Louis Anthony Conter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 13, 1921 (age 102) Ojibwa, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1939–1967 |
| Rank | Lieutenant commander |
| Unit | USS Arizona (BB-39) USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) |
| Battles/wars | Korean War World War II |
Louis Anthony Conter (born September 13, 1921) is an American retired Navy Lieutenant commander and the last living survivor of the sinking of the USS Arizona during the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.[1]
Early life
Louis "Lou" Anthony Conter was born in Ojibwa, Wisconsin on September 13, 1921, to Nicholas Anthony Conter and Lottie Esther Milligan. Conter had one older and one younger sister. He and his family moved from Wisconsin to New Mexico in 1922, before moving again to Denver, Colorado in 1924. Conter moved to Stockton, Kansas in 1927 before returning to Denver in 1930, where he lived on a farm. Upon finishing school, Conter began working at the same company as his father.[2]
Military career
_-_80-G-463589.jpg.webp)
Conter enlisted in the US Navy on November 15, 1939, in his home town of Denver, and completed basic training in San Diego, California. He boarded the USS Arizona on January 24, 1940, with the rank of Quartermaster 3rd Class.
Pearl Harbor
USS Arizona returned to its base at Pearl Harbor on December 6, 1941. On the morning of December 7, Lou was on watch on the quarterdeck station between the third turret and main deck, when the ship was attacked by a squadron of Japanese torpedo planes and bombers at 8 am. About five minutes later, Arizona was struck by a 1,760-pound (800 kg) bomb between the first and second turret, which ignited the ship's ammunition magazine. The following explosion blew off the ship's bow and lifted the battleship out of the water, knocking over Conter while killing and injuring many others. As the ship burned and started to sink, it was hit by more Japanese projectiles. Meanwhile, Conter was aiding fellow wounded sailors, keeping them from jumping in the oil covered and burning water. When Conter was already knee deep in water, the Captain gave the order to abandon ship and Conter took to the lifeboats. Arizona sank in 9 minutes, taking the lives of 1,177 of her crew. Her 334 surviving crew struggled to escape the burning ruins, of which Conter saved several by pulling them out of the water into his lifeboat before rowing to shore. Following the attack, Conter spend several weeks helping to put out fires and recovering the bodies of the fallen.
_burning_after_the_Japanese_attack_on_Pearl_Harbor_-_NARA_195617_-_Edit.jpg.webp)
World War II
Following the entry of the United States into World War II as a direct result of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Conter joined a flight school. He received his pilot wings in November 1942 and participated in several overnight bombing raids using Black Cats in the South Pacific. He was shot down twice over the Pacific during his aerial career, but managed to use a raft to row to shore on both occasions. Conter went on to serve in the New Guinea campaign and the European theatre at the end of the war.[3]
Post World War II
_after_recommissioning_in_1951.jpg.webp)
Following the end of the war, Conter returned to California where he had completed his basic training back in 1939, and joined the reserves. Conter saw action again during the Korean War in the 1950s, serving on the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard. Conter decided to retire from the Navy in December 1967, having achieved the rank of Lieutenant commander.[4]
Later life
After his retirement from the Navy, Conter pursued a career as a real estate developer in California. Conter wrote a book about his life titled The Lou Conter Story in 2021. Following the death of Ken Potts in April 2023, Conter became the last know survivor of the sinking of the USS Arizona. He currently lives in Grass Valley, California.[5]
References
- ↑ "Louis Anthony Conter Collection". loc.gov. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ↑ "CONTER, LOUIS "LOU"". ww2online.org. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ↑ "CONTER, Louis "Lou" Anthony - QM3/c USN - Living". ussarizona.org. 30 September 1999. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ↑ "Lou Conter". arizonafinalsalute.com. 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ↑ "Last known survivor of Pearl Harbor's USS Arizona recounts deadly Japanese bombing: 'I consider the heroes the ones that gave their lives'". theunion.com. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.