“It was amazing what my father went through,” stated Jan Dukes, Seminole County resident. “To have gone through what he went through and be so fortunate to survive.”

Fred Smith, Gunner’s Mate with the United States Navy, decided he wanted to join the Army in early 1941 at the age of 17. So he tried.

“He enlisted long enough to get a uniform and a picture until they Army found out he was only 17,” said Dukes. “So when they wouldn’t take him, he walked across the street and joined the Navy. They took him.”

After his training, Smith was assigned to the U.S.S. Helena where he spent most of his naval career.

“His ship was sunk the day the war started when the Japanese sent off torpedoes and one hit and sunk his ship,” Dukes continued. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

The U.S.S. Helena would go to the bottom just outside Pearl Harbor in 35-45’ of water. It would be raised and sent on its way, only to be sunk again later.

“The Helena went down three times with my father on it,” she said. “The third time left them in the ocean to swim to a nearby island.”

Dukes tells the story of how her father and fellow survivors made it to an island where they were hid by the natives whenever the Japanese troll boats would come around.

“The islanders were very nice to the survivors and loved and took care of them,” Dukes said. “They were well taken care of until the U.S. Military found out where the ship had sunk and came to rescue them.”

Smith was honorably discharged in 1945 with a medical due to hearing loss. When soldiers used large artillery during WWII they were not issued safety equipment to save their hearing.

“A lot of people lost hearing during these times.”