Oral History Interview with Vincent J. Colan, October 17, 2003
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Oral History Interview with Vincent J. Colan, October 17, 2003 (Text)
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Vincent J. Colan. Born in 1914, he joined the Naval Militia in New York in 1932 on his eighteenth birthday. In January 1941, he was transferred to a destroyer, the USS J. Fred Talbott (DD-156), which was part of the Banana Fleet that protected the Panama Canal. He shares an anecdote about learning of the attack on Pearl Harbor while on liberty in Panama. For eleven months, the destroyer escorted ships from Guantanamo to Panama without the benefit of radar or sonar. He shares the story of how he became an ensign. In 1944, he was transferred to the USS David W. Taylor (DD-551). He shares an anecdote about his cancelled liberty in New Orleans, Louisiana on New Year?s Eve, 1944. After the destroyer escorted a convoy to Panama, it was sent to Pearl Harbor to become part of the anti-submarine screen for oil tankers and, later, for the Pacific Fleet. He recounts his actions as Damage Control Officer when the ship struck a mine. He comments on the importance of the extensive emergency drilling. He describes the role he and his Damage Control party played in aiding the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) when it was damaged by a Japanese torpedo in Buckner Bay. As Damage Control Officer, he was also responsible for rescue operations. He recounts the rescue of the crew of an airplane that was forced to land in the water. At the end of the war, he left the Navy, but remained in the Naval Reserve. During the Korean War, he served in the Navy on the USS Johnston (DD-821) in the Mediterranean. He returned to the Naval Reserve in 1954 and retired in 1974.
Oral History Interview with Vincent J. Colan, October 17, 2003, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1604421
Oral History Interview with Vincent J. Colan, October 17, 2003, audio recording, October 17, 2003; Fredericksburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1608230/: accessed June 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation.