American Artifacts: USS Utah Memorial at Pearl Harbor

[@williambechmann6547]

I lived on Ford Island from 1981 to 1984. Our base housing was right across the street from the USS Utah Memorial. I can't tell you how many times I walked up to this memorial and paid my respects to all of the Sailors and Marines that died on December 7th, 1941. A very humbling site.....

[@lynheydt3304]

In 2007 I was fortunate to be able to see the Utah memorial a friend was stationed at Pearl and got permission for us. Very emotional visit. RIP

[@perpetualjon]

My father was asleep on board the USS Tangier which was next to the Utah that morning. The Navy spread his ashes out at the end of that memorial back in 2004. Few days in my life are prouder than that one.

[@roberthertzberg4421]

You hear about the Arizona all the time. Sad that the Utah has been lost. Glad to hear there's a memorial.

[@jesseandrade3342]

I agree with you I never knew about it until just now myself

[@nogoodnameleft]

@@jesseandrade3342 I consider Utah an active warship. She was not demilitarized at all starting in 1935 when she was rearmed with all types of AA guns to train battleship crews how to use them. She had 5" anti-aircraft guns all over her as well as all of the most modern anti-aircraft guns. She was not merely an unarmed "target ship". If she had not been the very first ship attacked and sunk at Pearl Harbor she would have been able to use her numerous AA guns and who knows what would have happened. Her crew were the best American anti-aircraft gunners in the whole Pacific.

[@robertf3479]

@@nogoodnameleft USS Utah (AG 16) was still a commissioned ship of the USN, but she was by no means armed with "all the most modern" anti-air weapons. In photos taken shortly before the 7 December attack I can identify several different marks of 5" guns mounted around the ship, some of which cannot use the same ammo as others. I see 5"/25 caliber, 5"/38 (open mount as well as DD type single enclosed mounts) dual purpose guns as well as 5"/51 (NOT dual purpose.) The lighter AAA batteries consist of mounts for machine guns and 1.1" "Chicago Pianos" mounted around the superstructure asymmetrically (not "mirror image") on both sides of the ship, something not unusual for a training ship but unusual for one intended to go in Harm's Way where the threat can come from any direction. Her gunnery crews at the time consisted of instructors (officer and enlisted) and at best half trained gun crews and half trained crews on the range finders. I am positive they would have tried their very best to fight back, but I question how effective they would actually have been.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

@@nogoodnameleftThat’s not completely true. All of Utah’s 12-inch guns were removed as part of the demilitarization, though some of the turrets remained. commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Utah_(AG-16)_being_painted_at_Puget_Sound_1941.jpg#mw-jump-to-license You can see it well in this photo. That being said, I do agree with your conclusion that she was not defenseless

[@imcintyre01]

“52 dead men still in the ship. That sits near our very shore. A memorial to those who died, those men. Though few men glimpse them anymore.” -K.I.H.

[@davy1458]

Rest in peace Utah and the 52 men still with you. God bless you and your familys

[@raymondlowry8564]

I was stationed on Ford Island in the early 1970's. The monument had just been completed. I visited it on a number of occasions. It would be nice if the general public could visit and pay their respects. However, there is something peaceful and serene in standing there alone and thanking those men (and their loved ones) for making the supreme sacrifice.

[@x808drifter]

Bor and raised here, and I too wonder why people aren't allowed to go there. It souldnt be much to add a tour that includes a short tram/trolley ride to the site.

[@sandykrantz7924]

In January of 1973 I took the Navy tour of Pearl Harbor. They took us to the Utah and other parts of the harbor in addition to the Arizona Memorial. They were really informative. One of the best tours I was ever on. I have been back 2-3 other times and was whisked to the Arizona Memorial, herded on and off, and whisked back. I suppose a lot more people travel these days and they cannot give the nice long tour as they once did.

[@nghtwtchmn129]

Chief Watertender Peter Tomich was awarded the Medal of Honor for securing the boilers and helping other escape as the Utah began to capsize. He is still aboard today.

[@relluplewis7112]

​@@nghtwtchmn129 John, It's my understanding that for the longest time his( Peter Tomich's) Medal of Honor medal was at the state capitol building Salt Lake City,Utah because as a imigrant from Czechosolvakia with no known family in the US the USN had no one to receive the medal bestowed upon Chief Tomich(they couldn't very well make inquiries at that time in Czechosolvakia).In the last 30 or so years DNA allowed a means for family of Chief Tomich to finally be found & to receive a undeliverable medal that stayed in limbo on display for decades.

