--- title: "Warren Upton, oldest Pearl Harbor survivor, dies at 105" date: "2024-12-28" modified: "2024-12-28" authors: - name: "Miguel Ortiz" job_title: "Senior Contributor, Army Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/miguelortiz/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/warren-upton-oldest-pearl-harbor-survivor-dies-at-105/" categories: - "History" - "War History" - "World War II" --- # Warren Upton, oldest Pearl Harbor survivor, dies at 105 ![An elderly man wearing glasses, a beige jacket, a checkered shirt, and a white military-style cap is smiling and holding a microphone. He is seated at a wooden table in a room with wood-paneled walls and shelves with decorative items. Blue balloons are visible above him, and a woman in a gray sweater is sitting to his right.]() On December 7, 1941, 22-year-old radioman Warren "Red" Upton was getting ready to shave when a Japanese torpedo struck his ship, USS Utah (AG-16). In 2020, Upton recounted to The Associated Press that no one knew what caused Utah to shake. The battleship-turned-target ship was then struck by a second torpedo, which caused her to roll over and sink quickly. Upton abandoned ship, scraping barnacles on *Utah*'s hull on his way down. He swam to shore with many of his shipmates. The ship's service officer was wearing a life jacket but could not swim, so Upton helped him through the water and to the shore. Still, 58 of Utah's crew were killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. ![Two elderly men are shaking hands outdoors at an event. The man on the left wears a dark suit and a military-style cap with the words "COMMANDER M.H. FERRERA" embroidered in yellow. The man on the right wears glasses, a white cap with "Pearl Harbor" written on it, a dark jacket, and a floral lei around his neck. Several people and a white tent are visible in the background. The scene is set during sunset or late afternoon.]() **USS* Utah *Survivor Warren Upton is greeted by Michael Ferreira, commander of Pearl Harbor American Veterans, following the USS* Utah *Memorial Sunset Ceremony in Pearl Harbor, Dec. 6, 2019. The ceremony honors the loss of the USS* Utah *and 58 crewmen after the ship was torpedoed during the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941. The USS* Utah *was the first ship torpedoed in the attack; it sank 12 minutes later. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Allen Michael Amani)** Upton made it to nearby Ford Island. As Japanese planes strafed men on the ground, he ran for a nearby ditch and took cover. From there, Upton and other sailors witnessed the devastation of the attack. "When the USS *Arizona* was hit, it sounded like everything was going up," Upton told Don Downey in a 2018 interview. "We thought maybe it was a fuel tank." The sailors remained in the ditch for 30 minutes until a truck came along and took them to safety. After Pearl Harbor, Upton continued to serve as a radioman. When the war ended, he returned home and married his wife Jeanne, a former Navy nurse, and started a family; Jeanne passed away in 2018. In the wake of Pearl Harbor and WWII, Upton remained a proud member of the USS *Utah* and Pearl Harbor survivor communities. While he did not mind sharing his experience of the attack, the loss of his shipmates over the years saddened him. ![An elderly man wearing a navy blue "USS Utah Pearl Harbor" cap and matching polo shirt, white pants, and glasses is using a walker outdoors on a sunny day. He is smiling and standing on a concrete driveway in front of a yellow building with an American flag hanging nearby. A silver car is parked in the background.]() **Upton celebrated his 105th birthday on October 17, 2024 (Friends of the National World War II Memorial via Facebook)** On December 25, 2024, Upton passed away at a hospital in Los Gatos, California; *Hawaii News Now* reports that he was surrounded by family when he passed. At the time of his death, Upton was the oldest living survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Moreover, he was the last crew member of the USS *Utah.* *Hawai'i Public Radio* reports that only three surviving sailors from *Utah* were still alive in 2020, including Upton. *HPR* also notes that, following Upton's death, just 15 service members of the estimated 87,000 on O'ahu during the attack are still alive. ## Author Miguel Ortiz is a Senior Contributor for We Are The Mighty covering primarily military news and history with an emphasis on weapons technology. He is a former active duty Army officer and remains a member of the Army IRR. After commissioning through San Diego State University Army ROTC, Miguel served with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. He has written for We Are The Mighty since 2020, drawing from his passion for the military community and history. Miguel’s work has also been seen on Business Insider and The Blast. He remains an avid shooter, competing in local USPSA matches. Miguel’s other hobbies are traveling and watch collecting. ### Author social links [LinkedIn]()