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1915 - 1919 1920 - 1926 1927 - Dec. 6, 1941 Dec. 7, 1941-Present
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Size | Image Description | Contributed By And/Or Copyright |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 52k | Utah (BB-31) launching at New York Shipbuilding Corp. Plant. The ship is not identifiable, but, the bow curve suggests an early American dreadnought such as Utah, launched in 1909. | Photo & text courtesy of New York Shipbuilding., yorkship.home.comcast.net. | |
 | 70k | In 1911, Captain William S. Benson became the first Commanding Officer of the battleship Utah (BB-31). | Digital ID: # ggbain 25778. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. & submitted by Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 56k | Underway, possibly during her trials in 1911. | USNHC # NH 63201. | |
 | 132k | The ship as completed in late 1911. | USN photo. | |
 | 177k | Utah (BB-31) in Guantanamo Bay. This photo possibly dates during her shakedown cruise;-a voyage that took her to Hampton Roads, Va.; Santa Rosa Island and Pensacola, Fla.; Galveston, Tex.; Kingston and Portland Bight, Jamaica; and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Utah was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet in March 1912. | USN photo # 80-G-1025113 courtesy of interwarnavy.org via Bill Gonyo. Text courtesy of DANFS. | |
 | 406k | Forward turrets of the Utah (BB-31), possibly at Philadelphia, PA. | Digital ID: # 2163693498_47d91aa26d_o. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, from the George Grantham Bain Collection, courtesy of Tom Kermen. | |
 | 187k | Forward turrets of the Utah (BB-31). Note the metal grating on deck over the anchor chains. | Digital ID: Call # LC-B2-2267-11. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, from the George Grantham Bain Collection, courtesy of Tom Kermen. | |
 | Stern view of the Utah (BB-31) at the New York Naval Review. Note her rear secondary gun ports are open. | Digital ID: # 2422670411_e9d19cf7b3_o., LOC # LC-B2-2455-2. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, from the George Grantham Bain Collection, courtesy of Tom Kermen. | ||
 | 114k | Semaphore signalling on Utah (BB-31). | Digital ID: ggbain.09584 # 2162892615_7a7f48e09c_o. Call # LC-B2- 2267-15. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, from the George Grantham Bain Collection, courtesy of Tom Kermen. | |
 | 1.om | Officers and crew of the Utah (BB-31) on 10 May 1912. | Courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints & Photos Division, LC-USZ62-137330, Photo # 6a33021 by H.H. Howard. Photo courtesy of Tom Kermen. Photo added 02/07/09. | |
 | 26k | Utah (BB-31) at anchor, Brooklyn, N.Y., 9 Oct 1912. | Courtesy of Vern Maxson, LCDR,USNR-RETIRED (SS). | |
 | 64k | The Utah (BB-31) Number One Turret's crew posing under their turret's 12"/45 guns in 1913. Chief Turret Captain Abraham DeSomer seated at right in the center of the front row. To his right is the Turret Officer, Ensign Arthur S. Carpender. DeSomer received the Medal of Honor for his "extraordinary heroism" during the seizure of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21-22 April 1914. | USNHC photo # NH 103835, from the collection of Lieutenant Commander Abraham DeSomer, USN. Donated by Lieutenant Colonel Russell DeSomer, U.S. Air Force (Retired), 1975. | |
 | 86k | Abraham DeSomer was born on 29 December 1884 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the early 1900s, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy from that state. Following his initial sea duty on board the gunboat Yorktown, DeSomer transferred to the monitor Monadnock (M-3), which served on the Asiatic Station, and became a Gunner's Mate. During 1907-1911, he was assigned to the battleship Nebraska (BB-14). DeSomer was promoted to Chief Petty Officer in 1910. A year later, he reported to the battleship Utah (BB-31). While serving in that ship on 21-22 April 1914, during the intervention at Vera Cruz, Mexico, his "extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during the seizure of Vera Cruz, Mexico" was recognized by the award of the Medal of Honor. Utah