Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Software, E-Resource Audio Recording Robert Abbott Coates Collection

Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Navy
- Unit of Service: USS Nevada (BB 36); USS San Francisco (CA 38)
- Location of Service: Pacific Theater; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
- Highest Rank: Electronics Technician First Class
For a sailor, your ship is your home. On shore at the time of the attack, seeing the bombs hit the USS Nevada, Robert Coates’ first thought was to return to his home. Following the attack, he was transferred to the USS San Francisco, and went on to be involved in some of the biggest naval battles of the Pacific theater. As he describes it, the shock of attack on December 7th was unrivaled, and was an introduction to the even more intense action that he witnessed later in the war.
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PlayFerrying soldiers to and from the larger ships; trying to rescue soldiers burned by oil; chaos of attack and aftermath; no food or sleep for two days; lots of friendly fire; running into his hometown buddy. 00:13:43.9 - 00:18:37.8
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PlayShock of attack before they had acclimatized to combat; transferring from the USS Nevada to the USS San Francisco; trained as radioman but helped to man guns; going to Wake Island. 00:20:01.4 - 00:22:41.7
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PlayLosing three battleships at Guadalcanal; USS San Francisco had to take their place; heavy loss of life; daily routine on ship; developing attitude of invincibility in order to cope with stress and fear. 00:40:02.0 - 00:44:34.1
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PlayObserving the sinking of the USS Juneau. 01:18:00.0 - 01:21:05.6
About this Item
Title
- Robert Abbott Coates Collection
Names
- Idaho State Historical Society
- Dorothy Stiles
- Coates, Robert Abbott
- Carin Eckhoff
- National Court Reporters Association (NCRA)
- Reeves, Troy
State of Birth
- ID
Home State
- ID
Headings
- - Coates, Robert Abbott
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Navy.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Status
- Veteran
Service History
-
World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Navy
- Unit of Service: USS Nevada (BB 36); USS San Francisco (CA 38)
- Location of Service: Pacific Theater; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
- Highest Rank: Electronics Technician First Class
- Dates of Service: 1941-1946
- Military Status: Veteran
- Service History Note: The veteran is a Pearl Harbor survivor.
Materials
- Photograph: Digital Print [2 items] -- Photograph (collected 1943 - 2001)
- Computer File: Floppy Disk [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected [2005])
- Audio: Audio Cassette [2 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 10/12/2001)
- Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 1/1/2003)
- Computer File: Floppy Disk [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 10/12/2001)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2005)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 10/12/2001)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2003)
- Computer File: Floppy Disk [1 item] -- Electronic file of photograph (collected 1943 - 2001)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/489
Cite as
- Robert Abbott Coates Collection (AFC/2001/001/489), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- online text
- image
- audio
- video