Flag Launching 1937 Mare Island Ensign 7 USS Henley Pearl Harbor Sunk KIA WWII

Description: This listing is for a rare 1937 - WWII vintage 48-star American flag from the launching of the US Navy destroyer USS Henley DD 391. The USS Henley was an active defender at the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack and is credited with downing Japanese airplanes and possibly sinking a midget submarine. She was sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1943. This extra-large flag is made of heavy linen and features: individually stitched stars, and red & white stripes; black inked flag specification text on header reads: "US Ensign No 7, January 1937 Mare Island, Launching USS Henley"; header has hollow sleeve for hoisting rope. This flag is in very nice, used condition with bright colors and only a few small moth holes. Size: 116 inches x 65 inches. There is also an 8x10 press photo with news snipe from the day she was sunk. The USS Henley (DD-391) was launched 12 January 1937 by the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California; sponsored by Miss Beryl Henley Joslin, a collateral descendant of Captain Robert Henley; and commissioned 14 August 1937. PEARL HARBOR ATTACK: When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941, Henley was moored in East Loch with battle stations manned, a green sailor having sounded General Quarters instead of Quarters for Muster. This fortunate mistake gave Henley under the command of Lieutenant Francis Edward Fleck, Jr., the opportunity to fire the first destroyer shots as the initial wave of enemy planes swooped in. A bomb exploded 150 yards off her port bow as she slipped her chain from the buoy, and, as she cleared, she received a signal that a submarine was in the harbor. Henley maneuvered through the smoke, fire, and confusion and sped out of the channel. Her gunners shot down one dive bomber with her .50 cal. guns and shared credit for another. Conned by Fleck—both her commanding officer and executive officer were ashore when the attack began—Henley dropped depth charges on a sonar contact, possibly a midget submarine, outside the harbor, and continued to blaze away at the enemy with her guns. SUNK: On October 3, 1943 Henley was steaming with Reid and Smith on an offensive sweep off Finschafen when her skipper sighted two torpedoes fired by the submarine Ro-108 heading for her. Split-second maneuvering permitted Henley to evade those two torpedoes; but a third was immediately sighted, closing too fast and too near to be avoided. Henley was struck on the port side, with the torpedo exploding in the number 1 fire-room, destroying her boilers, breaking her keel, and displacing her bow about 30 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the ship.At 18:29, with all her crew having abandoned ship, Henley went down, stern first. Her companion DD's searched for the sub, then returned to rescue Henley's survivors, who had lashed their life-rafts together and were using flashlights as signals. Eighteen officers and 225 men were rescued, with 1 officer and 14 men missing. Please look at my other listings for additional US Navy launching flags, plaques, bottles, badges, and documents.

Price: 1250 USD

Location: Brooklyn, New York

End Time: 2025-01-05T02:11:24.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD