USS Arizona – Battleship
Learn About the Battleship Arizona
Few moments in history caused as much change to the world as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. The US entered World War II the next day causing a ripple effect across the world as close to a dozen countries entered the now global conflict.
The attack, even though the losses were devastating, became a rallying cry for revenge that catapulted the U.S. to victory on both sides of the world and led to the United States becoming a global superpower.
The loss of 2,403 lives during the attack was catastrophic, but few were more horrific than the explosion that sank and entombed 1,104 men aboard the USS Arizona.
The USS Arizona was built in the early 1910’s and commissioned in 1916 but remained stateside until the end of WWI. The ship was not sent to Europe during the war as the British Navy used coal fired boilers and the Arizona used fuel oil, which was not readily available in Britain.
The ship was used to escort President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference after the war in 1917 and spent some time near Turkey in 1919 but was soon transferred to the Pacific Fleet in San Diego. In 1920 the Arizona began carrying airplanes on board launched from catapults off the deck. The planes were used for scouting and spotting shell landings from the ship’s guns.
The USS Arizona Battleship’s main battery consisted of four turrets carrying triple 14-inch guns, two turrets forward and two aft. Their maximum range was around 12 miles. Twenty-two 5 inch guns on both broadside hulls (11 per side) defended against torpedo boats with a range of just under 8 miles. Along with four 3 inch guns for anti-aircraft defense, Arizona was also mounted with two torpedo tubes and the ship was stocked with a total of 24 torpedos.
Modernized in 1929 Arizona received new tripod masts while the number of 5-inch guns were reduced to 12 and repositioned one deck higher. Eight more 5-inch anti-aircraft guns replaced the four 3-inch guns. The main gun turrets were upgraded to elevate 30 degrees from the original 15 degrees, increasing their range. More powerfully geared turbines replaced the high-pressure turbines and six new boilers replaced the originals giving her a top speed of 20 knots (23.8 mph).
In 1931 Arizona hosted president Herbert Hoover for a brief vacation in the Caribbean. Afterward the ship was used for training and in 1933 provided aid after a 6.4M earthquake struck Long Beach California killing over 115 people. A year later the ship was featured in a Jimmy Cagney movie “Here Comes the Navy” in 1934. Crew members were extras during the filming of the romantic comedy.
The ship was refitted again in 1940 with more anti-aircraft armaments, four water-cooled machine guns, and search radar. After the upgrades, she was transferred along with the rest of the Pacific Fleet to Pearl Harbor as a deterrent to Japanese aggression in Southeast Asia.
Pearl Harbor In 1941
Japanese aggressions in China prompted action from several countries involved in trade throughout Southeast Asia. Japan was a small country with few natural resources and needed to expand its territory in order to provide for its economic growth.
The Japanese were in a desperate situation as the Dutch in the East Indies, the British in Malaysia and the U.S. in the Philippines put an embargo on rubber, rice, and oil – important commodities that were essential to Japan’s growing military empire. Plans were drawn up and training began in 1940 for simultaneous attacks throughout Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The objective was to secure the resources Japan needed in Asia and knockout the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor disabling the United States’ ability to counterattack their invasions in Southeast Asia.
Six Japanese Imperial aircraft carriers with 353 planes traveled 3,400 miles across the Pacific to attack the United States without warning. The Japanese chose to attack on Sunday as they believed the US Navy fleet would be more relaxed and less alert on a weekend. They achieved complete surprise as many sailors were still in their pajamas or eating breakfast in the mess halls when the attack began at 7:55 am.
Two waves of Japanese torpedo bombers, high-level bombers, and fighter bombers kept up the attack for just under two hours targeting the U.S. fleet and aircraft bases. Airfields throughout the island at Hickam, Wheeler, Bellows, and Ewa as well as Schofield Army Barracks and Kaneohe Naval Air Station. The first wave destroyed 188 planes on the ground before moving on to attack Pearl Harbor. Torpedo bombers struck battleship row as well as several other ships near the dry docks.