Chapter III: Archeological Record
(continued)

USS UTAH

Site Description and Analysis

The USS UTAH (BB31) is located on the opposite side of Ford Island from the ARIZONA. Built in 1909 as one of the first American modern battleships launched after the appearance of the British DREADNOUGHT, the UTAH was rapidly outdated by later battleships like the ARIZONA. The original hull dimensions were a length of 521.6 feet and beam of 88.3 feet. Rebuilt in 1925-26, the vessel was converted to a target ship in 1931 and designated AG-16.

In May 1941 the target ship, which was used for fleet antiaircraft machine gun practice, was fitted with 5-inch guns in single mounts and an assortment of the latest antiaircraft weaponry, including 20mm Oerlikon and 40mm Bofors guns. For carrier-based aircraft practice bombing operations, the UTAH's deck was covered with 6x12-inch timbers, some still remaining on the wreck. Many pilots and gunners were trained with the UTAH and contributed much to later American victories.

The UTAH was sunk by two Japanese aerial torpedoes in 1941. The target ship and the ARIZONA across the harbor are the only vessels from the attack still in Pearl Harbor. The UTAH rolled to port and capsized at its berth after being hit early in the attack, turning 165 degrees from upright, an ironic happening, because the ship with its modern antiaircraft weapons was probably the most able to defend itself from air attack had it not capsized.

Apparently some of the deck timbers shifted as the ship rolled, and obstructed passageways and trapped sailors below decks. Some sailors were removed from the hull with cutting torches as the attack raged. Salvage attempts left the vessel listing to port about 38 degrees with the deck facing the channel and the starboard side facing shore.

The USS Utah Memorial commemorating the loss of ship and men is a 40-by-15-foot concrete platform connected to the northwest shore of Ford Island by a 70-foot walkway. The memorial is about a mile from the Arizona Memorial. A Naval color guard raises the flag each morning to honor the sailors entombed in the UTAH. Although 1.5 million people annually visit the ARIZONA, few have visited the Utah Memorial; visitation is by special arrangement with the Navy.

As is evident from the site map (Figure 3.27), the UTAH is lying on its port side and partially buried in the silt. A portion of the starboard side area protrudes from the water amidships and is visible from the memorial. It is interesting that some plants have been able to establish themselves on the hulk, and greenery protrudes from unlikely places on the exposed hull portions.

Figure 3.27. Perspective of Utah from bow by Jerry Livingston.

Mechanical damage is an important aspect affecting preservation of the exposed hull. Boat wakes are the source of both mechanical damage and a wide wet-dry zone that contributes to corrosion and weakening. Exposure to air and wave action has heavily corroded the remains above the water surface and made it unable to safely support a person's weight. Harbor tour boats frequent the area, and the Navy often uses an adjacent pier for "touch and go" mooring training of coxswains, so there is considerable traffic in the area.

Figure 3.28. USS UTAH looking forward from stern. (NPS photo)

Figure 3.29. USS UTAH looking aft from the bow. (NPS photo)

The exposed hull portion is heavily rusted, but some features are visible. The highest portion visible is a casemate that extends beyond the gunnel, roughly midship. Two circles of bolts are visible above the water, denoting machine gun emplacements. On the forward end of the casemate is a concrete and brass plaque identifying the UTAH. There is a cement covering over the deck that has been broken away. Cement was frequently used to patch damage from practice bombs. Forward of the casemates along the gunnel of the ship a pair of mooring bitts and a chock can be seen. Directly offshore the casemate portion is the rounded corner of the armored bridge.

Perhaps the best way to pursue a descriptive narrative of the current condition of the UTAH underwater is to conduct an imaginary swim from bow to stern, first along the starboard side, and then along the deck (see Figure 3.33 -- for reference).