[@thebluerunner1022]

had the true honor of meeting a guy that was on that ship. met him at lunch today. Mr. Bill Hughes.

[@stevenpilling5318]

Indeed, USS Utah is the forgotten battleship of Pearl Harbor. Although she was disarmed and slated for use as a target ship, the Japanese aviators wasted bombs and torpedoes on her that would have otherwise gone to other, more vital targets. Utah's sacrifice may have had an impact on the future course of the war.

[@fluent4530]

Mhm Even if Utah wasn’t targeted America victory still would have happened The Japanese were Transfixed On sinking the battleships As it was more honorable to sink a battleship then to destroy a dock or some fuel stations So the Fuel stations and dry berths probably would have been still intact

[@Adhjie]

@@fluent4530 I also watch from smith that as always yamamoto actually want this besides the usual not wanting meme god the hardline at fault i mean hes the dude who uni'd in us and got no grand 2nd to emperor makes no sense after cultural victory civ PSM meiji

[@dgb921]

@@fluent4530 she trained anti aircraft gunners so she was fit with some weapons.

[@rudiekeyser2495]

True words 🇿🇦🇿🇦🙏cheers Cape Town.

[@stevenpilling5318]

@@fluent4530 Note that, besides Utah, only two battleships were permanently put out of action. It could have been worse. The submarines were virtually untouched. So were the fuel and ammo storage facilities. The Japanese had to know their value. Also, Utah was by itself on the other side of Ford Island from Battleship Row. That would have marked her as an easier target and would account for the number of bomb and torpedo attacks against her.

[@himnosdecolombia7106]

My Great Uncle was the commander officer of the ship; Solomon Isquith

[@bradleybarnhart4188]

When was he in command. My great uncle was on board when she returned from WW1. I have pictures he took of the force they sailed with, including the surrendered German ships.

[@AndrewJohn921]

@@bradleybarnhart4188 so your uncle is a girl cause you use she not he know your English

[@historybuff0135]

"She" is in reference to the USS Utah.

[@matthewcaughey9431]

Your great uncles ship served well. If not for the sacrifice of the USS Utah and her crew then other ships might have been damaged worse. By getting the IJN to waste munitions of her she served far more valiantly then being used as a target. Those ships that took less damage cause of Utah paid back her sacrifice in full towards the end of the war when several ships salvaged from Pearl Harbor blew the snot out of the IJN. USS Utah, not forgotten by the ships she saved by taking hits for them.

[@chris2ndaccount69]

@@AndrewJohn921 the "She" he mentioned is USS Utah not His Uncle

[@donb7113]

Little known fact. A member of the crew had received the cremated remains of one of his twin daughters. Prior to 7 Dec 1941, he and his wife had planned on him scattering her ashes in the Pacific, but due to the sinking of the USS Utah, their child’s ashes remain forever in his locker inside the ship.

[@inspiredwoodworks4131]

Don Bryson , if I’m not mistaken, I believe that the surviving twin is (or will be) interned there as well. I had the honor of staying on the base in 2009 & again in 2010, right at the Navy Lodge. My eyes seemed to leak something at the Memorials to those lost that day.

[@dawsonindustries]

Unless the locker was broken open. But who knows

[@MrJeep75]

How very sad

[@mariaramirez5519]

I got to visit it many times while we were stationed in Hawaii it’s so peaceful

[@stanstenson8168]

It is nice over there. Kind of away from the tourists.

[@jimmieallen5096]

My great uncle served onboard the U.S.S Utah.

[@robertjohnson8938]

Sad they don’t talk about this ship much

[@effen_aey_man]

To be fair the Arizona getting its bow blown 30 feet out of the water along with the deaths of 1,100 sailors kind of dwarfed what happened to the Utah

[@robertjohnson8938]

effe'n aey man true

[@Hambone571]

Sad that a lot of Pearl Harbor is overshadowed by the Arizona.

[@robertjohnson8938]

@@Hambone571 it did have the most lost sailors

[@finscreenname]

You all should watch this short series about the Salvage of Pearl Harbor after the attack. It's the best I have seen on the subject of what really happened. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHOQh2yZeLh2btE

[@clearsmashdrop5829]

Ive been two Arizona memorial twice. 1985 and 2006. I hope someday to be able to visit Utah.

