USS Arizona BB-39

The USS Arizona was commissioned in 1916. Despite her wartime efforts, the USS Arizona is best known for sinking during the attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to the loss of over 1,100 lives. The USS Arizona was a marvelous battleship in her own right. She was 608 feet long and traveled at speeds of up to 21 knots. The ship carried over 1,000 men and was known as a super-dreadnought, one of only two built by the navy. She earned this classification for the size and number of guns on board.

During World War I, the USS Arizona served as a gunnery training ship along the eastern seaboard. She traveled along the Virginia coast and as far south as Guantanamo Bay. She left for England after Armistice Day and was part of the group of ships that transported President Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference. On the way back to the United States, the Arizona brought over 230 veterans home.

With the war over, the USS Arizona returned to training missions and brief periods of active duty. She spent time at the port of Smyrna, and offered protection for the American consulate in Greece. The Arizona served as the flagship of Rear Admiral Earle for a time as well. Eventually her base of operations moved to San Pedro where she remained for over a decade.

Over the summer of 1941, the USS Arizona was based at Pearl Harbor. Recently overhauled and modernized, she participated in aggressive training exercises. On the night of December 4th, 1941, she conducted night training duties with the USS Nevada and the USS Oklahoma. This would prove to be her last training maneuver. On December 6th, the USS Arizona and the Vestal, a repair ship were moored together. On Sunday morning, Japanese aircraft attacked the Pacific Fleet. An air raid warning arrived around five minutes before the first bomb struck the USS Arizona.

There were multiple waves of attacks on the ships, but the major damage to the Arizona occurred when a bomb hit the ship between two of its turrets. The damage led to the sinking of the USS Arizona, and with her 1,177 men. There were 1,400 men on board the ship at the time of the attack. She remains at the bottom of the ocean where she settled after the bombing. To this day it is uncertain how the bomb caused such extensive damage.

The remains of the USS Arizona are considered a memorial to all who died that day. Two presidents, Eisenhower and Kennedy, declared the ship's remains a national shrine. Because the water is shallow in the harbor, the design for the memorial constructed uses part of the structure. A shrine room spans what is left of the ship, and the names of all 1,177 of the crew that were lost that day are etched on a marble wall. The memorial is a powerful one, and many military ships from other countries salute the USS Arizona as they pass through the harbor.

The USS Arizona received one battle star for her role in the second World War, and she was named a National Historic Landmark in 1989. Unfortunately, anyone who spent time working on the Arizona may have been exposed to asbestos. If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Arizona BB-39 and are interested in the effects of exposure, fill out the request form on this page to receive a free packet of information.

Battleships Index