USS Utah survivor reunited with shipmates, interred aboard ship

By Mika Miyashima

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    HONOLULU (KITV) — A Navy sailor who survived the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor is laid to rest and reunited with his fallen shipmates inside the sunken USS Utah.

Gilbert Meyer died in October of 2023 at the age of 100.

He’s one of 461 USS Utah crewmembers who survived the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Loved ones gathered around sunset Friday at Ford Island on O’ahu for the annual USS Utah Memorial Ceremony, and a special interment ceremony for Meyer.

Meyer’s family handed his ashes to divers to take them to his final resting place aboard the wreckage of the USS Utah.

It’s one of the most unique military burials in the world, only granted to shipmates who survived the attack.

“This was the 17th interment that was done on the USS Utah that we have records of,” explained David Kilton, the National Park Service’s interpretation, education and visitor services lead for Pearl Harbor.

At the time of the attack, Meyer was an 18-year-old Fireman First Class assigned to the USS Utah.

“He was in his rack below decks and the first torpedo hit and it woke him up,” explained Meyer’s nephew, Gilbert Benton. “He was so tired and he went back to sleep. Then the next one hit and he realized I better get up.”

Meyer served in the Navy for 22 years and retired as a Chief Petty Officer.

He went on to write a book about World War II and surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Just one survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack who was stationed aboard the USS Utah is still living today.

The National Park Service at Pearl Harbor National Monument, Pacific Historic Parks and CyArk just launched a virtual tour of the USS Utah to give greater access to the site and its stories.

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