It was dubbed the forgotten ship. It was a Florida-class battleship which was, ironically, an anti-aircraft gunnery training ship active in Pearl Harbor. Crippled by Japanese torpedoes, it rolled over with its crew members scrambling for their lives.

Listening to Glen Miller's "Elmer's Tune" which was number one on the Hit Parade, a popular ranking of music at the time, retired Chief Electronics Technician Gilbert Meyer, a crew member of USS Utah (BB-31/AG-16), was performing his normal duties.

"After watching a movie and listening to music, I went on the 0000 to 0400 (12 a.m. to 4 a.m.) watch," he said. "After that I was dead tired, so I went to my rack two decks below on the starboard side."

Four hours later his life changed forever. Eight in the morning normally is a patriotic moment when colors is performed. This is when you raise the American flag, salute, and carry out the plan of the day.

For Meyer and his shipmates, their lives were endangered a minute following colors.

"A torpedo hit the port side; the second torpedo hit and got my attention, and I had to start climbing up topside," Meyer said. "Some of the crew saw the fighter planes coming, but I was sleeping and I didn't know what was going on. All I knew was the ship was in peril. The sound of the ship as it was rolling over scared me. Many of the men had already swum to shore; I swam to shore in my skivvies."

Sixty-four men paid the ultimate price for their country in matter of minutes.

Today, the watery grave and humble reminder of those brave Sailors sits partially submerged as a memorial on the opposite side of its famous sister ship USS Arizona (BB 39) on Ford Island.

The Utah Memorial is a beautiful and solemn, white wooden L-shaped pier reaching into the calm blue water of Pearl Harbor. It turns left, pointing to souls of the "Greatest Generation" still inside the ship, its deep brown rusty hull contrasting with the sea. Though not all those lost are physically entombed inside, the fact the ship is so close to the shoreline and almost in touching distance makes the memorial that much more personal.

More than 1 million tourists visit Pearl Harbor each year. Few know where Utah resides. No tour buses or guides make their way to the other side. There are no honors rendered unless there is a specific event normally for and/or by the survivors.

In fact, the Naval Telecommunications Procedures flags, pennants & customs publication states when a Navy ship is passing the USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, between sunrise and sunset, passing honors consisting of sounding "Attention" and rendering the hand salute by all persons in view on deck and not in ranks shall be executed by that ship. Not so for Utah.
These are a few of the many reasons why Utah was dubbed "The Forgotten Ship."

Forgotten no more -- on Dec. 7, during the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, the day came symbolically for the "forgotten" to be remembered.

On a day when the weather was eerily the same 75 years ago, clear with clouds over the mountain range, USS Halsey (DDG 97), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer sailed around Ford Island as part of a pass in review and salute to Arizona and Pearl Harbor survivors. Before passing by Arizona, however, with the crew on deck in their dress uniforms, they paid their respects to the officers and enlisted of Utah.

There to return the salute was Meyer.

Meyer is well into his 90s, recovering from chemo surgery, tired and frail. However, this "greatest generation" Sailor popped tall and saluted for more than three minutes as the modern, haze gray giant slowly cruised by with "this" generation's Sailors popping just as tall, mirroring his gesture.

Meyer said the moment was emotional and special for him but he felt he fulfilled a higher calling.

"All I was thinking about standing there was my shipmates," said Meyer. "This was special, and it was for my shipmates."

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Commander, Navy Region Hawaii, visit http://www.navy.mil/.