[@josephburke7224]

The salvage of the Utah was done using the parbuckling equipment used on the Oklahoma. The seabed was of a different material. Utah began to slide instead of righting. If it was allowed to continue to slide, it would have became a serious impediment to ship traffic. At that time, ships regularly rounded Ford island before the causeway was built. As Utah now lies, it does not interfere with ship traffic. Thus, work was stopped. Much of the upper works were removed. It would have been a waste of resources to continue, at a time when salvage and repair crews were needed elsewhere. Not only the first attacked, Utah was the last to begin salvage. Owing to her lack of further usefulness due to age.

[@Ro6entX]

Utah was a proud ship and crew, sad that she is really overshadowed by loss of other ships. Also for the poor 100+ plus who died in the west noch (near powder point i believe) in loading accident in '44. That was actually classifed for years after but you can still see one of the wreckaged ships (believe there are two) on google map.

[@nogoodnameleft]

RIP to all of the fallen on Utah and at Pearl Harbor. I consider Utah an active warship. She had 5" anti-aircraft guns all over her as well as all of the most modern anti-aircraft guns. She was not merely an unarmed "target ship". If she had not been the very first ship attacked and sunk at Pearl Harbor she would have been able to use her numerous AA guns and who knows what would have happened. Her crew were the best American anti-aircraft gunners in the whole Pacific. Utah's death toll would have been far worse if those 4 engineers at the very bottom didn't delay the capsizing by another 7-10 minutes. If not for their sacrifice she would have capsized immediately like Oklahoma and killed 200-400 people.

[@larryshaw6512]

Honor those that perished. Open it to the public.

[@Emophiliac2]

I remember scrounging for pennies to donate for the monument while in elementary school. Probably in the mid-to-late 1960s.

[@drtroosevelt]

My father Theodore F Roosevelt was on the Utah when it was sunk. His ashes were interred on the Utah after he passed away.

[@maddogmerv]

It's always good to see my friend Dan Martinez. Having been over to the memorial you feel like you could reach out and touch the Utah it is so close. Thank you for putting this video together.

[@nogoodnameleft]

I wish they could open up the Utah Memorial for the public. If they don't want people driving on the military road to the Utah Memorial they could simply do free ferry boat services that take them to the memorial park area like they do for the Arizona from a terminal. Utah would truly get her moment to shine with that type of publicity. The non-military visitors all don't use the roads and use the sea instead and nobody disturbs the active-duty military's privacy at their homes just a block away.

[@balsumfractus]

Don't know if it is still available, but in 1980, I took a privately operated tour boat, and we visited the Utah, and laid a wreath for the fallen sailors.... went by the Arizona as well, but could not dock at the memorial ( but I had been on the Az memorial with the Navy tour previously.....)

[@firefalcon9368]

i visited the Arizona as a kid in '88, we never knew or heard anything about a utah memorial while we were there

[@robinthomas8448]

may god make his face to shine upon them and grant them peace

[@chrispileski6640]

I was there in 2006. It would have been nice to walk over from the Arizona and seen that memorial.

[@jimhoffmann]

Me, too, on Memorial Day. My late friend, Adolph Kuhn, the Hero of Pearl Harbor, boarded the USS Arizona after it was hit. His story is available on Amazon.

[@russg1801]

USS Utah was 'demilitarized" at the time of the attack; she was a target ship operated by radio control when aircraft dropped practice bombs on her reinforced timber deck. She retained the state name of a USN capital ship but the "BB" number was removed; she was given another designation. USS Florida was her sister ship; that ship was decommissioned and scrapped. Utah was BB 31; the next oldest battleship still in commission at that time was USS Arkansas, BB 33. Arkansas was the last US battleship still firing 12" guns, and those guns blasted the Germans at Normany as well as the Japanese in the Pacific.

[@nogoodnameleft]

Florida was scrapped and Utah became a training ship because of the dumb 1930 Naval Treaty. She would have still been in the fleet as a BB otherwise. She was not "too old".

[@kgrimes842]

I've never been to ohau but i would love to go! I want to walk the USS Missouri and go to the USS Arizona memorial and never would have thought to go to the USS Utah memorial because it's never shown on any tour guides including helicopter tours. That's a shame since she is still visible and so many men still lay entombed in her. It'd be a nice way to remind the newer generation that the Arizona isn't the only one still sunk

[@markfortin421]

How sad it is that the public cannot go to the memorial to pay respects to those hero's that gave the ultimate sacrifice..... May they rest in peace. ✌😢

[@josephbingham1255]

Honor our dead. Make National Park transport to the spot part of the Pearl Harbor Memorial.

