USS Arizona Memorial - Pearl-Harbor.com Survivor List he USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the ship's 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941 in Pearl Harbor. The 184-foot-long Memorial structure spanning the mid-portion of the sunken battleship consists of three main sections: the entry and assembly rooms; a central area designed for ceremonies and general observation; and the shrine room, where the names of those killed on the Arizona are engraved on the marble wall. Arizona was the most heavily damaged of all the vessels in Battleship Row, suffering three near-misses and four direct-hits from 800-kg bombs dropped by high-altitude Kates. The last bomb to strike her penetrated her deck starboard of turret two and detonated within a 14-inch powder magazine. The resulting massive explosion broke the ship in two forward of turret one, collapsed her forecastle decks, and created such a cavity that her forward turrets and conning tower fell thirty feet into her hull. The USS Arizona Memorial grew out of wartime desire to establish some sort of memorial at Pearl Harbor to honor those who died in the attack.

Suggestions for such a memorial began in 1943, but it wasn't until 1949, when the Territory of Hawaii established the Pacific War Memorial Commission, that the first real steps were taken to bring it about. Initial recognition came in 1950 when Admiral Arthur Radford, Commander in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC), ordered that a flagpole be erected over the sunken battleship. On the ninth anniversary of the attack, a commemorative plaque was placed at the base of the flagpole. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who helped achieve Allied victory in Europe during World War II, approved the creation of the Memorial in 1958. Its construction was completed in 1961 with public funds appropriated by Congress and private donations. The Memorial was dedicated in 1962. According to its architect, Alfred Preis, the design of the Memorial, "Wherein the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and ultimate victory....The overall effect is one of serenity.

Overtones of sadness have been omitted to permit the individual to contemplate his own personal responses...his innermost feelings." Contrary to popular belief, the USS Arizona is no longer in commission. As a special tribute to the ship and her lost crew, the United States flag flies from the flagpole, which is attached to the severed mainmast of the sunken battleship. The USS Arizona Memorial has come to commemorate all military personnel killed in the Pearl Harbor attack. 5 Facts About Pearl Harbor and USS Arizona - History in the Headlines 5 Facts About Pearl Harbor and USS Arizona December 7, 2011 By Barbara Maranzani Share On December 7, 1941, Japan launches a surprise attack on American soil at Pearl Harbor. Share this: 5 Facts About Pearl Harbor and USS Arizona Author 5 Facts About Pearl Harbor and USS Arizona URL Google At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time (12:55 p.m. EST) on December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter planes attacked the U.S. base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, launching one of the deadliest attacks in American history.

The assault, which lasted less than two hours, claimed the lives of more than 2,400 people, wounded 1,000 more and damaged or destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. Almost half of the casualties at Pearl Harbor occurred on the naval battleship USS Arizona, which was hit four times by Japanese bombers. As we commemorate the anniversary of this “date which will live in infamy,” as President Franklin D. Roosevelt described it on December 8, 1941, explore five little-known facts about USS Arizona and the attack that plunged America into war. 1. Twenty-three sets of brothers died aboard USS Arizona. There were 37 confirmed pairs or trios of brothers assigned to USS Arizona on December 7, 1941. Of these 77 men, 62 were killed, and 23 sets of brothers died. Only one full set of brothers, Kenneth and Russell Warriner, survived the attack; Kenneth was away at flight school in San Diego on that day and Russell was badly wounded but recovered.

Both members of the ship’s only father-and-son pair, Thomas Augusta Free and his son William Thomas Free, were killed in action. Though family members often served on the same ship before World War II, U.S. officials attempted to discourage the practice after Pearl Harbor. However, no official regulations were established, and by the end of the war hundreds of brothers had fought—and died¬—together. The five Sullivan brothers of Waterloo, Iowa, for instance, jointly enlisted after learning that a friend, Bill Ball, had died aboard USS Arizona; Their only condition upon enlistment was that they be assigned to the same ship. In November 1942, all five siblings were killed in action when their light cruiser, USS Juneau, was sunk during the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. 2. USS Arizona’s entire band was lost in the attack. Almost half of the casualties at Pearl Harbor occurred on the naval battleship USS Arizona, which was hit four times by Japanese bombers and eventually sank. Among the 1,177 crewmen killed were all 21 members of the Arizona’s band, known as U.S. Navy Band Unit (NBU) 22.

