USS Arizona

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Lore & Background

USS Arizona was built at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with her keel laid on 16 March 1914. Launched on 19 June 1915, she was christened by Esther Ross, daughter of W. W. Ross of Prescott, Arizona. To acknowledge a ban on alcohol recently passed by the state legislature, the state's governor decided that two bottles would be used: one full of sparkling wine from Ohio, and another filled with water from the Roosevelt Dam. Commissioned on 17 October 1916 with Captain John McDonald in command, she departed New York on 10 November 1916. During her shakedown cruise, a stripped turbine on 7 December forced the navy to order Arizona back to New York for repairs, which took almost four months. During World War I, assigned to Battleship Division 8, Arizona was employed only as a gunnery training ship for the crewmen on armed merchant vessels. After the war, on 13 December 1918, Arizona joined nine battleships and twenty-eight destroyers escorting President Woodrow Wilson on the ocean liner George Washington into Brest for one day on Wilson's journey to the Paris Peace Conference. In 1919, she sailed to represent American interests during the Greco-Turkish War. Transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1921, she spent the 1920s and 1930s in training exercises and Fleet Problems, with a comprehensive modernization from 1929 to 1931. She supported relief efforts after a 1933 earthquake near Long Beach, California, and was filmed for a role in the 1934 James Cagney film Here Comes the Navy before budget cuts led to significant periods in port from 1936 to 1938. In April 1940, the Pacific Fleet's home port was moved from California to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as a deterrent to Japanese imperialism. On 7 December 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked; Arizona was hit by armor-piercing bombs, one of which detonated a magazine, sinking the ship and killing 1,177 aboard. Unlike many other ships, she was not repaired. The wreck remains at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, with the USS Arizona Memorial built across it.

Reader's Guide

USS Arizona's significance lies primarily in her role as a symbol of the United States' entry into World War II. Her destruction at Pearl Harbor, with the loss of 1,177 officers and crewmen, remains a central event in modern military history. The decision not to salvage the ship—unlike most others attacked that day—transformed the wreck into a permanent war grave and memorial. The USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated to all those who died during the attack, is built across the ship's remains. Arizona also represents the culmination of the Standard-type battleship design, incorporating the all-or-nothing armor scheme and 14-inch guns that characterized U.S. capital ships of the era. Her peacetime service, including relief efforts after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake and a film appearance in Here Comes the Navy, illustrates the varied roles of battleships between the world wars. The ship's loss and the memorial ensure her legacy as a tangible reminder of the costs of conflict.

Did You Know?

• Arizona's keel was laid on 16 March 1914 with Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt in attendance.
• The ship was christened with two bottles: one of sparkling wine from Ohio and one of water from the Roosevelt Dam, to acknowledge a ban on alcohol passed by the state legislature.
• During World War I, Arizona served only as a gunnery training ship for armed merchant vessel crews and rarely ventured into the ocean for fear of U-boats.
• On 13 December 1918, Arizona was one of ten battleships escorting President Woodrow Wilson on the ocean liner George Washington to the Paris Peace Conference.
• Arizona supported relief efforts after a 1933 earthquake near Long Beach, California, and was filmed for a role in the 1934 James Cagney film Here Comes the Navy.

From Keel to Water: Building a Record-Breaking Dreadnought

The keel of battleship number 39 (hull number: BB-39) was laid on the morning of 16 March 1914 with Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt in attendance. The builders intended to set a world-record ten months between the ship's keel-laying and launch, for what The New York Times declared would be 'the world's biggest and most powerful, both offensively and defensively, superdreadnought ever constructed,' but the ship was only a little over half complete a year later. She was launched on 19 June 1915, making it about fifteen months from keel-laying to launch. In the meantime, the ship was named after the newest state in the union by Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels. The New York Times estimated that 75,000 people attended the launch, including John Purroy Mitchel, the mayor of New York City, George W. P. Hunt, the governor of Arizona, and many high-ranking military officials. Several warships were also nearby, including many of the new dreadnoughts which had already entered service: Florida, Utah, Wyoming, Arkansas, New York, and Texas. Esther Ross, the daughter of W. W. Ross of Prescott, Arizona, was given the honors of ship sponsor and christening. To acknowledge a ban on alcohol recently passed by the state legislature, the state's governor decided that two bottles would be used: one full of sparkling wine from Ohio, and another filled with water from the Roosevelt Dam. After the launch, Arizona was towed to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for fitting-out.