[@MC-xt6xf]

I lived at the base of those two towers you see in the final frame, and I had no idea this was there! I went to the Arizona many times, how did I not know about this?!

[@stijnkremer6923]

May they rest in peace

[@TheRetirednavy92]

Was there in 89, RIP heroes.

[@rodneyballew9682]

My hopes are that sooner than later we will be able to be able to visit and pay our respects as well as teach the future generations about our past conflicts by being able to visit these and all other battle memorials

[@nogoodnameleft]

They offer tours there now. Costs only $1 for online booking fee

[@cashmerefunk2136]

Just passing thur rip fellas thanx you for all your service (thanks).

[@tmanoutdoors8277]

Cashmere Funk is that all you care about?

[@jimtownsend7899]

Did you enjoy your three days of school?

[@davidadamsbigred1]

Went to this site several times in the early 80’s. I remember more superstructure and only a small plaque being there . When was the walkway added.

[@nogoodnameleft]

Very recently. Like the past 10-15 years

[@swinedance]

Utah was no longer a battleship when she was lost. "In 1931, Utah was demilitarized and converted into a target ship and re-designated as AG-16, in accordance with the terms of the London Naval Treaty signed the previous year." (Wikipedia). It's significant that she was the oldest of the ships in service at the time of her loss. I always like to hear the park rangers talk about places I visit. They're usually very well versed on the subject matter.

[@nogoodnameleft]

I consider Utah an active warship. She was not demilitarized at all starting in 1935 when she was rearmed with all types of AA guns to train battleship crews how to use them. She had 5" anti-aircraft guns all over her as well as all of the most modern anti-aircraft guns. She was not merely an unarmed "target ship". If she had not been the very first ship attacked and sunk at Pearl Harbor she would have been able to use her numerous AA guns and who knows what would have happened. Her crew were the best American anti-aircraft gunners in the whole Pacific. In fact if you dive next to Utah you can see 3 or 4 of her 5" guns still mounted onto her turrets like they are ready to fight. The Navy also left behind one 1.1" piano quad gun mount on her after stripping her of her other guns during the failed salvage attempt. While she no longer had her big 12" guns she still was allowed to keep her turrets and on top of those turrets 5" anti-aircraft guns that were shooting live ammunition while training the Battleship Row's sailors were located and all throughout the ship other modern guns like 20mm and 40mm Bofors were stationed on her. If she had not been the very first ship sunk it is interesting to think about Utah the ship with the best anti-aircraft crew with all her state of the art guns able to take part in the fight above the skies.

[@gapratt4955]

Managed to visit in 1986 while TAD to Oahu. Berthed to the right at the time was the Carl Vinson. Rather ironic, before me was a statement longing for peace, to my right an imposing instrument of war.

[@ronaldmiller2740]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORDS AND PRAYERS,,.. THE USS UTAH HAS TO HAVE PEOPLE COME TO VISIT FOR ALL THOSE MEN WHO DIED.. PEOPLE THERE NEED TO LOOK DOWN TO THEM AND PRAY TO THERE BODYS THERE AND THERE SOULS IN HEAVEN!! MAY G--D BLESS ALL THESE MEN AND WOMAN WHO GAVE THERE LIVES FOR FREEDOM SO WE CAN LIVE THESE DAYS TO BE FREE TODAY.. SHALOM,, YADABYE,, ARMY VETERAN..

[@zachboyd4749]

Rest easy old girl, rest easy

[@carmine4878]

Lol

[@matthewcaughey9431]

Utah did her job she took hits for other ships and kept them from getting taken out of the war really and truly what else can you ask from battleship slated to be a target. She died a good death, she died a warriors death

[@michaelvasquez9677]

Saw in in 1980 while in the Navy

[@inkslinger6156]

Speechless.

[@sharlottewoods2451]

Godspeed to the fallen we owe our heroes a great deal of gratitude many times over marines navy airforce army god bless you all..........

[@model-man7802]

Dad was across Ford Island on the California.