consequently landed her "battalion"-17 officers and 367 sailors under the command of Lt. Guy W. S. Castle-as well as her Marine detachment, which formed part of the improvised "First Marine Brigade," made up of detachments of marines from the other ships that had arrived to show American determination. In the ensuing fighting, in which the men of Utah's bluejacket battalion distinguished themselves, seven won Medals of Honor. Those seven included Lt. Castle, the battalion commander; company commanders Ens. Oscar C. Badger and Ens. Paul F. Foster; section leaders, Chief Turret Captains Niels Drustrup and Abraham Desomer; Chief Gunner George Bradley; and Boatswain's Mate Henry N. Nickerson. Chief Turret Captain Abraham DeSomer, USN Photographed in 1910, just after reenlisting for his third enlistment. DeSomer received the Medal of Honor for his "extraordinary heroism" during the intervention at Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21-22 April 1914. | Text courtesy of USNHC # NH 103834. Collection of Lieutenant Commander Abraham DeSomer, USN. Donated by Lieutenant Colonel Russell DeSomer, U.S. Air Force (Retired), 1975 & submitted by Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 59k | Taking green water over the bow in the Atlantic, while returning from the Mediterranean Sea in December 1913. A severe storm had just passed and seas were still heavy. Photographed by E. Muller, Jr. | USNHC # NH 63650. | |
 | 74k | The Utah (BB-31) prior to 1914. | USNHC # NH 90359. |  | 71k | U.S. Atlantic Fleet battleships steaming toward Mexican waters in 1914. Photograph copyrighted in 1914 by E. Muller, Jr., and Pach. The following battleships that were dispatched to Mexican waters included the: Ohio (BB-12), Virginia (BB-13), Nebraska (BB-14), Georgia (BB-15), New Jersey (BB-16), Rhode Island (BB-17), Connecticut (BB-18), Louisiana (BB-19), Vermont (BB-20), Kansas (BB-21), Minnesota (BB-22), Mississippi (BB-23), Idaho (BB-24), New Hampshire (BB-25), South Carolina (BB-26), Michigan (BB-27), Delaware (BB-28), North Dakota (BB-29), Florida (BB-30), Utah (BB-31), Wyoming (BB-32), Arkansas (BB-33), New York (BB-34) & Texas (BB-35) . In insets are (left to right): Rear Admiral Henry T. Mayo, Rear Admiral Frank F. Fletcher, Rear Admiral Charles J. Badger. | USNHC # NH 60322. |
 | 79k | Vera Cruz Incident, 1914. The Utah (BB-31) battalion marches along the Vera Cruz waterfront while returning to their ship, circa April-June 1914. Battleship in the center distance is Minnesota (BB-22). Ship in the left distance is either Dixie (1898- 1922) or Prairie (1898-1923). Photographed by Hadsell. | USNHC # NH 100622. | |
 | 80k | Chief Gunner George Bradley, USN (center) with Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby (left) and Admiral Edward W. Eberle, USN, Chief of Naval Operations, at the White House, Washington, D.C., 4 October 1923, after he had been presented with the Medal of Honor by President Calvin Coolidge.
The Medal was awarded "for meritorious service under fire" during the landings at Vera Cruz, Mexico, in 1914. At that time Bradley was a Chief Gunner's Mate, serving in Utah (BB-31). Citation: For meritorious service under fire on the occasion of the landing of the American naval forces at Vera Cruz in 1914. C.G. Bradley was then attached to the Utah, as a chief gunner's mate, and was in charge of the ammunition party and special details at Vera Cruz. | Photo # npcc 09603. Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, from the George Grantham Bain Collection. Submitted courtesy of Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 104k | Lt. William Price Williamson commanded the gun battery of Utah's (BB-31) landing force during the landings at Vera Cruz, Mexico, in April 1914. | U.S. Naval Academy photo courtesy of Bill Gonyo. | |
The contact listed, was the contact at the time for this ship when located. If another person now is the contact, E-mail me and I will update this entry. These contacts are compiled from various sources over a long period of time and may or may not be correct. Every effort has been made to list the newest contact if more than one contact was found.
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