Ship History
USS Arizona was ordered March 4, 1913. Laid down at Brooklyn Navy Yard on March 16, 1914. Launched June 19, 1915. Commissioned October 17, 1916.

Prewar History
During World War I, USS Arizona operated out of Norfolk, Virginia as a gunnery training ship and patrolling the eastern seaboard from Virginia to New York. After the war, Arizona embarked 238 U. S. veterans from Brest, France to New York, NY.

During the inter war years, operated from the Caribbean and California, and was modified and used for training exercises. During March 1929, U. S. President Herbert Hoover embarked on board the modernized battleship and sailed for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and returned to Hampton Roads, VA.

On September 30, 1940 returned to Long Beach, California overhauled at the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton, Washington until 1941 adding anti-aircraft guns. Afterwards, Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd took command.

Departed Bremerton, Washington and arrived at Pearl Harbor on February 3, 1941. Arizona resumed training exercises and on June 11, 1941 departed Pearl Harbor for Long Beach, CA then returned to Pearl Harbor on July 8, 1940 then continued exercises and training in the Hawaiian area. On October 27, 1941 Arizona again underwent a brief overhaul at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard adding the foundation for a search radar atop the foremast.

During the night of December 4, 1941 USS Arizona, USS Nevada and USS Oklahoma conducted a night training and live fire exercise then returned on December 5, 1941 entering berth F 7 at Pearl Harbor. On December 6, 1941 repair ship USS Vestal AR-4 moored alongside.

Sinking History
On December 7, 1941 Arizona was moored at Battleship Row berth F 7 in Pearl Harbor with USS Vestal AR-4 alongside. Aboard was Rear Admiral Kidd and Captain Franklin van Valkenburgh. During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Arizona was targeted by Japanese aircraft. Arizona's crew totaled 1,512.

Shortly after 08:00, a B5N1 Kate from Kaga at high altitude dropped a bomb that hit the side of the no. 4 turret and glanced off into the deck below, starting a small fire but causing minimal damage. At 8:06am, an armor piercing bomb dropped by a B5N1 Kate from Hiryu hit between and to port of gun turrets no. 1 and no. 2. The bomb exploded and detonated the forward ammunition magazine causing an explosion that destroyed the forward part of the vessel. The explosion was recorded in a color cine footage.

Fates of the Crew
In total, 1,177 of Arizona's crew died, approximately half of the lives lost during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Oahu making the Arizona the largest loss of life. Among those killed were S1c Paul Z. Hollenbach.

Memorial
During 1962, the Arizona memorial straddling the sunken vessel was dedicated with a marble memorial plaque that reads "To the Memory of the Gallant Men Here Entombed and their shipmates who gave their lives in action on December 7, 1941, on the U.S.S. Arizona" with the names of all the personnel killed in the sinking. Since 1980, the Arizona Memorial is administered by the National Park Service (NPS) and accessible to visitors by a U. S. Navy launch that transports visitor from the USS Arizona Memorial and Museum to the Arizona Memorial on a daily basis.

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Last Updated
September 29, 2020