze in his veins. He realized that hell had come to Pearl Harbor! Then, just before 08.10hrs, the unthinkable happened. A bomb from a Nakajima B5N Kate high-altitude bomber penetrated the ship's armor plated deck and exploded in the forward magazine. Within seconds a cataclysmic blast ripped through the Arizona, devastating the mighty ship which would burn for two days, taking with her the lives of nearly twelve hundred men. In tribute to all those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor on that infamous day Robert Taylor has created his poignant new landmark painting. The Arizona has since become the focal point for the memorial at Pearl Harbor and this moving piece portrays this proud ship as those who survived would surely like to remember her - in all her glory prior to the attack.