Historical tragic events always have stories of courage and valor attached to them.Sometimes it is just a huge amount of loss. One such loss was the USS Arizona battleship during the attack on Pearl Harbor.The USS Arizona was the heaviest vessel owned by the US Navy. The USS Arizona was damaged in the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese. The Arizona was built in the Brooklyn naval yard in the year 1914-15. On October 17, 1916, it was commissioned. The Arizona then joined the Pennsylvania battleship. During that time the Arizona was known as one of the heaviest armed vessels in the US Navy. The Arizona possessed 22 of 5 in (22.7 cm) guns and 12 of 14 in (25.5 cm) guns. The Arizona had a length around 608 ft (184.2 m) which made it the largest of all ships.The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu. The attack on Pearl Harbor happened just before 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday. Do you wonder what this has to do with World War II? The attack on Pearl Harbor changed everything when the United States declared war on Japan, bringing the country into World War II.Read along to find out about navy battleships USS Arizona, Pennsylvania class, national memorial, Japanese bombers and Japanese aircraft at the west coast, the marines and sailors from America, the attack’s relation with World War II, and more facts.After reading facts about the USS Arizona Memorial and the Pearl Harbor attack also check out Viking longship facts and how many animals died on the Titanic.Facts About the USS ArizonaThe Arizona was operated using bunker fuel oil which was a scarce commodity back then in the United Kingdom. In the US battleships were operated by burning coal. During the first World War, the US didn’t see the upcoming battle and instead chose to monitor the eastside coastline.In the year 1918, one of the ships that escorted George Washington was also transporting President Woodrow Wilson to attend the Paris Peace Conference. In the coming years, the Arizona was used in various military exercises, drills, and training maneuvers. But in the years 1929-31, the USS Arizona went under an extreme overhaul. A number of protective and precautionary measures were taken. The USS Arizona was given a fresh and new supply of armor, an upgrade of the engines, and other munitions were also taken up. Eventually, the Arizona was ordered to the Pacific Ocean and it remained and served there.US Navy officers realized the USS Arizona needed additional improvements in case they had to face World War II. In 1940-41, Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd took command of the battleship. Following that the Arizona participated in many military exercises and drills. The USS Arizona battleship was then struck by the Oklahoma, a Japanese battleship. It required several months to mend and restore the hole that had appeared on the port side of the Arizona. After that, the battleship resumed its training.The attack caused huge destruction and damage in many aspects. One of the lesser-known USS Arizona facts was the black tears of Arizona. The battleship leaked oil since it was occupied and loaded to be prepared for a US mainland trip in the month of December. However, after the Pearl Harbor attack, everything was lost. The escaping oil droplets that accumulated in the waters and on the surface of Pearl Harbor were called the black tears of Arizona to portray that the sunken battleship expressed sorrow for the lost crew members.Facts About USS Arizona DeathsThe USS Arizona was operated at its base at Pearl Harbor. On December 6, 1941, the USS Arizona returned after the military exercise back to its base at Pearl Harbor. The following morning at 8:00 a.m., Japan launched an attack on the USS naval base. This was a surprise attack by the Japanese.The attack continued for more than two hours where the naval battleship was attacked from the air. There were more than 350 Japanese aircraft that also included bombers, torpedo planes, and fighters. These aircraft dropped bombs on US vessels. The Arizona was one of the victims of this surprise attack. Around 8:10 a.m., a projectile was dropped on the Arizona which caused a massive explosion as the fuels and munitions started burning.This explosion automatically lifted the battleship out of the water. As the ship was sinking it got struck by more bombs. The destruction had a huge impact on the Arizona. It is also believed that the destroyed battleship also might have been struck by torpedoes but there was no evidence to support this assumption. In spite of this terrible attack, there were 334 crew members who were lucky enough to survive. The death toll on the USS Arizona was around 1,177.Along with the USS Arizona, there were four more battleships that sank during the surprise attack. Oklahoma was then capsized. The other US Navy vessels were severely damaged and around 2,400 people were killed in the Japanese attack. The Japanese attack unified the people of America and terminated their support of US neutrality in war. Following this attack the US finally declared war on Japan and entered into World War II.Facts About The USS Arizona’s ImportanceThe USS Arizona was hit by Japanese aircraft which resulted in the sinking of the massive battleship. Arizona sank several meters deep underwater. Some of the vessel parts did not submerge completely, but the ship was continuously burning for two to three days.There were efforts taken to get back and recover the missing bodies but unfortunately, it was decided to leave more than 900 buried inside the ship’s wreckage. In the year 1942, the USS Arizona seemed to be a total loss. Vessels that sank due to the attack were not raised out of the water at Pearl Harbor. There were sections of the Arizona that remained above water which were removed and reused for the upcoming war efforts.Several parts of the battleship were damaged. Following this event, the Arizona was finally deleted from the register of the US Navy. However, in the year 1950, Arizona was recommissioned symbolically by the US Navy.In 1958, to pay tribute to the attack, it was approved to create a memorial to the Arizona. There was no money taken from the federal government for the memorial. The money was funded by donations for the memorial. Elvis Presley also held a stage concert at Pearl Harbor in order to benefit the memorial. Construction of the memorial began in 1960 and in 1962 the work was finished.The USS Arizona Memorial was officially opened on May 30, 1962. The memorial consists of a concrete and steel structure and is white in color. It resembles the wreckage and is 184 ft (56.08m) long. The simple design of the memorial features a silhouette that is concave. The middle part resembles the low point of the country. The raised parts depict the victory of the US. There are 21 open-air windows that symbolize the 21-gun salute.The memorial was designed by Alfred Preis who was an architect born in Austria. He was also sent to witness the wreckage site at Pearl Harbor in a US internment camp to get inspiration for the memorial. Oversight of the USS Arizona Memorial was then transferred to the National Park Service in 1980 and now around 1.8 million people come to visit the memorial every year.Facts About USS Arizona’s WeaponsThe USS battleship Arizona was a massive vessel that carried 12 main guns. They were mounted in four turrets, each turret with three guns. These guns were the most important and primary weapons of the ship.The secondary weapon comprised 24 guns. Along with these arms, there were small size caliber weapons that included machine guns and rifles. They were not equally important compared to the primary and secondary guns but still were used in case of an attack or emergency. The most crucial forward main gun turret which was 14 in (35.5 cm) was not removed during the salvage work but instead was kept in place even after the Pearl Harbor attack. It’s a symbol of the attack on the battleship. The turret, which is still in the same place, is not visible through the waters of Pearl Harbor.The existence of this turret was rediscovered when the battleship was examined and studied again by the National Park Service in the year 1980. Salvage records had no evidence of finding the turret but the ship divers were surprised and happy to find it in the same place.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 111 USS Arizona facts to learn about the Pearl Harbor attack then why not take a look at how do ships float or who built the Titanic.
Historical tragic events always have stories of courage and valor attached to them.
