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Pearl Harbor remembered aboard historic vessel in Baltimore

Posted at 11:59 AM, Dec 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-07 18:02:43-05

The 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor was remembered aboard an historic vessel in Baltimore Wednesday.

USCGC Taney, now decommissioned, is the last surviving vessel to witness the Dec. 7, 1941 Japanese attack in Hawaii.

Every year, Historic Ships in Baltimore hosts a ceremony aboard the Taney honoring those who served during WWII.

Carroll George is a WWII veteran and is in the third month of his 98th year. He attended the ceremony on Wednesday.

“It's a real pleasure, although my memory is fading at a marvelous rate so that I can't even remember what happened several hours ago,” said George. But he still vividly remembers his time serving aboard the USCGC Taney during the battle of Okinawa.

The Taney is the last ship floating that fought in the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941.

"Seventy-five years ago at 7:55 a.m. this stunning and shocking message was broadcasted to general quarters, 'air raid Pearl Harbor this is no drill',” said Paul Travers, author of "Eyewitness to Infamy," and whose father was a Pearl Harbor survivor.

“Those Japanese pilots wanted nothing more than to destroy this ship and kill her crew, yet to sea they went,” said Major General John J. Broadmeadow, commander of the Marine Corps Installations Command.

The Taney survived the fight but more than 2,000 Americans were killed. The vessel is now a tribute to those who died as well as the survivors like Thomas Talbott.

“It's the greatest thing in the world just to be here,” Talbott said.

He can now only speak in a soft whisper but he still tells his story. It's a story that on this day and every day forward survivors want us to commit to memory.

“Remember Pearl Harbor, keep America alert,” Travers said.

“My great granddaughter wrote me a letter that said, 'thank you Mr. Ellers for serving our country,' how about that? She's six years old. How about that?,” said Georger Ellers, a World War II veteran.

The USCGC Taney was decommissioned 30 years ago on December 7, 1986 after more than 50 years of continuous service. It’s now a permanent fixture at Pier 5 in the Inner Harbor where students, tourists, and visitors can go on-board to learn more about its history and the date which will live in infamy.

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