Ken Potts was a U.S. Navy veteran and one of the last known survivors of the USS Arizona, the battleship sunk at Pearl Harbor, the wreck of which is now a memorial.
- Died: April 21, 2023 (Who else died on April 21?)
- Details of death: Died in Provo, Utah at the age of 102.
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Ken Potts’ legacy
Born in Honey Bend, Illinois, Potts enlisted in the military on October 4, 1939, at the age of 18. World War II had already begun, though the United States was not yet officially involved. Just weeks later, he was assigned to the USS Arizona as a crane operator.
Potts was shuttling supplies to the ship when the Japanese military launched a surprise attack on the naval installation at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. He was ordered back to the ship, but by then, the harbor was ablaze. He helped to pull sailors out of the water and onto his boat; 1,177 crewmen died when the USS Arizona sank.
Potts left the military with the rank of boatswain’s mate first class at the end of the war and moved to Provo, Utah. He married his wife, Doris, in 1957, and the pair remained together until his death. Potts worked as a car salesman his entire life, becoming a public figure only as other survivors passed away. The last known survivor of the USS Arizona is now Lou Conter, 101, of California.
Notable quote
“Some of them swam over to shore, some of them was picked up, some of them didn’t make it.”—from an interview with the American Veterans Centers
Tributes to Ken Potts
Full obituary: Associated Press
