Sunday, Dec. 7, marks the 84th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, which launched the U.S. into World War II.
Last summer, when I was in Hawaii to witness many of our Long Beach boats cross the Diamond Head buoy finish line for the Transpacific Yacht Race, I took one day to visit Pearl Harbor.
Going on a Navy vessel to visit the watery memorial of the USS Arizona was one of the most sobering experiences of my life. One of those who perished during the Dec. 7 strike has a deep connection to Long Beach.
Long Beach’s Admiral Kidd Park is named after a naval officer who once lived in the city, but died during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette/SCNG)
Long Beach’s Admiral Kidd Park is named after a naval officer who once lived in the city, but died during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette/SCNG)
Adm. Isaac C. Kidd Jr. Kidd Sr., who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor n Dec. 7, 1941, once lived in Long Beach, in the Gaytonia Apartments, 212 Quincy Ave., in Belmont Shore. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette/SCNG)
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Long Beach’s Admiral Kidd Park is named after a naval officer who once lived in the city, but died during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette/SCNG)
Adm. Isaac C. Kidd Jr. Kidd Sr. was killed on the bridge of the USS Arizona during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the highest-ranking casualty at Pearl Harbor, and was the first U.S. Navy flag officer killed in action in World War II.
Long Beach was home to the Pacific Fleet before the ships sailed to Pearl Harbor in 1940
Kidd, a graduate of the Naval Academy in 1906, as a captain, took command of the Pacific destroyer squadron while stationed in Long Beach in 1935.
In 1941, he became commander of Battleship Division One, with the USS Arizona as his flagship, stationed at Pearl Harbor.
Before being stationed at Pearl Harbor, he and his family lived in the Gaytonia Apartments, 212 Quincy Ave., in Belmont Shore. He enjoyed walking for exercise and was seen frequently in the neighborhood, according to Maureen Neeley, a local reference librarian and the owner of HouStories. He “almost adopted” Long Beach as his home and in return, the city honored his heroic death by transforming several acres of land near Cabrillo High School on the west side and building Admiral Kidd Park.
Long Beach is home to the largest tribute to Admiral Kidd.