History 21 The Podcast - 3.23 Charles Triggs Remembers Pearl Harbor

In this episode we remember Pearl Harbor with Charles Triggs. He served on the USS Wright, a sea plane tender, during WWII stationed at Pearl Harbor. He describes his journey to enlisting in the Navy, his responsibilities, and the shock of returning from a routine mission on December 7, 1941 to find the ships in the harbor destroyed, sunk, or still burning.

Hosts Rebecca Ebnet Desens, ACHS Executive Director, and Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator.

Charles Triggs

1918-1997

Charles Triggs enlisted in the Navy on January 29, 1941. After training, he sailed into Pearl Harbor to join the crew on the USS Wright, a sea plane tender. Part of their mission was to stage barrels of aircraft fuel on lone pacific islands (including Wake Island) as refueling stations for the sea planes. His ship returned to Pearl Harbor from a mission the afternoon after it was attacked by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941.

Later in life he was a member of the VFW, American Legion, and Masonic Lodge. He was also a Shriner, Scottish Rite Mason, York Rite Mason and worked with the Boy Scouts. On March 24, 1993 he sat down with the Anoka County Historical Society to record an oral history recounting his life, time during World War II and his experience at Pearl Harbor.

He passed away in 1997 at the age of 79.

USS Wright

Named for aviation pioneer Orville Wright, the USS Wright was commissioned for the US Navy on December 16, 1921 as a kite balloon tender. Later she was converted into a seaplane tender. During WWII the ship and its crew helped to transport Marines around the Pacific, supported establishing bases on various islands including Midway and Wake, and delivered supplies, gear, and fuel.

The Vault

Listen to the full interview with Charles Triggs - transcript available.

The Vault

Anoka County Library Minute

This month will mark the 82nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. While the attack is one of the most pivotal moments in United States history, and in fact, had global implications, it is important to remember the very personal and individual impacts the attack also had on many people, including the subject of this episode. Many of these individual stories live on via oral histories like those featured on this podcast, but also through the written word and even on the big screen. The library is a place where these stories are made more accessible. Here are just some of the stories, both true and imagined, you can find at the library related to Pearl Harbor.