Stephen Young's ordeal in the Oklahoma is undeniably one of the most dramatic stories to unfold during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A seamen assigned to gunnery duty, Young and the other men of turret no. 4 tried to man their battle stations as the Oklahoma was hit by five torpedoes and began to sink. They were ordered to remain below in the turret, however, and were trapped when the ship overturned, despite last-minute efforts to abandon ship. Here Young describes that terrifying experience with stunning clarity. He recounts the violence of the capsizing, which killed and injured many men, and the survivors’ frantic search for an escape route. He remembers their horror at finding all exits blocked and their despair of being rescued. His account of their next twenty-five hours is incredibly real: the waters inexorable rise, inch by awful inch. The sickening taste of fuel oil. The foul smell of the air. The nervous wisecracks echoing through the cold darkness, and, finally, the silence.

Turret no. 4 -- Air raid, Pearl Harbor! This is no drill! -- Abandon ship -- Keep silence about the decks -- Out of the darkness -- Postscript: The salvage and loss of the Oklahoma -- What happened to the men of Turret no. 4? -- Appendix A: Plans of the Oklahoma -- Appendix B: A 14-inch, three-gun turret.