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- Rank: Fireman 3rd Class
- Serial No: 393-43-08
- Branch: US Navy
- Home Town: Linton, OR
- Date Of Birth: May 29, 1921
- Age: 20
- Height: 5'-5"
- Disposition: Unrecovered
- Family DNA on File: YES
F3c William Robert Anderberg
William Robert Anderberg was born May 29, 1921, in Yelm, Washington. His mother, Agda, was a homemaker and his father, Anton, a sawmill worker. The parents were Swedish immigrants.
Before 1930 the family, which included three other children, was living in Linnton, a neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. William attended Linnton elementary from 1929 into 1937.
The spring 1940 Census said William and his older brother George had each completed 8th grade and were looking for work. William worked for three months as a wood cutter at St. Helens, Oregon, and served in the Civilian Conservation Corps in Monument, Oregon. The CCC was a Depression-era federal jobs program for young men.
He enlisted in the Navy on Nov. 12, 1940 in Portland, Oregon and completed his basic training at the San Diego Naval Training Station.
He was a fireman second class on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Both his brother George and younger brother Thomas served in the Army during World War II.
Sources: Census; Navy muster roll; US Navy Enlistment Records; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs death file; grave markers. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona and Operation 85.
NOTE: If you are a family member related to this crew member of the U.S.S. Arizona, or have additional information, pictures or documents to share about his life or service to our county please contact us through our FAMILY MEMBER SUBMISSION FORM.