Henry was born in Boscawen on January 7, 1926,  son to Abner and Ina (Deshaist) Pearl.  He was a decorated World War II veteran, a lifelong member of Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veteran and awarded a 60-year pin from the Horace Chase Lodge of Masons.  Henry was retired from the state of New Hampshire. In his retirement, he enjoyed spending time with his beloved wife Mildred, riding along with his son Casey in his truck and babysitting his granddaughter Ashley.  Henry logged a timeline of his experience in the Pacific Theatre in World War II.  This timeline was shared by former NHSVC Director, Lloyd Farnum in 2024.

Henry Pearl WWII 

1944

June 30: Picked ship up at Pittsburg, PA.

July 1: Underway down Ohio River into Mississippi River.

July 10: Arrived at New Orleans, LA.

July 16: Underway for 2 weeks shakedown cruise at Panama City, Florida

July 31: Left Panama City at bout 21.30

August 1: Arrived at Gulfport, Mississippi to load on food stuffs at about 1700.

August 4: Underway for New Orleans at 16.15.

August 5: Arrived at New Orleans about 16.30.

August 18: Left New Orleans about 1700.

August 24: Arrived in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba about 10.35.

August 27: Underway for Panama Canal at 1800.

August 30: Arrived in Panama at about 14.30.

Sept. 4: Started through the Canal at 10.30 and finished at 1800. Went right on out to the Pacific Ocean and started the long journey across.

Sept. 16: At 09.47 crossed the equator.

October 6: Arrived in New Helrides at 1500.

October 10: At 1500 underway for Admiralites Islands

October 17: Arrived in Manus the Admiralities.

Nov. 18: At 1800 underway for Ataipi, New Guinea

Nov. 19: Arrived in Ataipi, New Guinea

Nov. 21: At 16.30 underway for Humboldt Bay Hollandia, New Guinea

Nov 21: At 16.30 underway for Humboldt Bay Hollandia, New Guinea.

Dec. 7: At 06.30 underway for Biak, New Guinea

Dec. 8: Arrived in Biak about 1600.

Dec. 13: Loaded with 864th Air Corps engineers and equipment. Got underway at about 0300 for the Calicoan Islands in the Philippines.

Dec. 21: At 10:00 arrived in Calicoan and unloaded the 864th Air Corps Engineers and equipment.

Dec. 23: Arrived in Leyte in the Philippines at 1500. Had a small air raid at 2200.

Dec. 24: At 1930 had a small raid as before.

Dec. 25: Christmas. First one away from home. We had a nice dinner.

Dec. 27: At 14.30 underway for Mindaro with about 600 troops and equipment.

Dec. 28: One year in the Navy. At 10.30 air attack on coming suicide attacks, hit two merchant ships. Sunk one. Got through their minefields okay. Sunk one L.S.T. (L.S.T.-750). We got oneplane and helped get two more.

Dec. 30: Arrived in Mindoro in the early morning. Believe that convoy got 25 planes. We lost one soldier in the first raid due to shrapnel. Buried him at sea.

Dec. 30: At 17.30 underway for Leyte.

1945

Jan. 1: Arrived in Leyte at 23.00.

Jan. 2: At 08.30 underway for Calicoan. Arrived in Calicoan at about 13.00. Loaded the engineers.

Jan. 3” At 0800 underway for Leyte. Arrived in Leyte at about 13.00.

Jan. 7: My birthday (19). Wrote Ma a V. Mail Letter.

Jan. 9: 24.50 – underway for Lingayen Gulf Luzon 8 + 4.

Jan. 12: Attacked by 2 Jap oscars at 19.00. They hit one merchant ship.

Jan. 13: 13.00 – arrived in Lingayen.

Jan. 18: 20.00 – beached at Crimson Beach. Retracted due to heavy surf.”

Jan. 20: 16.30 – beached and started unloading.

Jan. 21: 13.00 – retracted and anchored in the bay.

Jan. 22: Underway for Leyte.

Jan. 27: Arrived in Leyte at 16.00. Received 18 sacks of mail and Christmas packages.

Jan. 18: 15.30- underway for Hollandia.

Feb. 4: Arrived in Hollandia at 0800.

Feb. 4: 14.00- underway for Ataipe, New Guinea

Feb. 5: 12.00 – Arrived in Ataipe, beached and loaded 43rd infantry. 1700 underway for Hollandia.

