Home › Mervyn Bennion

Mervyn Bennion

Mervyn Sharp Bennion

Mervyn Sharp Bennion (born 5 May 1887 to Vernont ; died on 7 December 1941 at Pearl Harbor ) was an American naval officer. He died during the attack on Pearl Harbor the Japanese army.

He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his "outstanding dedication to duty, extraordinary courage and disregard for his own life '. He continued to command the USS West Virginia when he was in the process of dying, ripped by shrapnel.

The destroyer USS Bennion (DD-662) was commissioned on 4 July 1943 was named in his honor.

Biography

Mervyn Bennion was born on 5 May 1887 to Vernont. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His grandfather, John Bennion, had emigrated to Utah with Mormon pioneers and successfully established herds of cattle near Taylorsville, Utah. Bennion graduated third in his class of 1910 from the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Coincidentally, his younger brother Howard Bennion, graduated first in his class in 1912 of the Military Academy at West Point.

His first posting was on the USS California (ACR-6) in a division engineering

He became an expert in weaponry. During the Second World War , he commanded the batteries on board the USS North Dakota (BB-29).

Mervyn Bennion ordered first the destroyer USS Bernadou (DD-153) and Destroyer Division One. He assumed command of USS West Virginia July 2, 1941.

Captain Bennion was killed in action during attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese December 7, 1941, when he commanded the battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48). Captain Bennion was struck by the brilliance of an OBU which destroyed part of his platform control. Doris Miller , cook third class, and several other sailors have tried to move Bennion to a dressing station but he refused to leave his post. Using one of his hands to keep his wounds healed he was bled to death while commanding his crew.