WWII Navy chief reunited, in spirit, with his ship’s bell
NEWPORT, R.I. — A Navy chief who died saving his shipmates during the attack on Pearl Harbor has been reunited, in spirit, in Rhode Island with the bell from his ship.
The hall where the Navy’s senior enlisted-leaders study in Newport is named for Chief Peter Tomich; his picture and a Medal of Honor are displayed in the entryway of the Senior Enlisted Academy, part of the U.S. Naval War College. The bell from the ship on which Tomich served, the USS Utah, was recently put on display at the academy.
One of the students who stopped to admire the new arrival, Senior Chief James Werner, said, “I feel like it’s at home, where it belongs.”
The Utah was torpedoed by Japanese aircraft in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Though the ship was capsizing, Tomich stayed below deck to make sure sailors had left their stations and the boilers were secure. Another, Fireman John Vaessen, remained at his station to keep the lights running as long as possible.