Most of its members were up on deck preparing to play music for the daily flag raising ceremony when the attack began. They instantly moved to man their battle positions beneath the ship’s gun turret. At no other time in American history has an entire military band died in action. The night before the attack, NBU 22 had attended the latest round of the annual “Battle of Music” competition between military bands from U.S. ships based at Pearl Harbor. Contrary to some reports, NBU 22 did not perform, having already qualified for the finals set to be held on December 20, 1941. Following the assault, the unit was unanimously declared the winner of that year’s contest, and the award was permanently renamed the USS Arizona Band Trophy. 3. Fuel continues to leak from USS Arizona’s wreckage. On December 6, 1941, Arizona took on a full load of fuel—nearly 1.5 million gallons—in preparation for its scheduled trip to the mainland later that month. The next day, much of it fed the explosion and subsequent fires that destroyed the ship following its attack by Japanese bombers.

However, despite the raging fire and ravages of time, some 500,000 gallons are still slowly seeping out of the ship’s submerged wreckage: Nearly 70 years after its demise, Arizona continues to spill up to 9 quarts of oil into the harbor each day. In the mid-1990s, environmental concerns led the National Park Service to commission a series of site studies to determine the long-term effects of the oil leakage. Some scientists have warned of a possible “catastrophic” eruption of oil from the wreckage, which they believe would cause extensive damage to the Hawaiian shoreline and disrupt U.S. naval functions in the area. The NPS and other governmental agencies continue to monitor the deterioration of the wreck site but are reluctant to perform extensive repairs or modifications due to the Arizona’s role as a “war grave.” In fact, the oil that often coats the surface of the water surrounding the ship has added an emotional gravity for many who visit the memorial and is sometimes referred to as the “tears of the Arizona,” or “black tears.” 4. Some former crewmembers have chosen USS Arizona as their final resting place.

The bonds between the crewmembers of Arizona have lasted far beyond the ship’s loss on December 7, 1941. Since 1982, the U.S. Navy has allowed survivors of USS Arizona to be interred in the ship’s wreckage upon their deaths. Following a full military funeral at the Arizona memorial, the cremated remains are placed in an urn and then deposited by divers beneath one of the Arizona’s gun turrets. To date, more than 30 Arizona crewmen who survived Pearl Harbor have chosen the ship as their final resting place. Crewmembers who served on the ship prior to the attack may have their ashes scattered above the wreck site, and those who served on other vessels stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, may have their ashes scattered above their former ships. As of November 2011, only 18 of the 355 crewmen who survived the bombing of USS Arizona are known to be alive. 5. A memorial was built at the USS Arizona site, thanks in part to Elvis Presley.

After Arizona sank, its superstructure and main armament were salvaged and reused to support the war effort, leaving its hull, two gun turrets and the remains of more than 1,000 crewmen submerged in less than 40 feet of water. In 1949 the Pacific War Memorial Commission was established to create a permanent tribute to those who had lost their lives in the attack on Pearl Harbor, but it wasn’t until 1958 that President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation to create a national memorial. The funds to build it came from both the public sector and private donors, including one unlikely source. In March 1961, entertainer Elvis Presley, who had recently finished a two-year stint in the U.S. Army, performed a benefit concert at Pearl Harbor’s Block Arena that raised over $50,000—more than 10 percent of the USS Arizona Memorial’s final cost. The monument was officially dedicated on May 30, 1962, and attracts more than 1 million visitors each year.

Tags World War II - Pearl Harbor - USS Arizona World War II - Pearl Harbor - USS Arizona Veteran Affairs Top Surnames history USS Arizona was a Pennsylvania-class battleship built for and by the United States Navy in the mid-1910s. Named in honor of the 48th state's recent admission into the union, the ship was the second and last of the Pennsylvania class of "super-dreadnought" battleships. Although commissioned in 1916, the ship remained stateside during World War I . Shortly after the end of the war, Arizona was one of a number of American ships that briefly escorted President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference. The ship was sent to Turkey in 1919 at the beginning of the Greco-Turkish War to represent American interests for several months. Several years later, she was transferred to the Pacific Fleet and remained there for the rest of her career. Aside from a comprehensive modernization in 1929–1931, Arizona was regularly used for training exercises between the wars, including the annual Fleet Problems (training exercises). When an earthquake struck Long Beach, California in 1933, Arizona's crew provided aid to the survivors.