Steel, Steam, and Twelve Fourteen-Inch Guns

As the second and final vessel of the Pennsylvania class, Arizona represented a substantial leap in size over her Nevada-class predecessors. She had an overall length of 608 feet, a beam of 97 feet at the waterline, and a draft of 29 feet 3 inches at deep load. This was 25 feet longer than the older ships. She displaced 29,158 long tons at standard and 31,917 long tons at deep load, over 4,000 long tons more than the older ships. Her power plant comprised twelve Babcock & Wilcox boilers feeding four direct-drive Parsons steam turbine sets, each driving a propeller 12 feet 1.5 inches in diameter. The turbines were designed to produce a total of 34,000 shaft horsepower, but achieved only 33,376 shp during Arizona's sea trials, when she met her designed speed of 21 knots. However, she did manage to reach 21.5 knots during a full-power trial in September 1924. For armament, Arizona carried twelve 45-caliber 14-inch guns in triple gun turrets numbered I through IV. Defense against torpedo boats was provided by twenty-two 51-caliber 5-inch guns mounted in individual casemates in the sides of the ship's hull. The ship mounted four 50-caliber 3-inch guns for anti-aircraft defense, although only two were fitted when completed; the other pair was added shortly afterwards on top of Turret III. Arizona also mounted two 21-inch torpedo tubes underwater, one on each broadside, and carried 24 torpedoes for them. Her waterline armor belt of Krupp armor measured 13.5 inches thick and covered only the ship's machinery spaces and magazines. The faces of the gun turrets were 18 inches thick while the sides were 9–10 inches thick and the turret roofs were protected by 5 inches of armor. The conning tower was protected by 16 inches of armor.

A Decade of Duty: From Peace Conferences to Pacific Patrols

Commissioned on 17 October 1916 with Captain John McDonald in command, Arizona spent World War I in home waters, assigned to Battleship Division 8 operating out of the York River, employed only as a gunnery training ship for the crewmen on armed merchant vessels crossing the Atlantic in convoys. After the armistice on 11 November 1918, the ship left the United States for the United Kingdom, arriving on 30 November 1918. On 13 December 1918, Arizona joined nine battleships and twenty-eight destroyers escorting President Woodrow Wilson on the ocean liner George Washington into Brest for one day on Wilson's journey to the Paris Peace Conference. In 1919 she sailed abroad once more, deployed to represent American interests during the Greco-Turkish War. By 1921 the ship had been transferred to the Pacific Fleet, a posting that would define the remainder of her career. The 1920s and 1930s saw Arizona regularly deployed for training exercises, including the annual Fleet Problems, excluding a comprehensive modernization between 1929 and 1931. In 1933 she supported relief efforts after a 1933 earthquake near Long Beach, California. The following year she was filmed for a role in the 1934 James Cagney film Here Comes the Navy before budget cuts led to significant periods in port from 1936 to 1938. When the Pacific Fleet's home port was moved from California to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in April 1940 as a deterrent to Japanese imperialism, Arizona settled into Hawaiian waters for what would prove to be her final posting.

Seven Minutes in Hell: The Attack and the Memorial

On the morning of 7 December 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, and Arizona—moored in the harbor—was hit by several air-dropped armor-piercing bombs. One detonated an explosive-filled magazine, sinking the battleship and killing 1,177 of its officers and crewmen. Unlike many of the other ships attacked that day, Arizona was so irreparably damaged that it was not repaired for service in World War II. The shipwreck still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor beneath the USS Arizona Memorial. Dedicated to all those who died during the attack, the memorial is built across the ship's remains.

Common Misconceptions (Editorial)

A common misconception is that USS *Arizona* was actively engaged in combat during World War I. In fact, she remained stateside and served only as a gunnery training ship for armed merchant vessel crews. Another misconception is that *Arizona* was quickly repaired after the Pearl Harbor attack like many other damaged ships; in reality, she was so irreparably damaged that she was not repaired for service and remains at the bottom of the harbor.

Why It Matters (Editorial)

USS *Arizona* endures as a powerful symbol of the sudden and devastating human cost of the Pearl Harbor attack, with the loss of 1,177 crew members still marking the ship as a tomb. Her wreck, preserved beneath the memorial, serves as a tangible link to a pivotal moment in American history, reminding us of the fragility of peace and the profound sacrifices made by those who serve.