[@jimtownsend7899]

Leave it off limits. Don't allow the giggling, chattering, and oblivious tourists, most from former enemy countries, to come and disturb the memory of those who rest within. It's sad enough to have to witness the disregard shown at the USS Arizona Memorial. May the crew of the USS Utah sleep for those on the Arizona, who have become a tourist attraction.

[@paulvarga9696]

I visited it in 1982 when I was in the Navy

[@patprice2953]

Fair winds and following seas....

[@dondidykes6664]

I remember seeing those ships in peril harbour when I was there the bridge wasn't there and the naval ship's could still sail around the island

[@rodfrazier362]

I didnt know that people can not go to that memeorial. My dad was a Pearl Harbor Survivor, and was on the Utah when it was hit. And swam ashore. Helping another get to shore.

[@525Lines]

Never heard of this before.

[@litamtondy]

The Senator's words are very beautiful. Sad that to-day, it looks like more people want wars and violence than peace.

[@TheGamers34241]

Next time can you do USS UTAH pls

[@patkinder6632]

Rest in Peace for both crews , sad to see both ships this way once proud defenders

[@maxwaller2055]

*2:47 am Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, 1 January 2020 - happy new year*

[@earth_ling]

I’m a history buff and I knew that the Utah was still there but I did not know that no one is allowed to visit because of the military base being active. This is a very sad thing. It looks like our country could do better than just a dock and a flag. And grant access to it by the public somehow. This circumstance is really not tolerable. Especially with fallen sailors still entombed on the wreck.

[@S4inc]

At 1 minute and 49 seconds..The air view shows the ship still bleeding oil😢

[@dutchman7216]

I'm visiting Pearl Harbor in october. Is there any plans of opening up the USS Utah Memorial by then?

[@nogoodnameleft]

They don't open her up because she is less than a block from actual houses for the active-duty personnel on Ford Island! It sucks though. You would think that they could do an alternative plan like send small ferry boats to go to a small secured location for only civilians right at the USS Utah Memorial, right? They do that for the Arizona. I have a feeling that that is the only way that Utah can be opened up. With that ferry service they can also develop that small stretch of land as a small park to further publicize Utah.

[@dutchman7216]

@@nogoodnameleft agreed and thank you. I was there this past October and they said there was no plans at all to let anybody visit this at this time unless you were personally escorted by servicemember.

[@nogoodnameleft]

What a shame. Utah was very much a warship like the others. She was not "unarmed" like a cute little tugboat but she had 4 or 5 big 5" AA guns on top of her turrets and she had a bunch of other 5" guns and other modern 20mm and 40mm Bofors guns on her main deck too! She was the first ship to be hit and the story of Pearl Harbor should be edited to how the Japanese accidentally sank the best AA gunship in the Pacific Fleet! The battleships were not armed with Bofors or modern 5" guns like Utah and their AA gun performance was dreadful as a result. The Arizona crew who survived said their guns were so poor and they couldn't come close to hitting either the dive bombers or high altitude bombers! Almost all the battleships scored zero kills due to their poor and obsolete guns. I am happy that the Navy left on Utah's turrets intact a bunch of her 5" guns and they left on her a 1.1" piano quad gun too. That is like evidence that she was in fact the best AA armed ship in Pearl Harbor that day and the Japanese completely lucked out that her talented AA guns crew and guns were taken out in the first seconds.

[@williamfuller2389]

@@nogoodnameleft Seems you fail to remember Doris Miller, a cook on the West Virginia, who manned an AA gun and while untrained on it, still was credited for knocking out some Japanese aircraft.

[@mattwalden4020]

What’s her internal condition like? Is her internal spaces as well preserved as the USS Arizona?

[@donniemontoya9300]

Well she did completly capsize, then was righted so I couldn't imagine everything is in its place. As for the hull of the ship, it's still all in one peice. Everything but the superstructure is still present and about 1/3 of the entire ship is buried.

[@marklopez4429]

Is it open to the public now

[@nogoodnameleft]

Do non-military tourists get taken to see the Utah memorial nowadays? Or do they still limit it to people with DOD IDs?

[@johnsepulveda443]

sadly as long as there are people living on this earth there will always be wars because there's always going to be someone wanting what someone else has

[@JLange642]

If the Japanese hadn't focused the first few torpedoes on the U.S.S. Utah, a repurposed battleship that was then a target ship, more damage may have been inflicted on the other capital ships moored in battleship row possibly rendering them un-salvageable. The ship and crew did their duty, and we honor those brave members of the Greatest Generation!

