Navy Fireman 2nd Class Carl Dorr of Anderson is coming home today to be buried. He died 77 years ago during the Japanese bombing at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Dorr was 27 when he was serving aboard the USS Oklahoma when it came under attack. The ship sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The Oklahoma was the only ship capsized at Pearl Harbor. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Dorr.
Dorr’s remains were recovered from the ship, they could not be identified at the time and were interred as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. He is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at Pearl Harbor. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced in July that the remains of Dorr was accounted for from World War II, and were being returned to his family for burial with full military honors. Researchers used DNA, dental records and other evidence to positively identify his remains.
Plane side honors with family members will take place at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport Wednesday evening. Dorr grew up in the Sans Souci community in Greenville County. He will be buried Friday.
The Oklahoma took the brunt of the torpedo attack on Pearl Harbor. Nine of 12 torpedoes hit their mark. The torpedo attack took only 11 minutes and the Oklahoma was capsized in 15 minutes.