Bell From Navy Ship Bombed At Pearl Harbor Found In Baltimore Co.

ESSEX, Md. (WJZ) -- It was one of the ships that stood alongside the U.S.S. Arizona when it was attacked at Pearl Harbor. Now an important piece of that ship has been found in Baltimore County.

Ron Matz explains how a piece of hidden history was uncovered in Essex.

A church, a house and Pearl Harbor -- it's a puzzle with many pieces.

"I was cleaning the house up near the church and lo and behold the last thing I came across in the basement, stuck in the corner behind a furnace was this bell," said Glenn Davis, who found the bell from the U.S.S. Vestal.

And then, there was a discovery in Essex.

"I have the original bell from the U.S.S. Vestal. It was a repair ship and served in both world wars. It was anchored next to the U.S. Arizona when the bombing of Pearl Harbor took place," Davis said.

The Vestal was a U.S. Navy ship. It stood next to the Arizona at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

"That was the key... When I found out it was from Pearl Harbor, that meant it has a lot more meaning than the face value," Davis said.

Glen Davis found the ship's bell, damaged but still intact, a few days ago. There's a Baltimore connection.

"It appears that in 1955 the first pastor brought this bell in," said Davis. "So I had the same question -- how did it get to Baltimore? The library says the U.S.S. Vestal was decommissioned in 1950 and brought to the Baltimore Shipyards for scrapping and salvage."

It weighs nearly 400 pounds.

"We went to move it, and come to find out, it weighed close to 400 pounds," said Davis. "So it's not like you can just pack it up and take it with you like a lawnmower."

A piece of history from a fateful day, from Pearl Harbor to Essex.

"Who would have thought? In a basement for 62 years," said Davis.

A hundred crew members aboard the U.S.S. Vestal were thrown into the water during the Pearl Harbor attack but survived. The repair ship served in both world wars.