Arrangement
The collection materials are arranged into folders which reflect the original arrangement of the scrapbook. The folders are arranged by correspondence, envelopes, photographs, and publications.
Abstract
Collection of scrapbook materials about the Cruiser USS Houston.
Administrative/Biographical History
The 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, 36th Division (Texas National Guard) was mobilized in November 1940. On December 6, 1941, the cruiser crossed the Equator with the convoy, to learn the next morning the attack on Pearl Harbor. On February 4,1942, after the Java Sea Battle, due to incorrect information, the Cruiser USS Houston sailed into the south end of Java via the Sunda Strait, and found itself surrounded by a Japanese fleet. The 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery USS Houston sunk and the surviving men swam ashore and became prisoners of the Japanese for 42 months.
