Three Montana Sailors at Battleship Row on Dec. 7, 1941-- Part 2: Bill Ernst Was on the USS West Virginia

Gunner's Mate 1st class Bill Ernst was wounded by shrapnel on board the USS West Virginia and managed to jump overboard and swim through burning water to safety as the ship sank after being hit by seven torpedoes and two bombs.

Seventy men perished.

He had trained throughout 1941 as an anti-aircraft gunner.  Prior to his Navy enlistment at age 17 in 1940, he had been the Helena Daily Independent head paperboy.  there was a picture of him in the Dec. 8, 1941, on the front page with a caption reading:  "Bill Ernst, 18,  was a member of the crew of the battleship West Virginia which was reported sunk yesterday."

Ernst carried a scar on his forehead for the rest of his life.  He went through the rest of the war on the cruiser USS Salt Lake City and took part in the battles of Midway and Guadalcanal.