USS Utah (BB-31)

USS Utah (BB-31)

USS Utah (BB-31/AG-16) was a battleship that was attacked and sunk in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. A Florida-class battleship, she was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the US state of Utah. A true "dreadnought" type battleship of the short transition dreadnought era with 10 12" pre-dreadnought type guns ("pre-dreadnoughts" of only a few years earlier usually carried four) it was only a few years before the type was made obsolete by the first super-dreadnoughts with 14" guns that started to see service just prior to WWI. However, the type still gave useful service through the 1920s. Prior to World War II, she had declined in usefulness and had been converted to a remotely controlled bombing target and gunnery target tow, redesignated AG-16. However, she was later refitted and rearmed and was in use for training purposes when sunk by a torpedo in the Japanese attack.

Utah was laid down on 9 March 1909 at Camden, New Jersey, by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. She was launched on 23 December 1909 under the sponsorship of Miss Mary Alice Spry, daughter of Utah Governor William Spry; and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 31 August 1911, Captain William S. Benson in command.