The Death of the USS Utah
One of the first vessels attacked by the Japanese was the UTAH. Commanders Genda and Fuchida, planners of the attack, had ordered their pilots to ignore the training ship, which as a non-combat ship [in their "illustrious" view] was not worthy of attack, but eager pilots dropped torpedoes on the UTAH and the nearby light cruiser RALEIGH. One torpedo slammed into UTAH's port side at 8:01 a.m. as the crew raised the flag on the fantail. Moments later a second hit the same area. This action infuriated Lt. Heita Matsamura, flight commander for the torpedo bombers from the carrier HIRYU, who had "specifically instructed his men to avoid UTAH." Nonetheless pilots from the SORYU attacked, and following the first hit, Lt. Tamotsu Nakajima, "young and inexperienced ... followed suit." (Prange 1981).
Water began to fill the ship rapidly, and it listed 15 degrees. The senior officer aboard, Lt. Commander S.S. Isquith, realized that UTAH was sinking and reportedly gave the order, "All hands on deck and all engine room and fire room, radio and dynamo watch to lay up on deck and release all prisoners." The crew was ordered to the starboard side of the vessel to escape the danger of loose timbers pinning men down or striking them. These timbers had been used in previous weeks to cushion the deck from practice bombs dropped by planes from the ENTERPRISE. By 8:05 the list had increased to 40 degrees. The ship was lost. "Abandon Ship over the starboard side" was shouted over the din.
As the men scrambled for safety, the increased list caused the timbers to loosen and slide in the water, crushing the men below. At about 8: 12 the UTAH capsized after mooring lines snapped. One of the ship's boats rushed in and picked up men in the water and commenced ferrying them to the beach. Constant strafing made the job hazardous, and many men sought shelter by swimming to the side of the mooring quay. The wounded and injured were treated along the shoreline or sent to the dispensary at the Naval Air Station at Ford Island. As survivors continued to struggle ashore, most sought protection in a pipe line trench dug by the Public Works Project.
CLICK TO ENLARGE
While the crew huddled in the ditch for protection, a loud banging was heard coming from the ship's hull. A Warrant Officer, Machinist Stanley A . Semanski and Chief Machinist Mate MacSelwiney heard the banging and, climbed onto the upturned hull to determine the location of the banging. It was identified as void space V-98.
Machinist Semanski, determined to rescue the person or persons trapped, first contacted USS Tangier, anchored aft the Utah. For some reason, the Tangier did not volunteer equipment or personnel to effect the rescue. Mr. Semanski then proceeded to the USS Raleigh, anchored forward of the Utah to obtain help. The Raleigh was having her own problems, having also been torpedoed early during the attack. Not withstanding that fact, the Raleigh not only produced a cutting torch, but furnished a small rescue party which accompanied Mr. Semanski back to the Utah, and proceeded to cut a hole in the ships bottom - a truly heroic deed considering the fact that the Japs were continuing to strafe.
The hole cut into void space V-98 effected the rescue of one Fireman Second Class John Vaessen. For his action that day, Stanley A. Semanski received a Letter of Commendation. . (Ed. note: "Jack" Vassen is alive and well and living in California as of this date - 11/15/2001. He lives in the same area as Stan Semanski.) Jack Vaessen and Stanley Semanski met for the first time at the USS Utah reunion in Salt Lake City in 1988. They have met and talked at reunions since then, and by telephone at various times. At the reunion in Salt Lake City Chief MacSelwiney and Machinist Semanski gave Jack an overview of his rescue from their perspective. Messers. Semanski and Vaessen last met at the USS Utah Association reunion in Laughlin, NV in May 2001.
Thirty officers and 431 men were reported to have survived the loss of the ship. At best estimates, six officers and 52 enlisted men were lost, some trapped aboard ship, others cut down by strafing aircraft. One of the many examples of heroism that day was displayed by Chief Watertender Peter Tomich. As the ship began to list, Tomich remained at his station so that others could escape. He enabled the men in his division of engineering to flee the sinking ship, and in doing so lost his own life. The UTAH was declared to be temporarily out of service -- "in ordinary" -- on December 29, while salvage teams under Captain Wallin tried to determine if it could be salvaged.
(Another Editorial Note:) Stanley A Semanski, Commander, USN (Ret) contributed to this page on May 16, 1999. He went on to say that he completed 41 years of service as enlisted and officer, and retired July, 1968. He also volunteered that he will have been married to his wife "Lela" for 64 years on July 7th, next. Other "jewels of wisdom offered by Stanley were:
1. He still has a 7.7 mm shell casing with attached machine gun clip, picked up from the overturned Utah.
2. He has simplified the spelling of his perfectly good Polish name "Szymansky" to "Semanski."
3. He still plays a weekly round of non-championship golf!
4. Stanley reported the news of Chief MacSelwiney's death - date not given.