Feb. 6: 03.00 – arrived in Hollandia. Left Hollandia at 17.00 for 2nd trip to Leyte.

Feb. 10: At 0930 L.S.T. 577 was cut in half by a torpedo. Destroyer escorts sunk remaining half a short while later. I thank the Lord for bringing us safely into Leyte.

Feb. 11: Arrived in Leyte. Got 22 sacks of mail and more Christmas packages. 17.00 underway for Lingayen in Luzon. Second Trip. Towed L.C.T.-75-3 as far as Subic Bay.

Feb. 19: 12.00 Arrived in Lingayen. 14.30 beached. But unloaded the next morning. Had 2 alerts. No action. During this trip, we sank one sub at about 18.00 in the evening. Believe it was Feb. 17.

Feb. 20: At 22.00 beach we were on was bombed. Started three or four fires.

Feb. 21: Retracted and anchored in the bay.

Feb. 23: At 14.30 underway for Mindoro.

Feb. 25: At 05.00 contacted 4 subs. Sank one and made runs on the other 3. Arrived in Mindoro at 12.00.

March 4: One year in Amphibs. Beached and loaded 41st inf. Div. and also L.V. T.A.

March 6: Reload troops and equipment after mock invasion.

March 7: Retracted and dropped anchor.

March 8: 0700 – underway for Zamboanga, Mindanao.

March 10: 0700 – arrived in Zamboanga. Laid off the beach and watched. Our boys bombard and bomb the beach. We beached in the afternoon. Finished unloading about 02.00. We had a lot of mortar fire thrown at us while on the beach. But got off okay.

March 11: Started retracting in the morning, finally got off at 17.00, and caught a convoy for Mindoro.

March 13: Arrived in Mindoro. Beached and loaded 12th Marine Air Troops.

March 15: Underway for Zamboanga.

March 17: Arrived at Zamboanga. Beached and started unloading.

March 18: At 08.15 retracted and then dropped anchor. 16.00 underway for Mindoro
.
March 20: 09.30 – arrived at Mindoro, beached, and started loading.

March 21: Retracted with load, refueled from tanker then anchored.

March 22: 11.00 – underway for Zamboanga.

March 24: Arrived at Zamboanga. Beached and unloaded. Retracted and dropped anchor.

March 25: 17.30 – underway for San Pedro Bay, Leyte.

March 27: Arrived in Leyte at 21.30.

March 31: 08.00 – beached and loaded special service troops and equipment.

April 10: 2.30 – underway for Calicoan. Arrived at 08.30. Hit a reef before getting in the harbor. Took on water.

April 3: Back at Leyte.

April 7: Underway for Zamboanga 12.00.

April 10: 10.30 – arrived in Zamboanga,

April 11: Beached and unloaded on the 13th.

April 20: 09.00 – underway for Leyte
.
April 22: 10.30 – arrived in Leyte.

April 26: 10.30 – underway for Hollandia.

May 4: 08.00 – arrived in Hollandia.

May 5: 08.00 – underway for Milne Bay, New Guinea. Routine trip

May 9: 12.00 – arrived in Milne Bay.

May 11: Changed anchorage to load pontoons.

May 12: Back at anchorage.

May 15: Underway for Cairns, Australia.

May 18: 16.30 – anchored outside of Cairns.

May 19: Proceeded upriver and anchored about a mile from town. Had liberty while in this town (Cairns, Australia).

May 23: 17.00 – beached and loaded Australian troops and equipment.

May 25: Loaded. Retracted and dropped anchor about 14.30.

May 26: 06.00 – underway for Milne Bay.

May 31: 16.30 – arrived at Milne Bay.

June 3: 13.00 – underway for Biak, New Guinea

June 7: 16.00 – arrived at Biak.

June 8: 16.30 – underway for Morotai Netherland East Indies.

June 12: 11.30 – arrived at Morotai. Beached and started unloading.

June 13: 12.00- finished unloading.

June 14: Retracted and anchored in the bay.

June 26: 08.50 – beached and loaded 500 Aussies and equipment.

June 27: 08.00 – loaded and retracted.

June 28: Underway for Balikpapan Borneo 8 plus 2 bombardment force. There are a lot of oil fields here. That is why it was so important for us to gain it.

July 5: At 19.30 beached and unloaded. Finished at 19.00. Also dropped our pontoons. Retracted and underway for Morotai.

July 9: 17.00 – Celebrated our first anniversary with a big chicken supper with all the trimmings.

