Smallwood Hall

On 15 April 1987, Submarine Base Pearl Harbor reopened a newly renovated 17-story Bachelor Enlisted Quarters capable of housing 516 personnel. This building was dedicated on 26 February 1988 in the memory of MM3 (SS) James E. Smallwood for the sacrifice of his life while performing his duties in the service of his country.

MM3(SS) James Smallwood was the duty auxiliaryman on USS Sargo in 1960 and was taking aboard oxygen from a pierside truck/trailer.

The connection was in the stern room with the manifold behind the watertight door in the forward port corner of the room. Although the exact circumstances will not be known, a high pressure high flow leak occurred.

Smallwood, realizing the danger to himself and the ship, woke the only other man in the room and told him to get out. (The stern room had some berthing). He then attempted to isolate the leak. Just as the man he awakened cleared the hatch, the room erupted in an oxygen rich explosion/fire fed by any flammable material and the high pressure oxygen. Smallwood died instantly in the room. The crew attempted to fight the fire and eventually, unable to enter the room and with the temperature of the aft bulkhead of the engine room high enough to blister and smoke the paint in the engine room even with hoses playing water on it, the decision was made to breast out from the wharf (S1B) and submerge the stern. This was done, the fire went out.

MM3 (SS) James E. Smallwood was posthumously awarded the Navy-Marine Corps Medal for heroic conduct.

The CITATION reads:

“For heroic conduct on June 14, 1960 while serving on board U.S.S. SARGO (SSN-583) moored at the Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. While supervising the operation of charging high pressure oxygen into the SARGO’s storage tanks, SMALLWOOD firmly and meticulously carried out the ship’s safety precautions requiring isolation of the charging compartment from the remainder of the vessel. Aware of the potential danger involved, he denied entry of several of his shipmates to the Stern Room and kept the watertight door and bulkhead flappers shut. SMALLWOOD lost his life in a raging fire which broke out during the oxygen charge. Through his steadfast adherence to safety precautions, he undoubtedly prevented further loss of life and a probable major disaster. His courage and outstanding devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”