[@nogoodnameleft]

On the flip side she was not an "unarmed target ship". She had a bunch of 5" guns, 20mm guns, and 40mm Bofors guns. She had the most state of the art AA guns in the Navy that most of the battleships weren't even armed with in December 1941! Since 1935 she was the sole anti-aircraft training gun ship in the Pacific. She was packing heat and was more like an anti-aircraft specialized battleship. Imagine her contribution to the fight if she had been able to uncover her AA guns and load them with live ammo. Almost all of the battleships on Battleship Row that were attacked used very inferior AA guns while Utah had all of the best and modern AA guns. Utah had the best AA gun crew in the Pacific also. Many of her crew went to the ships next to her like Raleigh and shot down a bunch of planes. Raleigh's guns which were manned mainly by Utah survivors shot down 5 of the 29 Japanese planes that were shot down that day! Now imagine if all of Utah's fantastic AA gun crew and modern AA guns were able to take part in the fight! The Japanese accidentally sinking Utah as the first ship to be attacked likely helped save a bunch of their own planes from having far more than 29 planes shot down.

[@johnwheet7037]

Those boys out there.....there must be a way to go to them.....cast a flower and say a prayer

[@cameron4562]

The military tried after the attack, but lost more men in the retrieval effort. It's just not worth it. Maybe now, but it is hallowed ground. They are resting now. My great-great-great uncle is still entombed on the Utah.

[@nogoodnameleft]

@@cameron4562 I am glad Utah and Arizona were left there as war memorials. They were luckily sunk on very soft soil so unlike Oklahoma which was on firmer soil Utah and Arizona were impossible to raise and salvage. Only way to dismantle them would be a lot of demolitions and raise them in a few hundred pieces. Imagine using C4 explosives on the Arizona and Utah just so you can get more scrap metal.

[@plaidzebra5526]

Have you started taking the public to the memorial yet? 6 years later I don't think so and the men who were at Pearl Harbor during the attacks are almost gone. So if not now then I guess when their officially gone then huh? Something to think about.

[@mtcottrell]

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💔

[@nickb5337]

December 7th 2018

[@1planenut62]

All the military has to do is fence it in, then let the Park Service come in from the water side.

[@dogsense3773]

I was in the navy on ford island 1975, I would go there at night to smoke weed, nobody would visit the utah,never saw anyone, retired US park service,

[@nogoodnameleft]

Because they ban non-military from the Utah Memorial and also "historians" lie and claim that she was an unarmed target ship. Starting in 1935 she was heavily armed with the best AA guns in the Navy. On the day she was attacked she had a bunch of 5" guns on her and 20mm guns and 40mm Bofors guns. Almost all of these guns were not even given to the battleships yet!!! She was more like an anti-aircraft specialized battleship than a "training ship". She was the very first ship attacked so there was no way she was able to uncover her guns and load them with ammo to take part in the fight.

[@dawsonindustries]

Maybe its just me... but i don't think its all respectful to leave them to waist away in the water. Their still there. Like i feel like give them a proper respectful burial. I get it. But i don't fully agree with leaving them

[@PieAndChips]

You don't interfere with wargraves.

[@cameron4562]

The military tried after the attack, but lost men in the retrieval. It's not worth more life. My great-great-great uncle is still aboard.

[@BigLisaFan]

For sailors, their ship is their home. These men are at home and there is a very, very strong attachment to their ship. If it was me, I would say leave me here with my ship and my shipmates.

[@jessieblanton9875]

Why did they not raise this ship like the others .

[@thedutchwoodworker3472]

Seems to be still leaking oil after all those years Still its a burrial ground so whould not remove it

[@BigLisaFan]

I read a book, Descent Into Darkness, about a diver's experiences of the salvage. The plan was to roll it like Oaklahoma then scrap the ship. It was obsolete, heavily damaged and had been downgraded from a battleship to a target ship. The decks and much of the ship had wood as protection from the practice bombs. It is thought the Japanese mistook her for a carrier which were the prime targets. When they tried to right the ship, it began to roll as intended but started sliding on the muddy bottom. As much of it was out of the channel, the decision was reached to leave it. It wasn't taking valuable berth space and the divers were needed on other work. It was too hazardous inside the ship for the divers of the time to recover the bodies and the crew were left to rest in their ship, their home forever.

[@ken7875]

They should extend a ramp to go over the UTAH like the ARIZONA.

