"Floyd Welch was a hero during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He passed away on August 17th at the age of 99. He was the last remaining survivor of Pearl Harbor in Connecticut. Born in Burlington, Connecticut in February 1921, Welch joined the Navy in 1940. He was serving on the USS Maryland as an electrician’s mate on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombers began their attack. He had just finished his shower when the alarms went off followed shortly by the first explosions of the Japanese bombs and torpedoes. When he reached the deck, the first sight he saw was the smoke and flames from the USS Oklahoma next to the Maryland. The Oklahoma had been hit by as many as nine torpedoes. He assisted in pulling survivors from the Oklahoma out of the water. He then joined others in climbing onto the overturned hull of the Oklahoma where they heard tapping coming from inside the sinking ship. The group of sailors used blueprints to avoid cutting into fuel voids and began cutting holes in the armored hull of the Oklahoma. Whenever they heard the sounds of incoming planes, they ran for cover. In all, they managed to save 32 sailors through the holes they cut. Over 2,400 people were killed in the Japanese attack. The Maryland itself was struck twice by torpedoes but received minimal damage. Welch spent the entire war serving on the Maryland. He was awarded the American Defense Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with three stars, the Good Conduct Medal, and the United States Navy Constitution Medall." www.warhistoryonline.com/news/pearl-harbor-6.html
