Warren Upton, the oldest surviving member of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the last remaining survivor from the USS Utah, has passed away at the age of 105. He died on Wednesday at a hospital in Los Gatos, California, after battling pneumonia, according to Kathleen Farley, chair of the California chapter of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors.
The USS Utah, a battleship, was docked at Pearl Harbor when Japanese planes launched their attack on December 7, 1941, which led the United States into World War II. Upton, who was 22 at the time, recalled in a 2020 interview that he was preparing to shave when the first torpedo struck the Utah. Initially, the crew was unsure what had caused the shaking, but after a second torpedo hit, the ship began to list and capsize.
Upton managed to swim to Ford Island, where he hid in a trench to avoid Japanese aircraft. He stayed there for about 30 minutes until a truck arrived to take him to safety.
Upton shared that he had no problem discussing the events of the Pearl Harbor attack. What truly saddened him, however, was the continual loss of his shipmates over the years. By 2020, Upton was one of only three surviving crew members from the USS Utah.
Military historian J. Michael Wenger notes that there were approximately 87,000 military personnel on Oahu during the attack. Following Upton’s passing, only 15 of them remain alive.