Camp Peterson

 Second World War 1939-1945, camp

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Camp Peterson was completed 23 March 1943. The camp is named after Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Oscar V. Peterson, Chief Watertender, who died at the Battle of Coral Sea in May 1942.

One of six individual training stations at Farragut Naval Training Center, Camp Peterson was designed to accommodate and train 5,000 sailors at a time. Buildings located here included a drill hall with six basketball courts, two dispensaries, a rec hall, twenty-two double barracks, ship's stores, indoor rifle range, admin building and chief petty officer's quarters.

On May 7, 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea, the USS Neosho was heavily damaged by Japanese dive bombers. In one bombing raid, Peterson and members of the repair party he led were severely wounded. Despite his injuries, he managed to close four bulkhead steam line valves, but suffered third-degree burns to his face, shoulders, arms and hands in the process. By shutting the valves, Peterson isolated the steam to the engine room and helped keep the ship operational.

The Neosho eventually sank on May 11, and the surviving crewmen were picked up by another ship. Peterson died of his burn injuries on May 13 and was buried at sea, several hundred miles off the coast of Australia.