Unscathed at Pearl Harbor: A USS Phoenix Survivor’s Grouping

[carbinephalen]

Born in 1918, Joseph H. Brillant served as a fire controlman aboard the light cruiser USS Phoenix (CL-46) during the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. On that morning, the Phoenix was anchored at Berth C-6 in the Northeast Loch. As the Japanese assault began, the crew quickly manned their battle stations; Brillant and the fire control team worked to coordinate the ship’s anti-aircraft batteries against the incoming waves of torpedo planes and dive bombers. The Phoenix was one of the few major ships to emerge from the attack entirely unscathed, eventually getting underway to join the search for the Japanese carrier task force.

 

Enlisting in 1938, and Brillant remained aboard the USS Phoenix (his first ship) for almost the entire duration of World War II, participating in an extensive series of campaigns across the Pacific Theater. As a fire controlman, he was integral to the operation of the cruiser's main and secondary batteries, which provided critical shore bombardment and air defense during the New Guinea campaign and the amphibious landings at New Britain and the Admiralty Islands. His technical role required maintaining the precision of the ship's gunnery systems throughout years of high-tempo combat operations, ensuring the vessel could effectively support Allied ground forces.

 

One of the most significant actions Brillant experienced was the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944. During the Battle of Surigao Strait, the Phoenix was part of the Allied force that intercepted and destroyed a Japanese task force in the last great battleship-to-battleship engagement in history. Brillant’s fire control team directed the cruiser’s rapid-fire guns as they hammered the Japanese ships. He continued to serve on the Phoenix through the invasion of Luzon and the liberation of the Philippines, seeing the ship through to the end of the war without it ever suffering major combat damage.

 

Following his discharge, Brillant returned to Maine and became a prominent figure in the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, serving as a Maine State Chairman for the organization. He dedicated much of his civilian life to ensuring the history of the attack and the service of his shipmates remained in the public consciousness. He participated in numerous national conventions and local educational programs before passing away in Topsham, Maine, in 1998. His full wartime service on a single vessel made him a rare witness to the entire arc of the Pacific conflict, from the initial strike at Pearl Harbor to the final Allied victory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[WWIIinterviews]

This is a great group! Thanks for the photos.

[carbinephalen]

28 minutes ago, WWIIinterviews said:

This is a great group! Thanks for the photos.

Thanks!!

[Scarecrow]

Outstanding!  Thanks for posting.

[Marshallj]

Physically unscathed. He carried those memories his entire life.

[carbinephalen]

3 hours ago, Marshallj said:

Physically unscathed. He carried those memories his entire life.

Very true