Arizona was a United States Navy battleship that was destroyed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II (1939-1945). The image of the ship engulfed in flames and sinking in the harbor has become a symbol of America’s sacrifice and struggle in the war. USS Arizona (BB-39) was launched in 1915. USS stands for United States Ship. BB was the Naval designation for a battleship.
On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese ships and airplanes launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Arizona at that time was moored in the harbor, off Ford Island in “Battleship Row.” A 1,760-pound (800-kilogram) bomb struck the ship, igniting fuel stores and gunpowder and ammunition supplies in a huge explosion. Much of the front part of the ship collapsed, causing it to sink.
Of Arizona’s 1,511 crew members, 1,177 were killed. The few survivors showed great courage in assisting shipmates to safety. Lieutenant Commander Samuel G. Fuqua was awarded the Medal of Honor for helping rescue survivors. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the U.S. government. It was also awarded posthumously (after death) to Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd and Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh.
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Attack on Pearl Harbor
The wreck of Arizona remains where it sank. In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved plans for a memorial to be constructed over the sunken ship. The USS Arizona Memorial was dedicated in 1962. The names of those who died are carved in marble at one end of the structure. The memorial became part of the National Park Service in 1980. The wreck itself was named a national historic landmark in 1989.
See also Battleship; Pearl Harbor; World War II (The war in Asia and the Pacific).
