My name is James D. Hunter and I was sent aboard the Salt Lake City the next day after the WeeVee was sunk. I was on a machine gun nest in front of Richardson Recreation Center when they had us all line up and chose who was to go where. I went aboard the SLC and immediately went to sleep as I was completely exhausted. I woke up many hours later and found I was laying on a steel deck while the crew had lowered the mess tables and were eating right over me. I don't really remember how long I was on the SLC but it was a few months and then they called for me to go back aboard the WeeVee. I was a Fireman 1st class and stood watches in the firerooms and was in the boat shop later working on the Buda diesel engines. I am sorry to say that the Salt Lake City sort of reminded me of a bucket of bolts.

I vaguely remember us launching our bi-plane to bomb some damn island and the Captain writing something on it.

I helped salvage the Wee Vee and return her to Bremerton then was transferred to destroyers and spent the rest of the war in the 7th fleet.

I am 80 yrs old now and have some trouble remembering all the stuff I was involved in.

I do remember one thing on the old bucket of bolts. We were taking on fuel from a tanker at sea. God only knows where we were. One of the crew members of the tanker shot a bolt across to the SLC with a small line attached which was attached to a larger line which was in turn attached to a fueling hose which we were supposed to pull across to the SLC and begin fueling. As I remember a couple of attempts were failures but finally came sailing across very accurately. In fact so accurately that the bolt went into one of our crew member's [Bernard Godde] and came out the back of his neck. It was a miracle that the guy lived but he did with no ill effects.

Just wasn't his time. Next time we fueled I made sure I was below deck.

Hope this helps you.

James D. Hunter