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This ship had a life, like any other ship, and was home to many.

In dry dock

Same dry dock, Pearl.

I know very small story of the Arizona that's somewhat interesting to me... When I was in high school one of my friends was the son of an Arizona survivor. His father had been an electricians mate onboard. He was on the ship during the attack. He didn't mention much of the attack he said that he had just exited out of a hatch to the main deck when the ship exploded and he was blown into the water. He wasn't angry about ship's destruction as much as he was angry that they had just finished rewiring the ship when the ship was destroyed.

When I worked for the US Navy memorial in the mid 90's we had a gentleman who helped us that everybody called "the chief". I found this interesting , as half our people were former chiefs. Hank, had been the chief bandsman on 1st the USS Houston, thenUSS Pennslyvania, both fleet flagships. (he was a chief in 1940![X(]).

According to Hank, on Decmber 6, 1941, a saturday evening, there was a battle of the bands among the Battleships in Pearl Harbor. The Pennslyvannia won , with the Arizona coming 2nd. Hank said that the "Pennsy's" band unnanamously agreed to have the trophy entombed in Arizona during salvage operations , and said that later that was done. He was an amazing gentleman , with unbelivable stories. [:(]

ORIGINAL: m10bob

Same dry dock, Pearl.

Except it isn't very dry in this photo! [:D]

ORIGINAL: Knavey

ORIGINAL: m10bob

Same dry dock, Pearl.

Except it isn't very dry in this photo! [:D]

Yeah, going by the guys standing in water in the 2nd pic, this pic must show it about 6 feet deep..??

Who was the captain?

ORIGINAL: Footslogger

Who was the captain?

Capt. Franklin van Valkenburgh, of course, who lies with his beloved ship and so many of his crew.

ORIGINAL: m10bob

In dry dock

What are those guys doing ?

Wife and I got Married in Hawaii and i was "allowed" one Navy/History day.  Yes Allowed...  We hit PH and the Mo and the Arizona.  I've been to Arlington, Gettysburg, Yorktown, West Point, etc, but i never experianced what i did at the Arizona.  No one talked, just hushed murmers.  Even my wife was impressed with the magnitude of it all..  Hard to explain.  Odd how the slowly rising drops of oil can bring grown men to tears... 

ORIGINAL: stuman

ORIGINAL: m10bob

In dry dock

What are those guys doing ?

Isn't if obvious. The Admiral's wife is on board...
Can't you hear it???

"Just a liitttlle more to the right. Okay, boys, put her down! NO! No! That's too far. Pick it up again, and this time listen.!"

Let your mind encompass this, and imagine the force of that which killed her...





From Pry's site, obviously...
Thanks to Paul for all of these pictures...

visiting the Arizona memorial was a powerful memory for me. It was wierd to finally see in person the remains of a ship i'd read about since from before i was a teenager.

ORIGINAL: m10bob

ORIGINAL: Knavey

ORIGINAL: m10bob

Same dry dock, Pearl.

Except it isn't very dry in this photo! [:D]

Yeah, going by the guys standing in water in the 2nd pic, this pic must show it about 6 feet deep..??

I wonder how long they had to hold their breath while the photos were taken and the drydock reflooded?

[:D]

I wonder how much that magazine explosion changed the entire war effort and how if that event had not happened how Pearl Harbor would be viewed today.
The death toll would be cut in half. Some of the damage to other ships would have been negated.

I dont' think it would have mattered at all had the AZ not been blasted to smithereens.
 
Take away 1/2 the dead... that still leaves 1000+ dead, which would have been enough of a rallying cry as is. 
 
Double the amount of dead, same result.
 
IMHO.

How it changed the war effort probably depends on whether or not the magazine explosion video was shown in newsreels at the time . . . any idea if it was?

I don't think it would change how I view PH today. Just my two cents.

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager

I wonder how much that magazine explosion changed the entire war effort and how if that event had not happened how Pearl Harbor would be viewed today.
The death toll would be cut in half. Some of the damage to other ships would have been negated.

Probably not at all. The rallying cry was after all....remember Pearl Harbor! though i believe a lesser known one did include 'remember the Arizona.

On that note.....one could also remember the Oklahoma, and the Utah. The easiest fact to overlook of course in the face of how many visitors have gone to see the Arizona memorial, is that during the war, the Arizona was essentially just another wreck in the harbor with limited efforts at salvage conducted which is why most of her above water parts were cut away. One entire gun turret was salvaged for use as a CD battery.

It was only well after the war that the grave was turned into a memorial focal point for the attack.

I work at the national personnel records center in St Louis. And have the distinct honor of working with military records of vets from all branches of service. But one the coolest things I have done there is to work with records of those who were on the Arizona went she went down. These records literally say "Salbaged form the Arizona" on them. Remarkably, they Re in decent shape though the metal fasteners are rusted and disintegrated to dust. I don't know how or when these record were salvaged bit if anyone here has some gouge on that I would be interested.