Two years later, the ship was featured in a Jimmy Cagney film, Here Comes the Navy, about the romantic troubles of a sailor. In April 1940, she and the rest of the Pacific Fleet were transferred from California to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as a deterrent to Japanese imperialism. During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Arizona was bombed. She exploded and sank, killing 1,177 officers and crewmen. Unlike many of the other ships sunk or damaged that day, Arizona could not be fully salvaged, though the navy removed parts of the ship for reuse. The wreck still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated on 30 May 1962 to all those who died during the attack, straddles the ship's hull. Attack on Pearl Harbor Shortly before 08:00 local time on 7 December 1941, Japanese aircraft from six aircraft carriers struck the Pacific Fleet as it lay in port at Pearl Harbor, and wrought devastation on the battle line and on the facilities defending Hawaii.

On board Arizona, the ship's air raid alarm went off about 07:55, and the ship went to general quarters soon thereafter. Shortly after 08:00, the ship was attacked by 10 Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers, five each from the carriers Kaga and Hiryū. All of the B5Ns were carrying 410-millimeter (16.1 in) armor-piercing shells modified into 797-kilogram (1,760 lb) aircraft bombs. Flying at an estimated altitude of 3,000 meters (9,800 ft), Kaga's aircraft bombed from amidships to the ship's stern and were followed shortly afterward by Hiryu's bombers which bombed the bow area. The bombers scored four hits and three near misses on and around Arizona. The near miss off the port bow is believed to have caused observers to believe that the ship had been torpedoed, although no torpedo damage has been found. The sternmost bomb ricocheted off the face of Turret IV and penetrated the deck to detonate in the captain's pantry, causing a small fire.

The next forwardmost hit was near the port edge of the ship, abreast the mainmast, probably detonating in the area of the anti-torpedo bulkhead. The next bomb struck near the port rear 5-inch AA gun. Magazine explosion The last bomb hit at 08:06 in the vicinity of Turret II, likely penetrating the armored deck near the ammunition magazines located in the forward section of the ship. While not enough of the ship is intact to judge the exact location, its effects are indisputable: about seven seconds after the hit, the forward magazines detonated in a cataclysmic explosion, mostly venting through the sides of the ship and destroying much of the interior structure of the forward part of the ship. This caused the forward turrets and conning tower to collapse downward some 25–30 feet (7.6–9.1 m) and the foremast and funnel to collapse forward. The explosion killed 1,177 of the 1,512 crewmen on board at the time, over half of the lives lost during the attack. It touched off fierce fires that burned for two days; debris showered down on Ford Island in the vicinity.

The blast from this explosion also put out fires on the repair ship Vestal, which was moored alongside. Two competing theories have arisen about the cause of the explosion. The first is that the bomb detonated in or near the black powder magazine used for the ship's saluting guns and catapult charges. This would have detonated first and then ignited the smokeless powder magazine which was used for the ship's main armament. A 1944 Navy Bureau of Ships report suggests that a hatch leading to the black powder magazine was left open, possibly with inflammable materials stocked nearby. The Naval History & Heritage Command explained that black powder might have been stockpiled outside the armored magazine. The alternative explanation is that the bomb penetrated the armored decks and detonated directly inside one of the starboard magazines for the main armament, but smokeless powder is relatively insensitive to fire and the 14-inch powder bags required a black powder pad to ignite the powder. It seems unlikely that a definitive answer to this question will ever be found, as the surviving physical evidence is insufficient to determine the cause of the magazine explosion. Arizona Memorial It is commonly—but incorrectly—believed that Arizona remains perpetually in commission, like the USS Constitution.

Arizona is under the control of the National Park Service, but the U.S. Navy still retains the title. Arizona retains the right, in perpetuity, to fly the United States flag as if she were an active, commissioned naval vessel. The wreck of Arizona remains at Pearl Harbor to commemorate the men of her crew lost that December morning in 1941. On 7 March 1950, Admiral Arthur W. Radford, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet at that time, instituted the raising of colors over her remains. Legislation during the administrations of Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy resulted in the designation of the wreck as a national shrine in 1962. A memorial was built across the ship's sunken remains, including a shrine room listing the names of the lost crew members on a marble wall. The national memorial was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 15 October 1966. The ship herself was designated a National Historic Landmark on 5 May 1989. Upon their death, survivors of the attack may have their ashes placed within the ship, among their fallen comrades.

