Robert Glenn Prout
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Navy
PROUT, Robert Glenn
Robert Glenn Prout was born on February 7th 1921 in Ann Arbor, Michigan to John & Lillian (Prout) Peterson.
Mr. Prout enlisted in the Regular Navy on January 3rd 1940. Home at entry: Virginia, Minnesota.
He went on duty aboard the battleship USS West Virginia in March 1940 and served as a Chief Electrician's Mate. He was serving on this vessel when it was torpedoed at Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941. He was a Pearl Harbor survivor. (Read his account below)
Four days later, he volunteered for duty aboard the destroyer USS Flusser (DD368) and served aboard this vessel in the Pacific Theater until he was honorably discharged on February 26th 1946.
Mr. Prout died on October 8th 2008. He is buried at Eveleth Cemetery in Eveleth, Minnesota.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The St. Louis County World War II Project. 258.
Albert J. Amatuzio Research Center
Page 34 Pearl Harbor Muster Rolls - Fold3
Ancestry.com - U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
Recollections of PROUT, Robert G. on the attack on Pearl Harbor
AGE ON DEC. 7th, 1941 20
RANK OR RATE ON DEC. 7th, 1941 Fireman 1/c
SHIP OR STATION ON DEC. 7th, 1941 USS West Virginia
BATTLE STATION ON DEC. 7th, 1941 Gyro Compass Room
DESCRIPTION OF WHAT YOU REMEMBER OF THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR
I was sleeping in the Gyro Compass Room, which was my battle station, and woke up when General Quarters sounded. The First Class who was in charge of the Gyro Compass aboard ship was on leave in Honolulu. His name was Bishop and I’ve never seen or heard from him since. Anyway, I jumped from my cot and started to cut in the switches to start the main compass when all the lights went out and we only had battery lights. The ship shuddered several times and started to list to port, so I decided I had better get out of there as I was 5 decks below
I started for topside, using a flashlight to see. I was all alone and scared, but I made it up to the second deck where I ran into some guys from our division who were helping the injured up to topside. I stayed down on the second deck until the water was waist deep. Someone suggested that we had better get out of there, so we headed for topside. There were a lot of fires topside, so I helped fight fires for a while. By this time the ship had settled to the bottom of the harbor and you could reach over the side and fill a bucket with water and then dump the water on the fire.
Every so often a motor launch would come alongside the ship and pick up some of our men. The next one that came along was the one I decided to leave on, so I dumped my bucket of water on the fire and then ran back to get on the launch. It was just beginning to pull away, but I was running quite fast and couldn’t stop as the deck was all wet and slippery, so I ended up by jumping in the water. I swam toward the motor launch but could not catch up with it. There was a lot of oil on the water and a lot of the oil was on fire. I swam until I thought I couldn’t swim any farther. A lot of thoughts were going through my mind---most forgotten---but I remember one incident very well. I was about to give up when I saw an officer swimming by me. He still had his hat on and he was a lot smarter than I was because he was wearing a life jacket. He must have thought it better to keep going because he never missed a stroke---just kept right on swimming. Shortly after that a motor launch came by. I was just about done for when I felt a hand on my head and someone was pulling me into the launch. After I get into the launch I looked up and the first one I saw was John Hand, an Electrician I knew. I never have seen him since, but I feel I owe my life to him.
The motor launch took us to shore and we went to the hospital where we were cleaned up and then sent to some building where all the guys who had lost their ships were gathered. That night there was a rumor that the Japs were landing, so they called for volunteers to help fight them. The rumor turned out to be false.
One thing I will always remember was the flag on the ARIZONA. That night it was still flying and every once in a while you could see it through all the smoke and grime. This was a very emotional scene for me and I still get all choked up when I see the flag waving. It sure burns me up when l see some of those coots burning the flag. I have never mentioned this before, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to bring this incident up about the FLAG on the ARIZONA. It sure is funny to think that of all the pictures made, or taken, of Pearl Harbor on that day and night, I have never seen one showing what I saw.
After a couple of days, I volunteered for duty on the USS FLUOSER (DD 368), a destroyer. I finished out my 6 year hitch on her and was discharged in February, 1946.
Source: Recollections of PROUT, Robert G.: Albert J. Amatuzio Research Center. Veterans Files. 'P'.