Figure 3.30. Chock on gunnel of starboard bow of USS UTAH. (NPS photo by Larry Murphy)

Heading aft on the starboard side, one would probably first see the anchor still secure in the hawse pipe. From here aft there are very few features, except some intact portholes well above the waterline. No signs of war damage are evident, indicating that the torpedo damage on the port side that sank the ship did not vent on the starboard.

The hull is virtually complete and undistorted. Near the starboard bilge line, a hull plate has been removed. A-frame parbuckling gear (or righting headgear) was attached to the bottom of the UTAH during attempts to right the vessel. Cables attached to the parbuckles once led to huge electric winches on shore. It appears that at the cessation of salvage activities, the cables were severed and the parbuckle frames cut from the hull. Similar righting operations were successfully conducted on the OKLAHOMA. The UTAH, never righted, was moved sufficiently during the salvage attempt to permit clear access to the nearby pier.

Salvage cables dominate the hull from midship to stern, and bear testimony to the intense effort made by Navy salvage teams to right the ship after it had rolled over during the attack. There are also some salvage patches on the hull toward the stern.

What would be encountered in a swim along the deck of the vessel is much more complex. Beginning at the bullnose and heading aft, one passes over an intact bow area with anchor chains arranged in their leads along the deck and passing through the hawse holes to the hawse pipes, two on the port side and one on the starboard. The stopper cables are rigged and intact. Near the starboard cable is an open hatch with stairs leading down into the hull. The capstans are intact with caps in place.

Figure 3.31. Stairs lead down into interior of USS UTAH. (NPS photo by Larry Murphy)

Aft of the capstans are two more hatches, the port one closed. The starboard hatch is open, and the inner hatch cover with ventilation ports can be seen. Immediately aft of the two hatches is a winch with friction drums that was probably used for mooring.

To the stern of the winch, the elevated superstructure begins. More superstructure remains on this ship than on the ARIZONA. The superstructure was altered during target ship modifications. On the No. I turret housing is a bare 5-inch gun mount. The vessel had been outfitted with 5-inch 38-caliber guns in its last refit in May 1941. The forward two are open and near the stem two were enclosed in housings. Atop the No. 2 turret housing is a second 5-inch gun with the barrel in place. Immediately aft and partially exposed is the rounded armored bridge, which served as an observation post during bombing practice.

Amidships and inboard of the exposed casemate lie the remains of the ship's bridge area and main superstructure. The area is a jumble of twisted metal from the damage of sinking and salvage. Recognizable in the wreckage are gun tubs similar to those on the ARIZONA.

Directly below the armored bridge is a 1.1-inch quad antiaircraft machine gun. This new weapon was being evaluated for installation aboard capital ships, like the ARIZONA. They were mounted on the UTAH for training purposes. The barrels of the quad remaining on the UTAH are twisted in various directions. The mount with attached gunner's seat sticks out of the silt and appears to be still attached to the deck.

Behind the stack area aft of the bridge is a raised turret mount. The UTAH had three stern turrets when operating as a battleship. The single-pole mainmast is still in place aft of the No. 3 turret mount, al though it is broken. The two sternmost turrets still have 5-inch guns mounted. The housing of the forward gun emplacement is partially intact, that of the aft gun is missing. In a letter from Commanding Officer J.M. Steele to the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet (December 15, 1941) describing the loss of the UTAH by enemy action, he states that because the UTAH was engaged in bombing target operations

"all of her 5-inch and 1.1-inch guns were covered with steel houses. All .50 cal. and .30 cal machine guns were dismounted and stowed below decks in storerooms. The ship was covered with two layers of 6x12" timbers for protection against practice bombs. All ammunition was in the magazines and secured. Because of this, it was impossible to make any effort to repel the attack.

It is not clear why the 5-inch guns were not salvaged.

The remains of the UTAH, crisscrossed with many salvage cables on the hull and other evidence of active salvage, portray a sense of defeat and abandonment. Much of the original armament remains aboard -- it is as if the incomplete salvage attempt was declared a failure and abruptly ended. This impression is largely substantiated by the historical documents.

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