July 10: 16.30 – arrived at Morotai.

July 11: Beached and loaded Aussie troops and equipment. Retracted about 19.30.

July 12: 07.30 – underway for Balikpapan. 19.00. Beached. Unloaded at 23.30.

July 17: At 08.00 picked up some L.V.T’s. Then retracted and dropped the Anchor.

July 21: 15.00 – underway for Lingagen Gulf Luzon.

July 24: 19.00 – sighted a mine and sank it. Believe it was a dud as it had a hole in it.

July 28: 06.55 – arrived in San Fernando Luzon. Due to a change of orders while underway.

July 29: 08.50 underway for Aparri, Luzon.

July 30: 07.20 – arrived in Aparri. Unloaded.

July 30: 12.10 – underway for Subic Bay.

August 11: 0.10 – arrived in Subic Bay.

August 4: At 14.00 underway for Tacloban, Leyte.

August 7: At 15.00 arrived at Tolosa in Leyte Harbor.

Aug. 10: At 21.15 – Japan gave her first peace offering. All the ships in Leyte Harbor fired rockets and star shells. Also, the beach was all lit up. The ship looked like a Fourth of July celebration. Everything was lit up and so was I. A good time was had by all.

Sept. 8: At 12.00 arrived at San Fernando.

Sept. 11: At 23.00 underway for Wakayama on the main island of Hunshu in Japan. Which is an industrial city. Enroute to Japan we ran into the outer edge of a typhoon. Thirty-foot waves and a 40 – 50 mile per hour winds.

Sept. 20: Arrived in Wakayama.

Sept. 21: Beached and started unloading.

Sept. 23: At 16.30 unloaded and retracted from beach.

Sept. 24: Underway for San Fernando.

Sept. 30: 07.00 – arrived at San Fernando.

October 1: 11.00 – underway for Manila.

October 2: 18.00 arrived in Manilla Bay and anchored.

October 6: 08.00 underway for Subic Bay. Arrived at 1600.

October 9: 12.00 – underway for Ligayen Gulf.

October 10: 18.00 – arrived in Lingayen Gulf.

October 15: 16.00 – underway for Wakayama, Japan.

October 21: 16.00 – arrived in Wakayama, Japan. Beached and unloaded 5th Air Corps and their equipment.

October 25: Underway for Manila, P.I.

November 3: At 10.00 arrived in Manila Bay. –

November 6: 16.30 – underway for Lingayen Gulf.

November 7: 17.50 – arrived at San Fabian in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon.Beached and loaded elements of the 1393rd Army Engineer Corps.

November 11: 15.15 – underway for Saselo, Japan on the island of Hyushu.

November 18: 11.15 – arrived in Sasebo, Japan.

November 20: 07.50 – beached at seaplane landing and started unloading
troops and equipment.

November 23: 07.45 – underway for Saipan, Marianas.

November 29: 20.00 – arrived in Saipan Harbor.

December 13: 15.15 – underway for Peleliu Island.

December 17: 12.00 – anchored off Peleliu Island. Loaded up with 759 Jap infantry troops (P.0.W.).

December 18: 07.00 – underway for Yokohama, Japan.

December 27: 10.15 – arrived in Unaga Ko Sagami Wan. Unloaded Jap P.O.W.’s.

December 28:12.45 – underway for Yokahama.1520 – arrived in Yokahama, Tokyo Bay.

1946

Jan. 1: Underway for Guam.

Jan. 1: 708.00 – arrived in Guam.

Jan. 22: 22.30 Got the good news about going home.

Jan. 24: 14.00 – left the ship in Guam after 19 months aboard.

Jan. 28: 14.00 – went aboard the U.S.S. Sarasota (A.P.A. 204) 16.30 – underway for Peleliu to pick up 500 marines.

Jan. 30: 15.30 – arrived in Peleliu.

Feb. 11: 1.30 – underway back to Guam.

Feb. 3: 12.15 – arrived in Guam. 17.00 underway for San Diego, California, U.S.A.

Feb. 19: 09.00 – arrived in San Diego.

March 1-30: Spent a nice 30-day leave at home.

April 1: Went to a naval hospital in Chelsea, MA.

April 4: Had a hernia operation, was on the table for 2 hrs. and 5 minutes.

April 16-26: Came home from the hospital for 10 days of sick leave until the 26th.

May 5, 1946: 11.30 – received my honorable discharge from the Navy.