Most of the Marines under John Earle's new command aboard the USS Arizona died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and for years Earle felt lucky to have been on shore on Dec. 7, 1941.

"I've known of that story ever since I was a child," said Earle's son, Thomas, who teaches seventh-grade English at Punahou School. "It was a lucky deal. He was supposed to spend the night on the ship, but the guy he was relieving told him, 'Go home to your wife in Waikiki.' "

John Earle, who went on to a 20-year career in the Marines, retired at the rank of colonel and later taught history at the University of Hawai'i, died Tuesday night at The Queen's Medical Center. He was 92.

On Dec. 6, 1941, then-Capt. Earle transferred from the USS Tennessee and took over the Marine detachment aboard the Arizona berthed next door. He considered himself more of a USS Tennessee survivor, Thomas Earle said, but the men of the USS Arizona nevertheless regard Earle as one of their own to this day.

"He didn't even have a chance to get acquainted with anyone on board and he was not aboard when the bombs dropped," said Vincent Vlach, an Arizona yeoman first class who keeps track of Arizona survivors from a care home in Riverside, Calif. "But he's definitely an Arizona survivor."

In a remembrance for the Pearl Harbor Survivors Project, Earle later wrote that he had taken over a detachment of 85 Marines, although Vlach's records put the number at 88.

Earle wrote that 12 Marines survived; Vlach believes it was 15.

Whatever the number, Earle "knew he was lucky not to be aboard," said Vlach, who ran into Earle years later at Arizona survivors' reunions. "I was ashore myself or else they would have been sweeping up my ashes. They would have been sweeping up his ashes, too."

John Horatio Earle was born in Reading, Pa., in 1915, graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1936 when he was commissioned a second lieutenant, and was one of five brothers who fought in World War II and survived.

After the Japanese attack, Earle led Marine units preparing for a Japanese attack on O'ahu while his wife, Barbara, got a job with naval intelligence to avoid being evacuated. (Barbara later taught English at Punahou School).

Even though poor vision initially kept Earle out of flight school, the attack gave him a second chance as a Marine aviator. He went on to command a dive bomber squadron in the Philippines and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal.

In his civilian life, Earle became active in the Hawaii Watercolor Society and pursued interests in history, travel and fly fishing.

He is survived by Barbara, his wife of 68 years; sons John and Thomas, both of Honolulu; daughters Jane Earle-Dabrowski of Honolulu and Susan McLane of New Braunfels, Texas; six grandchildren; and three great grandchildren.

A private inurnment is scheduled for Feb. 5 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl.

Services are scheduled for 4 p.m. Feb. 6 at Central Union Church's Atherton Chapel. The family requests no flowers.

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.