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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

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In about 1950, two modest memorials were erected on and near the remains of USS Utah, which had been left where they lay after the 1943-44 effort that partially righted the capsized ship. These memorials consisted of a plaque, mounted on the wharf just to the north of the ship's remains, and another plaque placed on the wreck's superstructure deck.

 

The first plaque bore the inscription: "Near this spot, at Berth Fox 11, on the morning of 7 December 1941, the USS Utah was struck on the portside with what is believed to have been three aerial torpedoes and was sunk. She was subsequently rolled over to clear the channel but was left on the bottom." The second plaque read: "In Memory - Officers and Men - USS Utah - Lost in Action - 7 December 1941."

 

These plaques were subsequently overshadowed by the far more visible and accessible USS Arizona Memorial, and in 1972 a larger memorial to Utah was dedicated just off the Ford Island shoreline, a short distance from where the ship lies.