Evening star., 1942-02-26
Capt. Bennion' S Death
In Navy Traditions at
Pearl Harbor Revealed
Dying Naval Officer
Cove Orders and Refused
To Leove Bridge
BY CLANDE A. MAHONEY.

BY CLANDE A. MAHONEY.
The Navy Department yesterday
made public an eyewitness account
of the brave death Of Capt. Marvyn
Sharp Bennion, commanding officer
of capital ship that weathered she
Pearl Harpor attack. He died on the
bridge of his ship.
In presenting the account, the
Navy cleared up a public misun-
derstanding that was brought about
recently when new destroyers were
named for him and three other off,
GERS recently lost in action. One Of
them was Capt. Franklin Van VAL
kenburgh, who also died in the Pearl
Harbor attack under almost the
same circumstances.
In Secretary Knox's first report
on Pearl Harbor he spoke Of an un-
named captain who died on the
bridge of his ship, and this for a
time was thought to be Capt. Ben
nion. 1t was, however, Capt. Van
Valkenburgh.
Related by Fellow Officer.
The Navy's account of the death
Of Capt. Bennion was gained from
the lips of a fellow officer who re-
turned to Washington only yester-
day. The officer told in detail how
he came out of the coming tower
Of the ship and found the captain
Lying severely wounded and still
conscious on the signal bridge with
the top of his stomach laid open"
Despite the mortal wounds, Capt.
Bennion asked over and over how
the battle was going and what action
his ship was taking.
Il kept him informed as much as
possible" the officer said, "and then
in the absence of morphine I at
tempted to give him ether. I re-
ma1ned with him for about half an
hour as he lay there and later
moved him into a shelter under a
splinter shield, but he refused to be
moved either from the bridge or
into the coming tower for protec-
ton"
Stops Another Attempt.
Another officer attempted to direct
his removal, and again Capt. Ben
Mon refused. A pharmacists mate
administered as much first aid as
possible, and after the bridge had
been cut off from below by fire, the
officers took him up to the naviga-
ton Bridge, just above the flag
bridge, where he remained until
death. His body was removed from
the bridge from which he would not
allow himself to be carried.
Next to wanting information on
progress of the fight Capt. Bennion's
concern for his officers and men.
Despite his own wounds, he asked
that all injured men be taken of
the ship, and that all available men
be made ready for use aboard other
ships. He was pleased to get de-
tails OF what guns his own ship had
been able to fire. And from a prone
position on the deck he ordered all
officers and men to their battle posts
The Officers Story.
Here is the saga of death given
by the returning officer in the close
Of his story of the captain who
stuck to the tradition of the sea
and refused to leave his bridge:
He made all of his men 60 to
their stations. A marine (who was
manning his station in the foretop
of a ship ,alongside) saw the cap
tain try several times to get up,
The captain, because Of his wound,
had lost control of his legs and
tried repeatedly to get up but was
unable to do so. There is reason to
believe that Capt. Bennison died
about II o'clock the morning of
December 7. He was alone when
he died, having resisted all efforts to
take him of the bridge and having
ordered all officers and men to their
stations.
"The pharmacists mate was with
Capt. Bennion for short time but
was ordered away by the captain to
take care of others.
His concern was for the safety
of his own ship and particularly
his men"