[@jimhart8424]

My grandfather arrested John Dillinger on that ship, August 10th 1923

[@josephpadula2283]

Was your grandfather master at arms on Utah? Arrested Dillinger for being AWOL?

[@jamworthy14]

Forgotten uss utah....... The government is all to blame... People aren't allowed at this memorial.. its only for some navy and army men..

[@chair9416]

I live on hawaii

[@rudiekeyser2495]

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🙏🇿🇦

[@allisonprospero4936]

Los japoneses no quisieron mandar la segunda oleada de aviones 150 aproximadamente por que su comamdante penso que hera suficiente y por razones tecnicas,de haberlo echo no hubiese quedado Nada de la flota norteamericana y tal vez hubiese cambiado la historia de la Guerra!

[@ngml320]

😥

[@thenorthforce5391]

fun

[@johnathanleonardo912]

Her wreck doesnt look that big. But again all the ships at pearl were dreadnought ships built in the teens and early twenties regardless she looks like a tugboat in the photo

[@robertf3479]

All you are seeing is some of the superstructure, most of it was cut away during the salvage effort to aid in righting her. The salvagers were unable to completely right her has they had the Oklahoma which also capsized. By that point in time it had been determined that her berth wasn't essential enough to warrant expending further effort on her so she was left in place. Most of the bulk of the ship's hull is out of sight deep in the harbor water and settled in the muck around Ford Island.

[@nogoodnameleft]

@@robertf3479 She still has 4 or 5 5" guns still mounted on her turrets like she is still ready for battle with the Japanese. She was not unarmed at all but an AA gunnery training ship. That means if she had not been the very first ship attacked her talented AA gun crew and all of those modern AA guns would have been used on the Japanese. It turned out that the Battleship Row battleships' inferior and old AA guns did a poor job during the attack and almost all of the battleships scored zero kills. Imagine if Utah was not attacked and her crew was able to uncover the guns and bring out the live ammo for an extreme training session. "Historians" don't want us to learn that Utah was a heavily armed AA gun-specialized battleship in all but name during the attack. She was very much a warship like a destroyer, cruiser, or battleship. "Historians" want us to believe the lie that she was an "unarmed target ship".

[@robertf3479]

@@nogoodnameleft If the intention was to turn Utah into some kind of "anti-aircraft battleship" then the weapon fit seems strange to me with several different marks of 5" guns mounted around the ship, some of which cannot use the same ammo as others. I see 5"/25, 5"/51 as well as 5"/38 (open mount as well as DD type single enclosed mounts.) The lighter AAA batteries consist of mounts for machine guns and 1.1" "Chicago Pianos" mounted around the superstructure asymmetrically (not "mirror image") on both sides of the ship, something not unusual for a training ship but unusual for one intended to go in Harm's Way where the threat can come from any direction. Up until 7 December the USS Utah (AG 16) was used both as an anti-aircraft training ship mounting a selection of the more common weapons found in the fleet and as a target ship for torpedo planes, horizontal and dive-bombers, her decks often shielded with additional heavy timbers in case the bomber pilots messed up and actually hit HER instead of a target sled often towed behind her with their sand or concrete filled bombs. Yes, given warning Utah COULD have put up a serious fight against the incoming Japanese with instructors and half trained gunners manning her weapons, but like most of the fleet at Pearl that day a good number of the ship's crew was on liberty ashore or off duty and a few taking advantage of the opportunity to grab a little extra sleep. I made a serious study of the Pearl Harbor attack during the 4 years I was stationed on Oahu, one of which was at Pearl, working in Building #1 near the shipyard and 1010 Dock. I also spent some off duty time touring Ford Island and visiting the Utah Memorial.

[@johnathanleonardo912]

​@@robertf3479So they took the bulk and let it sink somewhere else ?

[@robertf3479]

@@johnathanleonardo912 The ship's hull is still there along with part of the superstructure that was not cut away in the salvage effort. They likely treated the steel that was salvaged as they did the superstructure of Arizona, placed it ashore in a fenced off area of Pearl Harbor, out of sight and reach of most visitors.

[@thecoongingercoon8611]

They need to raise it so they can properly salute the dead before the ship turns to dust

[@stevenm3823]

Just an old target ship that the Japanese wasted torpedoes and bombs on.

[@fatdaddyeddiejr]

They didn't know that. They saw a ship the size of the other battleships away from battleship row. So they attacked the Utah.

