page_title: Dwight Agnew
section_title: Attack on Pearl Harbor
hierarchical_section_title: Dwight Agnew / Career / Pre-War / Attack on Pearl Harbor
caption_attribution_description: English: Harry Lee (AP-17) at anchor, date and location unknown.
context_page_description: Dwight Merle Agnew was a United States Navy officer from Fredericktown, Ohio. A destroyer commander during World War II, he was present during the attack on Pearl Harbor and later received the Navy Cross for his tactical acumen during the Guadalcanal Campaign. Post-war, he led Destroyer Squadron 10 and later worked at the National Security Agency. In 1956, he was moved to the Retired List and made a "tombstone admiral".
  Agnew married Thelma Marie Biegler, the daughter of United States Army officer and Medal of Honor recipient George W. Biegler.
context_section_description: During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, most of the Agnew family – Dwight, his brother Henry, and both of their sisters and brothers-in-law (the latter who were also Navy officers) – were stationed in Hawaii. During this time, Agnew was serving as commanding officer of USS Trever, a destroyer minesweeper.
  Like many American ship captains, Agnew was not aboard his vessel when the attack began at 0755 on December 7. Under command of junior officers, USS Trever sounded a General Alarm at 0757 and began returning fire against Japanese forces seven minutes later, successfully downing an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service aircraft strafing the Pearl City Yacht Club as well as a second aircraft that was maneuvering to attack the ship. Frantic orders to sortie the fleet resulted in Agnew being left behind aboard USS Wasmuth, Trever instead putting to sea with the commander of USS Henley at her helm. Following the attack, Wasmuth rendezvoused with Trever and Agnew rejoined his ship. Trever's depth charges had already been armed and set, and Agnew ordered a magnetic sweep of the harbor before taking up a defensive station at the harbor's mouth to protect it from a feared second wave attack that did not materialize.
  The following week, on December 14, Agnew led the Trever in the rescue of the crew and passengers of the torpedoed Norwegian freighter MS Høegh Merchant. The Høegh Merchant had been sunk by a Japanese submarine while attempting to navigate to a safe port following the outbreak of hostilities.
caption: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Agnew commanded the attack transport USS Harry Lee (pictured).
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