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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 ascending
QM 1c Melvyn Gandre USN
F 1c Henson Shouse USN
LCdr Rudolph Bielka USN
Ens David Jackson USN
BM 2c Kenneth Gift USN
Matt 1c George Smith USN
Sea 1c Virgil Bigham USN
Bkr 2c Emery Houde USN
Sea 2c Charles Gregoire USN
Sea 2c Robert Smith USN
Lt(jg) John Black USN
Sea 1c William Kent USN
Sea 2c Clifford Hill USN
Sea 1c Ralph Scott USN
F 1c John Blackburn USN
GM 3c George Larue USN
Sea 2c Joseph Sousley USN
FC 1c Vernard Wetrich USN

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