Arizona served stateside during World War One. She is mostly remembered because of her sinking, with the loss of 1,177 lives, during the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the event that provoked the United States into enter World War Two. Unlike most of the other ships sunk or damaged that day, the Arizona could not be salvaged, although the U.S. Navy removed several elements of the ship that were reused.
The wreck still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor. The USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated in 1962 to all those who died during the Pearl Harbor attack, was built astraddle the ship's hull. The Arizona retains the right, in perpetuity, to fly the United States flag as if she were an active, commissioned naval vessel."
Design and Construction
The USS Arizona (BB-39) was the second and last of the Pennsylvania-class super-dreadnought battleships, authorized by Congress in 1913. Her keel was laid down at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on 16 March 1914, and she was launched on 19 June 1915, sponsored by Miss Esther Ross, daughter of an Arizona pioneer family. Commissioned on 17 October 1916, she displaced 29,158 long tons standard and 31,917 long tons full load, with an overall length of 608 feet, a beam of 97 feet, and a draft of 29 feet 3 inches. Her main armament consisted of twelve 14-inch/45 caliber guns mounted in four triple turrets, two forward and two aft, capable of hurling 1,400-pound shells over 23,000 yards. Secondary armament included twenty-two 5-inch/51 caliber guns, and she carried four 3-inch/50 caliber anti-aircraft guns. Powered by four shaft Parsons steam turbines and twelve Babcock & Wilcox boilers, she could make 21 knots, a respectable speed for a battleship of her era. She had an armor belt up to 13.5 inches thick, turret faces of 18 inches, and a conning tower with 16 inches of armor, embodying the all-or-nothing protection scheme that characterized American capital ship design.
The Arizona represented the culmination of American battleship development before the United States entry into World War I. Unlike her sister Pennsylvania, which served with the British Grand Fleet in 1918, Arizona remained in home waters due to a shortage of fuel oil and the perceived need to train crews for the expanding fleet. Her state-of-the-art turbo-electric drive gave her excellent range and reliability, though she was less maneuverable than earlier designs. During her trials, she was found to be somewhat overweight, which slightly reduced her freeboard and made her wet in heavy seas. Nevertheless, she was considered a powerful and well-protected vessel, a symbol of American naval might in the interwar period.
Following her commissioning, Arizona operated out of Norfolk, Virginia, conducting shakedown cruises and training exercises along the East Coast and in the Caribbean. In November 1918, just days after the Armistice, she escorted the transport George Washington, carrying President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference, a mission that underscored her role as a diplomatic instrument. Throughout the 1920s, she participated in routine fleet maneuvers, goodwill visits, and gunnery drills, often serving as flagship for Battleship Division 7. In 1929, she entered the Norfolk Navy Yard for a major modernization that included the addition of anti-torpedo bulges, increased deck armor, new fire-control systems, and a catapult for floatplanes. Her cage masts were replaced with tripod masts, and her anti-aircraft battery was significantly upgraded. These changes increased her displacement to over 33,000 tons but improved her survivability against aerial and underwater threats.
Interwar Years and Shifting Roles
As the 1930s progressed, the Arizona was transferred to the Pacific Fleet, based first at San Pedro, California, and later at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, reflecting the growing strategic importance of the Pacific in American defense planning. She took part in the annual Fleet Problems, large-scale exercises that tested naval strategy and tactics. These maneuvers often pitted the “Blue” fleet representing the United States against a hypothetical “Orange” enemy, typically Japan, and helped refine carrier doctrine and amphibious operations. Arizona frequently served as a screening ship for aircraft carriers or as a heavy bombardment unit in landing exercises. Her crew also engaged in humanitarian missions, such as providing relief to victims of the 1933 Long Beach earthquake.
In 1940, as tensions with Japan escalated, the Pacific Fleet was permanently moved to Pearl Harbor as a deterrent. Arizona was moored at berth F-7 on the northwest side of Ford Island, along with other battleships of Battleship Division 1. Her crew, like those of the other battleships, trained rigorously in gunnery and damage control, though the Navy still considered battleships the core of the fleet and did not fully appreciate the threat posed by carrier-based air power. The attack on 7 December 1941 would brutally demonstrate the vulnerability of capital ships in a modern naval war.
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
On the morning of 7 December 1941, the Arizona was moored inboard of the repair ship Vestal, with her crew preparing for a routine Sunday. At approximately 08:00, the first wave of Japanese aircraft struck, targeting the battleships along Battleship Row. The Arizona was hit by several bombs, but the fatal blow came at about 08:06, when a modified 16-inch naval shell, converted into an armor-piercing bomb, dropped from a high-altitude Kate bomber, penetrated the deck near turret II and detonated in the forward black powder magazine. The resulting explosion was catastrophic, destroying the forward part of the ship, igniting fires that burned for two days, and killing 1,177 officers and crewmen, more than half of the total American casualties during the attack. The ship sank upright in about 40 feet of water, her superstructure and masts collapsing, and she was declared a total loss.
