Warren Upton, the oldest survivor of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, died Wednesday at the age of 105.
Upton died of pneumonia, said Kathleen Farley, president of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors of California. said Associated Press. Pacific Historical Park said On Facebook, the 105-year-old man passed away after a short stay in hospital, surrounded by his family. Upton was also the last survivor of the USS Utah.
The USS Utah was anchored at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, when Japanese aircraft began bombing naval bases in Hawaii, leading to the United States' entry into World War II. (Related: One of the last remaining survivors of Pearl Harbor dies at age 102).
in 2020 Interview with Associated PressUpton recalled that he was about to start shaving when the first torpedo hit Utah. He said no one on board the battleship knew what caused the ship to start rocking before a second torpedo hit and capsized the ship.
Upton was 22 years old at the time of the attack, according to the Associated Press. He swam ashore to Ford Island, where he jumped into a trench to avoid the surrounding planes. After waiting for about 30 minutes, a truck drove by and they were rescued.
Warren Upton, oldest survivor of Pearl Harbor, dies at 105 https://t.co/lLL3TyAQEJ pic.twitter.com/s6tAXMW8GT
— New York Post (@nypost) December 28, 2024
He told The Associated Press that he didn't mind talking about what happened that day, but rather that it was how many sailors he had lost over the years that upset him. In 2020, Upton and two other members of the Utah crew were the only survivors.
Military historian J. Michael Wenger estimates there were an estimated 87,000 military personnel on Oahu on December 7, 1941, but only 15 remained alive after Upton's death. The news agency reported.
2,390 Americans died in the attack on Pearl Harbor. According to National Park Service. As a result of this attack, one Japanese soldier was taken prisoner and 129 Japanese soldiers died. record From a show at the National World War II Museum.
