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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

Name Service Branchsort descending
F 1c Joseph Conner USN
Lt(jg) John Little USN
MM 1c Walter Ponder USN
F 1c John Crain USN
Sea 1c Vernon Eidsvig USN
CSK Elmer Parker USN
Lt(jg) Herold Harveson USN
Sea 1c Leroy Jones USN
Sea 2c William Dosser USN
EM 2c Edwin Odgaard USN
Sea 1c David Crossett USN
F 1c Joseph Karabon USN
Sea 2c Leroy Dennis USN
F 2c Orris Norman USN
CWT Peter Tomich USN
GM 3c Eric Kampmeyer USN
SM 1c Douglas Dieckhoff USN
Sea 2c Donald Norman USN

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