Witnesses described a massive fireball and a column of smoke that rose thousands of feet into the air. The explosion was so violent that it lifted the ship out of the water and showered nearby vessels with debris. The Vestal, moored alongside, was also damaged and beached to prevent sinking. Rescue efforts were hampered by burning oil on the water and the intensity of the fires, but heroic sailors from nearby ships pulled many survivors from the harbor. The Arizona burned for more than two days, and it soon became clear that she was beyond salvage. Unlike the other battleships that were raised and repaired, such as the West Virginia and California, the Arizona’s hull was too severely damaged, and her machinery spaces were completely destroyed. She was formally decommissioned on 29 December 1941, and her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 December 1942.
Aftermath and the Decision Not to Salvage
In the months following the attack, the Navy conducted a thorough survey of the wreck to determine if salvage was feasible. The damage was so extensive that the cost and effort required would have been prohibitive, especially with the urgent need for new warships. The forward half of the ship was effectively obliterated, and her hull was fractured in multiple places. Consequently, the decision was made to leave the Arizona where she lay, as a permanent memorial and war grave for the more than 900 men who remain entombed within her hull.
Some parts of the ship were removed for reuse or as historical artifacts. Her aft main battery turrets, numbers III and IV, were salvaged and later installed as coastal defense batteries on Oahu. Turret III became Battery Pennsylvania at Mokapu Point, while Turret IV was placed at Waianae. These guns, though never fired in anger, served as a deterrent until the end of the war. Other equipment, including searchlights, electronics, and furnishings, was stripped for use on other vessels. The superstructure above the waterline was cut down to reduce the hazard to navigation, leaving only the rusting hull below the surface.
The Arizona’s flag and ensign were removed and presented to the state of Arizona, and her ship’s bell is displayed at the University of Arizona. In 1950, the wreck was designated a National Historic Landmark, and in 1962, the USS Arizona Memorial was dedicated, spanning the hull without touching it. The memorial was designed by architect Alfred Preis, who created a structure that sags in the middle to symbolize initial defeat and rises at the ends to represent ultimate victory. It is visited by over 1.5 million people annually and is administered by the National Park Service in cooperation with the U.S. Navy.
Legacy and Continuing Remembrance
Today the Arizona remains a powerful symbol of American sacrifice and the beginning of the nation’s involvement in World War II. The wreck still leaks small amounts of fuel oil, known as the “Tears of the Arizona” or “Black Tears,” which bubble to the surface and spread in rainbow sheens across the harbor. This phenomenon is considered a poignant reminder of the ship’s enduring presence and the lives lost. The memorial hosts daily ceremonies, and survivors of the attack often choose to have their ashes interred within the ship, rejoining their shipmates in a final act of camaraderie.
Several notable aspects of the Arizona’s story continue to resonate. The ship’s superstructure was partially removed, but her hull remains largely intact, lying on the harbor floor with her main deck just a few feet below the surface. The memorial is accessible only by boat, and visitors are often struck by the silence and the sight of the rusting remains visible through the clear water. The names of the 1,177 men who died are inscribed on a marble wall inside the memorial, ensuring that their sacrifice is never forgotten. The Arizona also retains the unique distinction of flying the United States flag, a privilege granted by the Secretary of the Navy, symbolizing that she is still considered an active, commissioned vessel in spirit.
Further Exploration
The story of the USS Arizona is but one chapter in the broader history of naval warfare and the events of World War II. For those interested in learning more about other vessels lost at Pearl Harbor, including the USS Oklahoma, West Virginia, and California, or about the Japanese perspective and the planning of the attack, additional resources are available. The archives contain detailed accounts of numerous warships, battles, and military campaigns, offering a comprehensive view of the conflict that shaped the modern world. Please continue browsing the GERMANWARBOOTY.COM archives for more articles on related subjects, including the salvage efforts of other Pearl Harbor battleships and the broader strategic implications of the attack.
For further reading, consider the following related topics:
- The attack on Pearl Harbor: strategy, execution, and consequences
- Battleship salvage operations after 7 December 1941
- The development of American naval aviation in the interwar period
- The role of Pearl Harbor in the Pacific War
- Preservation of historic naval vessels and memorials
These and many other articles are available in the archives, providing a deeper understanding of the events and technologies that defined the era.