Warren Upton, recognized as the oldest living survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack and the final survivor from the USS Utah, has passed away at the age of 105. He died on Christmas Day in a hospital in Los Gatos, California, after battling pneumonia, reported Kathleen Farley, the California state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors.
Upton was serving aboard the Utah, a Florida-class dreadnought battleship, during the surprise attack by Japanese aircraft on the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The attack led to the United States’ entry into the war.
Recalling the events to The Associated Press in 2020, Upton described preparing to shave when the first torpedo struck the vessel. Initially, those on board were uncertain about what had caused the ship to shake. A second torpedo followed, causing the Utah to list and eventually capsize. At just 22 years old, Upton managed to swim to Ford Island and took cover in a trench to shield himself from enemy fire. He remained there for roughly half an hour before being evacuated to safety by a passing truck.
Upton spoke openly about the attack and its memories, but the ongoing loss of his shipmates over time troubled him more than recounting the events. By 2020, of the original crew members of the Utah, he was among only three survivors.
Military historian J. Michael Wenger notes that approximately 87,000 military personnel were stationed on Oahu island during the attack. With Upton’s death, just 15 veterans who served in Pearl Harbor on that day remain alive.
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