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The United States Navy Memorial

Navy Memorial Honoring the Men & Women of the Sea Services

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Utah

Ship Designation: 
BB-31
Date Lost: 
Sunday, December 7, 1941
Aerial Torpedo Attack - Pearl Harbor
Soon after the commencement of the attack Utah took a torpedo hit forward, and immediately started to list to port. As the ship began to roll over on her beam ends, 6-by-12-inch timbers-placed on the decks to cushion against the impact of bombs used during the ship's employment as a mobile target-began to shift, hampering efforts of the crew to abandon ship. ... Comdr. Isquith made an inspection to make sure men were out and nearly became trapped himself. As the ship began to turn over, he found an escape hatch blocked. Fortunately, a man outside grabbed Isquith's arm and pulled him to safety through a porthole at the last instant. ... At 0812, the mooring lines snapped, and Utah rolled over on her beam ends; her survivors swam to shore, some taking shelter on the mooring quays since Japanese strafers were active. Shortly after most of the men had reached shore, Comdr. Isquith, heard knocking from within the overturned ship's hull. Although Japanese planes were still strafing the area, volunteers returned to the hull with a cutting torch to free their trapped shipmates. ... Of Utah's complement, 30 officers and 431 enlisted men survived the ship's loss; 6 officers and 58 men died.

Lost At Sea Log

Number of sailors in this log: 58

Namesort descending Service Branch
Sea 2c William Arbuckle USN
F 3c Joseph Barta USN
LCdr Rudolph Bielka USN
Sea 1c Virgil Bigham USN
Lt(jg) John Black USN
F 1c John Blackburn USN
Sea 2c Pallas Brown USN
F 3c William Brunner USN
OC 2c Feliciano Bugarin USN
Sea 2c George Chestnutt USN
Sea 2c Lloyd Clippard USN
F 1c Joseph Conner USN
F 1c John Crain USN
Sea 1c David Crossett USN
F 2c Billy Davis USN
Sea 2c Leroy Dennis USN
SM 1c Douglas Dieckhoff USN
Sea 2c William Dosser USN
Sea 1c Vernon Eidsvig USN
QM 1c Melvyn Gandre USN

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Prepared by CAPT R.O. Strange USN (Ret.)