Press Release | April 16, 2025

USS California Sailor Accounted For From World War II (Bowden, E.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Navy Fireman 1st Class Edward D. Bowden, 29, killed during World War II, was accounted for on April 1, 2025.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Bowden was assigned to the battleship USS California, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS California sustained multiple torpedo and bomb hits, which caused it catch fire and slowly flood. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 103 crewmen, including Bowden. 

This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Bowden’s case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.