Bryan Blanthorn, Grouse Creek, Utah: an interview by Verna Richardson, May 11, 2001: Saving the legacy tape no. 264 and 265

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Bryan Blanthorn 2 1 Naturally, I knew that when something like that happ n d that my 1r t th u ht was to get to my battle station but I couldn't get to my battle station becaus of th fir . And burned people were coming out of that fire. You knew you couldn't get through it. And the way it happened, everything happened to fast, and it went down within ten or twelve minutes. And there was more explosions all the time, and everybody was wondering what to do, and there was a lot of us back there. And the ship was gradually tipping onto its side, and I was gradually climbing higher all the time. And just as I got a hold of the rail on the one side it made its final roll onto its side. And I clamored up on the side and walked across, and I could see some of the men were jumping into the propellers. It was right over the propellers. And, so, I walked forward a ways and watched for a clear spot in the water because the way everybody was jumping, and what not, they were jumping on one another and everything. I watched for a clear space in the water and finally jumped. And I think I was one of the last ones to jump off of that side. When it finally made its final roll onto the side anybody that wasn't up there a hold of the rail, or had even went over onto the side, which was as flat as the deck when it finally made its final roll onto its side as I see it, why, anybody that wasn't up there, they just went off the other side. And everything that was loose was falling down there with them, and, of course, it was so dark all you could hear was the screaming and what not. You could see some by the fire, by the light of the fires, you know. And then the sea was so rough, and the oil on it and all. It seemed like we was underwater more than we was on top of the water. You've read that. It's pretty much the story that McCoy told there. 6