![Admiral Chester Nimitz presenting the Navy Cross to Aviation Chief Machinist's Mate Harold F. Dixon aboard USS Enterprise at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Mar 1942. [Colorized by WW2DB]](/images/ai/20230224/5ed3edfa22a52.jpg)
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| Caption | Admiral Chester Nimitz presenting the Navy Cross to Aviation Chief Machinist's Mate Harold F. Dixon aboard USS Enterprise at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Mar 1942. [Colorized by WW2DB] ww2dbase | ||||||||||||
| Colorization Note | This photograph was originally a black and white photograph; the colorized version presented here was a derivative work by WW2DB. The colors used in this version were speculative, and could be significantly different from the real colors. Processed using Adobe Photoshop Image Processor, with default neural filter, selecting "None" as the profile. View the original black and white photograph at its own permanent page. | ||||||||||||
| Photographer | Unknown | ||||||||||||
| Source | ww2dbaseUnited States Navy | ||||||||||||
| Identification Code | NH 62657 | ||||||||||||
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| Photo Size | 909 x 1,155 pixels | ||||||||||||
| Photos at Same Place | Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii | ||||||||||||
| Added By | David Stubblebine | ||||||||||||
| Colorized Date | 24 Feb 2023 | ||||||||||||
| Licensing | Public Domain. According to the United States copyright law (United States Code, Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105), in part, "[c]opyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government". Please contact us regarding any inaccuracies with the above information. Thank you. |
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| WW2-Era Place Name | Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii |
| Lat/Long | 21.3558, -157.9591 |
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Famous WW2 Quote
"Goddam it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!"Captain Henry P. Jim Crowe, Guadalcanal, 13 Jan 1943
1 Jun 2020 07:24:28 PM
Enlisted pilot Harold Dixon, 42, was a TBD Devastator pilot flying from Enterprise in the South Pacific when he was forced to land at sea on 16 Jan 1942. The plane sank quickly leaving Tanner, along with his two crewmen, adrift in a rubber raft. Surviving on occasional fish speared with a pocket knife, two birds, and rain water, they survived 34 days in the open raft until landing on Danger Island (now Pakapuka Atoll) at the northern end of the Cook Islands where they were rescued.
The straight line distance from the estimated point of ditching to Danger Island was about 450 miles but it was estimated their actual path was closer to 1,200 miles. Dixon’s Navy Cross citation praised him for his heroism, leadership, and resourcefulness. Dixon’s crewmen were AOM2c Anthony J Pastula, 24, and RM3c Gene D Aldrich, 22. The aircraft was a TBD-1 Devastator, BuNo 0335.
The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II by Robert J. Cressman describes this event on 16 Jan 1942 (date of ditching) and 19 Feb 1942 (date of rescue) but lists the locations as East Longitude when they are both West Longitude.