- 1941: Pearl Harbor Casualty - USS West Virginia
- Commanding Officer - USS West Virginia (BB-48)
- US Naval Officer - World War II
- Posthumous Purple Heart Recipient
Capt. Mervyn S. Bennion was born 5 May 1887 in Vernon, Tooele County, Utah, United States to Israel Bennion (1860-1944) and Jeanette Sharp (1859-1938) and died 7 December 1941 Raid on Pearl Harbor of unspecified causes. He married Annie Louise Clark (1899-1997) 5 February 1920 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah.
His first assignment after graduation was on the USS California (ACR-6) in the engineering division. Subsequently, he was an ordnance and gunnery specialist serving in the Ordnance Bureau at Washington Naval Yard during World War I. Bennion's first command was the destroyer USS Bernadou (DD-153), followed by command of Destroyer Division One. He assumed command of the USS West Virginia on July 2, 1941.
1941 Pearl Harbor Attack
USS West Virginia during a 1927 naval exercise.
The Attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory, on the morning of December 7, 1941. The attack, also known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor, led to the United States' formal entry into World War II.
Captain Bennion was killed in action during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, while in command of the battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48). He was mortally wounded by a shrapnel shard from a bomb that blew up part of his command deck. Cook Third Class Doris Miller and several other sailors attempted to move Captain Bennion to a first aid station, but he refused to leave his post. Using one arm to hold his wounds closed, Bennion bled to death on the spot while still commanding his crew. Captain Bennion posthumously received the Medal of Honor. He is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
The USS West Virginia burns fiercely and settles into the mud of Pearl Harbor. Inboard of West Virginia, the USS Maryland is also in flames but was protected from torpedoes
His CMOH citation reads:
For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage, and complete disregard of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. As Commanding Officer of the USS West Virginia, after being mortally wounded, Capt. Bennion evidenced apparent concern only in fighting and saving his ship, and strongly protested against being carried from the bridge. Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Navy. Born: 5 May 1887, Vernon, Utah. Appointed from: Utah.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Mervyn Sharp Bennion (1925-2003) | 20 April 1925 Washington, District of Columbia, United States | 26 August 2003 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States | LaRee Stradling (1925-1999) |
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Jeanette Bennion (1885-1968) | |||
| Mervyn Sharp Bennion (1887-1941) | 5 May 1887 Vernon, Tooele County, Utah, United States | 7 December 1941 U.S.S. West Virginia, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States | Annie Louise Clark (1899-1997) |
| Howard Sharp Bennion (1892-1972) | |||
| Glynn Sharp Bennion (1892-1972) | |||
| Kenneth Sharp Bennion (1894-1966) | |||
| Rolff Sharp Bennion (1896-1896) | |||
| Lowell Sharp Bennion (1898-1940) | |||
| Ephraim Bennion (1901-1901) | |||
| Muriel Bennion (1902-1992) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Angus Pehrson Bennion (1892-1971) | |||
| Myrtle Pehrson Bennion (1895-1895) | |||
| Zella Pehrson Bennion (1896-1896) | |||
| Rulon Pehrson Bennion (1897-1921) | |||
| Judith Bennion (1901-1980) | |||
| Ruth Bennion (1907-1999) | |||
Residences
Vital Records
Salt Lake City Gravestone
References
- wikipedia:en:Mervyn S. Bennion - Wikipedia
- Mervyn Bennion
- Bennion Family
- Bennion in Tooele County, Utah
- Bennion in Salt Lake County, Utah
- Bennion in Oahu County, Hawaii
- USS West Virginia Casualty List, USSArizona.org, https://www.ussarizona.org/casualty-survivors-lists/uss-west-virginia-casualty-list, retrieved 18 Aug 2024