The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program is honored to announce the March 2023 story of the month has been selected to recognize the service of United States Navy Veteran, Water Tender 2nd Class, Cletus N. Harris. The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program was privileged to interview Water Tender 2nd Class Harris at the USS Hector AR-7 Association Reunion in the Fall of 2022.

Cletus N. Harris was born in 1926 in Galena Illinois and grew up with 4 brother and 4 sisters. Each of his brothers served in the Armed Forces and Cletus decided in 1943 to answer the call and joined the United States Navy. He was sent to Farragut Naval Training Station for basic training. Once there, he soon learned the ways of the United States Navy and process to become a sailor. Harris recalled, “Discipline was tough, if you didn’t shine your shoes, walk straight, or salute, you were ordered to run around the racetrack…those officers looked for every little thing to put us on that track.” Upon successfully graduating, Harris was given a short time to go home before traveling to San Diego for a new ship bound for the Pacific war.

After arriving to San Diego, Harris soon learned that the Navy did not have accommodations for the newly arriving crew of the USS Hector. For his first 10 days in California, Harris and other members of the crew spent their nights at the local prison and spent time during the day preparing for their new ship. After 10 long days, Harris would see his new home, the USS Hector AR-7 for the first time. The USS Hector had recently been completed and Harris served in the Boiler Room during the commissioning ceremony. Harris shared, “I was a firemen 3rd class, to start with, in the back engine room. They always started everyone in the back engine room and then to the front engine room and you started your real training then. Everyday we were polishing brass pipes and floor plates, everyone was learning something every day.”

The USS Hector was a Vulcan Class Repair Ship and capable of repairing multiple ships which had sustained damage in battle at the same time. Their objective was to rebuild, replace, or fix any battle damage and return warships to the fight as soon as possible or keep a vessel afloat so it could safely return to a shipyard for repairs. The USS Hector left San Diego for the Pacific War and joined the fleet in Eniwetok after spending time at Pearl Harbor assisting with repairs. Harris shared, “we took care of 3 fleets, we could build anything from a wristwatch to anything on a ship, an anchor. We had a foundry on the ship and machine shops.” The power of the USS Hector became known through the efforts of the crew to save the USS Houston CL-81.

As the United States Navy battled through the South Pacific, Harris shared, “we were always well protected because they always tried to get a hold of us. Before we repaired the USS Houston, they use to sink every ship that was damaged because they had no one to repair them or no way to get them back. The USS Houston was the first one we saved and that was a brand new ship. It got hit by torpedoes and Kamikazes. They had to throw everything off that ship to save it and they dragged her across the ocean for us to repair her and we tied up along side of her to repair her for 2 months.” The USS Houston would live to fight another day thanks to the efforts of her crew and the men of the USS Hector. The USS Hector would continue to repair ships throughout the war before returning home in 1946.

This Story of the Month not only honors the service of Water Tender 2nd Class, Cletus N. Harris, but also commemorates the newest United States Navy Ship, the USS Hector to be recognized and celebrated by the United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program. The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program was honored to attend the USS Hector Reunion in the fall of 2022 and interview members of the crew who shared their service memories. The service records and proud histories of the interviewed USS Hector Veterans will serve to inspire, educate, and inform future generations of their selfless sacrifice and commitment to protecting the United States of America during the Second World War and beyond. Another element to Water Tender 2nd Class Harris’s story was that his family accompanied him to the USS Hector Reunion and participated in his interview, showing their love, support, and admiration of his extraordinary service to his family and Nation.

The United States Navy Memorial honors United States Navy Veteran, Water Tender 2nd Class, Cletus N. Harris, featured within this series titled, Tales from the Navy Log, Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial. To learn more about this story and to explore the Navy Memorial archive, visit the Navy Memorial Stories of Service site at https://www.navymemorial.org/stories-of-service.

To view this interview please visit the USS Hector AR-7 Association Collection on the Navy Memorial Stories of Service page.