Veterans who served aboard the ship at other times may have their ashes scattered in the water above the ship. While the superstructure and two of the four main gun turrets were removed, the barbette of one of the turrets remains visible above the water. Seventy-one years after her sinking, oil still leaks from the hull, with more than 2.3 quarts (2.18 L) escaping into the harbor per day. The Navy, in conjunction with the National Park Service, has recently overseen a comprehensive computerized mapping of the hull, being careful to honor its role as a war grave. The Navy is considering non-intrusive means of abating the continued leakage of oil to avoid the further environmental degradation of the harbor. One of the original Arizona bells now hangs in the University of Arizona Student Union Memorial Center bell tower. The bell is rung after every home football victory. A mast and anchor from Arizona are in Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza just east of the Arizona state capitol complex in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. Other artifacts from the ship, such as items from the ship's silver service, are on permanent exhibit in the Arizona State Capitol Museum.

Alphabetical USS Arizona Casualty List Aaron, Hubert Charles Titus - (1919-1941) - connected to the WFT. Has a photo. Abercrombie, Samuel Adolphus - (1919 -1941) - connected to the WFT. Has a photo. Adams, Robert Franklin - ( - 1941) Adkison, James Dillon - (1920 - 1941) Aguirre, Reyner Aceves - (1918 - 1941) Aguon, Gregorio San Nicholas - ( - 1941) Ahern, Richard James - (1921 - 1941) - connected to the WFT. No photo Alberovsky, Francis Severin - ( - 1941) Albright, Galen Winston - (1922 - 1941) - connected to the WFT. No photo. Alexander, Elvis Author - (1917 - 1941) - connected to the WFT. No photo.

Allen, Robert Lee - (1925 - 1941) - connected to the WFT. Has photo. Allen, William Clayborn - (1910 - 1941) - connected to the WFT. Has photo. Allen, William Lewis - ( - 1941) Allison, Andrew K. - (1915 - 1941) - connected to the WFT. No photo. Allison, J. T. - ( - 1941) Amon, Frederick Purdy - (1921 - 1941) - connected to the WFT. Has photo. Amundson, Leo DeVere - ( - 1941) Anderson, Charles Titus - (1921 - 1941) - connected to the WFT. Has photo. Anderson, Delbert Jake - (1918 - 1941) - connected to the WFT. No photo. Anderson, Donald William - (1920 - 1941) Anderson, Harry - ( - 1941) Anderson, James Pickins Jr.

- ( - 1941) Anderson, Lawrence Donald - ( - 1941) Andrews, Brainerd Wells - (1910 - 1941) Angle, Earnest Hersea - (1922 - 1941) Anthony, Glenn Samuel - ( - 1941) Arnold, Claude Duran Jr. - (1922 - 1941) Arnold, Thell - (1919 - 1941) Arrant, John Anderson - (1917 - 1941) Arvidson, Carl Harry - ( - 1941) Pearl Harbor resurrection: the warships that rose to fight again (+video) - CSMonitor.com Pearl Harbor resurrection: the warships that rose to fight again (+video) Latest News Save for later Saved The bow of the Arleigh-Burke class destroyer USS Michael Murphy passes by the USS Arizona Memorial Friday, Dec. 7, at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Many of the Pearl Harbor Veterans gathered at the World War II Valor In The Pacific National Monument remembering the 71st anniversary of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu.

Eugene Tanner/AP View Caption of Washington — The attack on Pearl Harbor was a shocking defeat for the United States military . Japanese aircraft left a wrecking yard of burning and shattered warships in their wake. It’s a story every US school child still learns today. But it’s not the whole story. Even as the smoke cleared the US Navy was hard at work untangling the mess and salvaging the fleet. Many of the sunken warships rose again to fight the Axis. Only three were damaged beyond repair. “The salvage and restoration of those ships is a saga of expertise, tenacity, hard work, and invincible optimism,” wrote University of Maryland historian Gordon Prange in his classic history of Pearl Harbor, “At Dawn We Slept.” Recommended: Are you smarter than a US Marine? Take the recruitment quiz When the waves of Japanese torpedo planes and aerial bombers swept over the US Hawaiian naval base their primary targets were seven battleships berthed alongside quays in Pearl Harbor proper and the Pacific fleet flagship USS Pennsylvania , which was in dry dock at the time. Video Pearl Harbor anniversary: Veterans to gather in remembrance Five of these battleships were sunk outright. That does not mean they were all blown apart by a rain of Japanese munitions.

