The USS Arizona has become a most potent symbol of American sacrifice and strength, its history forever linked with World War II and impressed upon the nation’s memory. Commissioned in 1916 as one of the Pennsylvania-class battleships, the Arizona was the zenith of early 20th-century naval architecture. Extending 608 feet long with a beam of close to 98 feet and displacing over 37,000 tons when loaded, she boasted an impressive armament—twelve 14-inch guns that were emplaced in four triple turrets, supported by a battery of secondary and anti-aircraft weaponry.
Despite all her size and firepower, the Arizona never fought in the first decade of her life. She played a role largely in training maneuvers and goodwill deployments, extending the presence of U.S. naval power globally—until the morning of December 7, 1941.
During the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor, the Arizona was struck by several bombs. One hit close to the magazine forward, causing a horrific explosion that ripped through the vessel, shattering her into pieces and onto the harbor bottom in a matter of minutes. The explosion killed 1,177 officers and men—more than on any other U.S. Navy vessel that day.
The damage was so extensive that the Arizona was pronounced “out of commission” later in the month and officially struck from the Navy’s active list by December 1942. Her wreck was left where she had sunk, both because salvage was impossible and to leave intact those who rested within her hull.
In the following months after the attack, the U.S. military salvaged whatever it was able. Two of the aft turrets, each mounting three of the ship’s enormous 14-inch guns, remained above water. In early 1942, the Navy shipped these guns to the Army’s Hawaiian Coast Artillery Command, which was short of firepower for coastal defense. To move and install such guns was a gargantuan engineering undertaking, including reinforced concrete positions cut into lava rock, tunnel systems, and housing for large crews.
Some of Arizona’s guns would fire once more. One barrel set from turret two was sent to New York for repair and eventually put into the USS Nevada’s forward turret. The Nevada, also a survivor of Pearl Harbor, continued to battle in some of the war’s most significant battles, from Normandy to Iwo Jima and Okinawa—so the Arizona’s guns thundered again in battle.
The guns intended for the shore batteries in Hawaii were mounted but never fired. At the end of the war, the invasion threat was gone, and their only use was as a test shot at Battery Pennsylvania just before Japan surrendered in 1945.
The conversion of Arizona from wreck to memorial was underway shortly after the war. In 1950, the remains were covered by a simple platform so that the American flag might be hoisted daily in honor. This evolved into the USS Arizona Memorial, which was dedicated in 1962. The monument was designed to cross over the wreck without ever touching it, and it memorializes the over 900 Sailors and Marines who still lie entombed beneath. Since the 1980s, surviving crew members have been able to have their ashes buried aboard, joining their shipmates for all eternity.
Keeping the site is a constant chore. The ship continues to leak oil—termed the “Black Tears of the Arizona”—with an estimated 500,000 gallons contained within. The U.S. Navy and the National Park Service keep a close eye on the site and care for it, juggling environmental issues with the dignity owed to a war grave. They have, in recent years, dredged out mooring platforms from wartime salvage to add protection to the wreck and the memorial on top of it.
Segments of the Arizona remain distributed to museums and organizations by means of the USS Arizona Relics Program, making her tale available to new people. The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, for instance, exhibits a segment of the ship’s superstructure along with planes from the attack so visitors can relate more personally to the day in history.
Today, over two million visitors a year come to the USS Arizona Memorial. Standing over the still waters of Pearl Harbor, they witness not just a senseless tragedy but a legacy of honor and commemoration—one that continues to define how the country comes to terms with the cost of war.
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