History of USS Arizona (Part 3)

The Day of the Attack

USS Arizona's configuration had changed very little since its 1931 modernization. However, in April 1939 and January 1941 alterations had been done to ready the vessel for war. For the most part, these modifications involved adding additional defenses against the aircraft that would clearly be a serious threat in the event of war.

USS Arizona as it appeared on December 7, 1941, in "Measure 1" camouflage. Some of the battleships at Pearl Harbor (e.g., Nevada) were also painted with Measure 5, a false bow wave (inset). This was intended to confuse observers as to the ship's actual speed and interfere with their aiming calculations.

Arizona was painted in a two-tone gray paint scheme commonly referred to as Measure 1, consisting of an ocean gray (dark) on all hull and superstructure masses. Haze gray (light) was applied to the masts, yards and towers above the level of the superstructure masses. This paint scheme was meant to break up the general outline of the ship at a distance. The hull and superstructure were meant to blend with the sea, the upper works with the sky. It obviously had no value to vessels in port. A majority of the Pacific Fleet was painted in that manner.

Battle Damage

At the time of the attack, Arizona was moored at berth F-7, with the repair ship Vestal moored alongside. The vessel suffered hits from several bombs and was strafed and then about 8:10 a.m. the battleship took a death blow. Petty Officer Noburo Kanai, in a high-altitude bomber, had earned the title of crack bombardier while training for the mission. Kanai was credited with dropping the bomb that blew up Arizona. The 1,760-lb. projectile hurtled through the air, reportedly striking near turret No. 2 and penetrating deep into the battleship's innards before exploding near the forward magazine. In a tremendous blast, Arizona blew up. In an instant, most of the men aboard were killed, including Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd and Capt. Franklin Van Valkenburgh, both posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The blast from Arizona blew men off the decks of surrounding ships and threw tons of debris, including parts of bodies, all over the harbor. Survivors of the attack also claimed that Arizona was hit by one or possibly two torpedoes. Abandoned at 10:32 a.m., the ship's burning superstructure and canted masts loomed through the smoke that blanketed the harbor.

The Japanese bomb that destroyed USS Arizona was an 800kg (1,760lbs) armor-piercing bomb dropped from a high-altitude bomber. Almost eight feet in length, the bomb carried only about 50 lbs of explosive, but that was enough to detonate Arizona's forward ammunition magazines. Postwar analysis suggests that Arizona was hit by four of these weapons, but -- contrary to initial reports made immediately after the attack -- there is no evidence the ship was struck by a torpedo. Image by Andy Hall.

Salvage

Salvage work continues on USS Arizona in February 1942. The foremast of the ship collapsed in the magazine explosion and subsequent fire, crushing the ship's bridge below it. At right center is the ship's armored conning tower, from which Arizona would have been steered in action. U.S. Naval Historical Center photo NH83993A.

Of all the ships lost or damaged at Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona offered the most pathetic sight. It quickly became clear that the ship could not be salvaged. The Navy decided that the Army would receive gun turrets No. 3 and 4 for use as coastal defense guns. Two sites were selected: one at Mokapu Head (Kaneohe) known as Battery Pennsylvania and the second at an area known today as Electric Hill (HEI generating plant) on the western shore of Oahu, up the slopes of the Wianae Mountains. Only Battery Pennsylvania was completed. A test firing took place four days before the surrender of Japan.

Despite the work done to remove all useful materials from Arizona, it was apparent the ship itself was lost. On December 1, 1942, the vessel was struck from the Navy List, the official roster of commissioned ships.

One question still haunts visitors to the Arizona Memorial even to this day. Why were the dead not removed? Initially, about 105 bodies were removed but because the ship was never raised, the remainder could not. The priority at that time was salvage of ships that could be repaired, and Arizona was not in that category. As a result, the bodies deteriorated to the point of not being identifiable. Even as late as 1947, requests were made in regard to removal of the dead, but rejected. They are considered buried at sea by the U.S. Navy.