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BERLIN: The oldest survivor of the Japanese attack on the US base at Pearl Harbor during World War II has died at the age of 105, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Warren "Red" Upton (pic), a former radio operator, died after a brief stay in hospital on Christmas Day surrounded by his family, the organisation Pacific Historic Parks announced on Facebook.

The announcement describes how Upton was serving on the battleship USS Utah when it was hit by two torpedoes and began to capsize. He and other crew members were able to swim to safety. Fifty-eight crew members were killed in the surprise attack.

On December 7, 1941, Japanese naval air forces attacked the US Pacific Fleet anchored at the Pearl Harbor naval base south of Honolulu, Hawaii. The United States, which had until then remained neutral, declared war on the Empire of Japan the following day.

Upton was the last survivor of the crew of the USS Utah. According to the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes, there are only 15 other known survivors of the attack, in which a total of 2,335 US military personnel and 68 civilians lost their lives.

After the war, Upton returned home and started a family. His wife, Gene, died in 2018.