[@bw7471]

Very disrespectful...........tell that to those who died on that ship 7 December 1941, when and if you ever get to Heaven they'll be waiting for you!

[@stevenm3823]

@@bw7471 what's disrespectful about it?...the same thing was written in books covering the Pearl Harbor attack and they all stated that the Japanese planes wasted bombs and torpedoes on a ship that they thought was something else.

[@BigLisaFan]

Better on a target ship than a serving capital ship. It could have made the difference over salvage and repair than salvage and scrap

[@yalboo5171]

I would go diving the and go in the ship to see the skeletons

[@andrewgiordano5275]

Dylan Hawkins, there are no skeletons inside the ship. They would have deteriorated many years ago.

[@robertf3479]

If you were to try one of two things would likely happen. 1. You would be arrested for trespassing on a military installation and disturbing a military gravesite 2. If you tried to enter the wreck you might quickly become trapped and die there. This ship is NOT safe to enter like some scuba diving attraction. There are jumbles of jagged steel all around inside

[@Adhjie]

@@robertf3479 ah yes this add to other comments its so hard and dangerous letting him go with it would result in death much riskier than prison

[@robertf3479]

@@Adhjie It is tempting to allow would-be dare devils to go ahead and give Professor Darwin a shot at them.

[@kaminoszero]

I’m sorry but it is time the US Government go ahead and scrap the rest of the wreck and lay to rest the remaining crew members. Only 52 remain and we have the technology to possibly identify them. Like he said it is a forgotten memorial that the public has never except for a select few can visit. This isn’t like the Arizona with its size and the amount of dead. The government should have never stopped the salvage of either of these 2 ships. It is unfair for some of them to be recovered and buried and the rest left in these wrecks especially with them being where they are close to the shore in shallow water. They already said the Arizona is eventually going to implode in the future and pollute the bay with the oil remaining on board them imagine the mess will be to salvage it then contaminating the remains for identification.

[@mikel5064]

Shut the fuck up. You sound like a piece of shit spewing your nonsense. It's a gravesite for those 52 men, and others that have been interred there. Just a hunch, but you aren't a veteran

[@donniemontoya9300]

Enlighten me as to why you think the lives of 52 sailors are less meaningful than the 1,102 still aboard the Arizona.

[@foamer443]

@Allan 112358 So lets see. With the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour, you are saying, the American government should have turned the other cheek and resisted being drawn into the war? I sort of get where you are coming from with the references to WWI etc, but WWII was a entirely different kettle of fish. The Brits truly had their backs up against it and really needed Americas manpower to turn the tide. As much as anything American industry was already producing arms and other material for the Allied side, with much of it being shipped through Canada. So the US and its workers doing quite well, thank you very much, even without being in the fight. All of which has nothing to do with the memorial, which is a means of showing respect and honouring those who remain entombed. Regardless of any thoughts or ideas of clearing any remaining wrecks, time will do the job. It may not be what one desires to learn, but the steel will breakdown and the bones will disintegrate.

[@decadantdog4444]

@Allan 112358 The Iowa is not there.

[@rickhass3974]

The Utah apart of our history no different then the other ships that were sunk we should be able to see it to

[@nogoodnameleft]

RIP to all of the fallen on Utah and at Pearl Harbor. I consider Utah an active warship. She had 5" anti-aircraft guns all over her as well as all of the most modern anti-aircraft guns. She was not merely an unarmed "target ship". If she had not been the very first ship attacked and sunk at Pearl Harbor she would have been able to use her numerous AA guns and who knows what would have happened. Her crew were the best American anti-aircraft gunners in the whole Pacific. 3D models of Utah show that she still has four 5" anti-aircraft guns on top of her turrets that formerly had 12" guns and there is even a 1.1" piano quad gun mount that they also decided to leave behind. I am glad that they left the guns there so people in the future would learn that she was heavily armed that day and not just some radio-controlled disarmed ship. She was kind of like an AA-specialist battleship if you think about it. The reason people keep ignoring Utah is because the documentaries and "historians" always try to claim that Utah was an unarmed target ship. She was the sole anti-aircraft gunnery training ship in the Pacific and they used live ammo. The Japanese benefited from sinking her accidentally because if she had been left alone her crew of 500 would have worked a lot of magic with her state of the art modern anti-aircraft guns that most of the battleships weren't armed with yet.