“The available documentary evidence suggests that, of those five, the Oklahoma and Nevada were lost because of design defects, the West Virginia was simply overwhelmed by force her defenses were not meant to thwart, and the California was sunk because of the performance of her officers and crew,” wrote Thomas C. Hone in a Naval History Magazine survey of the damage republished in 2012. The USS Arizona was destroyed by an explosion in its forward magazine that thoroughly wrecked the vessel. It lies on the floor of the harbor to this day, serving as a memorial to those who died on Dec. 7, 1941. Three US cruisers, three destroyers, a target ship, and a minelayer were also sunk or heavily damaged. Recovery work started immediately. Within three months most of the smaller ships and three of the battleships – the USS Pennsylvania, the USS Maryland , and the USS Tennessee – were either returned to service or refloated and steamed to the continental US for final repairs. Resurrection of the rest of the fleet took longer. The shallow water of the anchorage made work on the battleships possible, but not easy. The USS Nevada , for instance, had one large and many small holes in her hull.

Her interior was full of water and many compartments were burned out. “Most significantly, her deficiencies in watertight integrity, which had led to her sinking in the first place, now had to be made good under very difficult circumstances,” notes the official Navy History and Heritage Command account of the effort. Two men lost their lives after breathing poisonous gases that had accumulated in the ship’s interior. Eventually she was refloated and shipped to Bremerton , Wash., for repairs. She rejoined the active fleet in late 1942. The USS California was even more damaged than her sister the Nevada. She had been holed by two torpedoes and a bomb and was fully submerged to the main deck level. Salvage teams built a wooden cofferdam on her superstructure, above the waterline, to aid in recovery and pumping efforts. Divers closed manhole covers and doors. After refloating and an extensive rebuild at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, the ship returned to the combat fleet in early 1944. The USS West Virginia was the most severely damaged battleship that lived to fight another day.

Her port side had been ripped up by eight Japanese torpedoes, according to the official Navy account , and her rudder had been ripped off by another. The ship’s contents, from 800,000 gallons of fuel oil to projectiles for her guns, had to be removed before the ship could be patched and refloated. Work continued at Pearl Harbor until April, 1943. Extensively refitted at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, the West Virginia returned to service in July 1944 “and took an active part in the Pacific War’s final year,” according to the Navy. The target ship USS Utah , and the battleships USS Arizona and Oklahoma, were the only ships the Japanese left beyond repair. The Utah remains on the Pearl Harbor floor along with the Arizona. The Oklahoma was raised after a massive effort but proved to be too damaged to return to service. [Editor's note: The original version of this story mischaracterized the Oklahoma's status.] The effort to reclaim the fleet was, as the Naval History and Heritage Command says, “One of history’s greatest salvage jobs.” Divers spent over 20,000 hours underwater.

Even in dry areas workers often had to wear gas masks to protect against the risk of toxic fumes. The US Navy’s ability to limit the material damage of the Pearl Harbor attack was one of the reasons why Japanese military leaders later came to understand that on that fateful December day they had won a battle, but lost the war. But in the end, time accomplished what they could not. All the recovered ships were eventually sold for scrap, or blown apart in target or atomic weapon tests, or otherwise decommissioned. (The USS Arizona is no longer a commissioned warship, but retains the right to fly the US flag as if she were on active duty.) However, of the 101 US fighting ships present in Hawaiian waters on Dec. 7, 1941, one lives on. It is not a battleship, or a cruiser, or even a destroyer. It is the US Coast Guard Cutter Taney, which fired at attackers with its anti-aircraft guns from its Honolulu Harbor pier. Today USCGC Taney is a museum ship located in Baltimore ’s Inner Harbor. It is the last warship survivor of one of the nation’s darkest days still afloat. Next up Get the Monitor stories you care about delivered to your inbox.

Daily 10 things you probably didn’t know about Pearl Harbor ‹ Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion ( 20 ) TOKYO — The surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, marked the day the United States entered World War II. Over three thousand Americans lost their lives in the attack and in 1962 the USS Arizona Memorial was constructed over the sunken battle ship USS Arizona to remember those who lost their lives that day. But you already know that. This article will tell you some other things about Pearl Harbor that you may not know. 1. Pearl Harbor was not originally known for its pearls Pearl Harbor was called Pu’uloa by the Hawaiians who harvested the bay’s oysters for food, not pearls. They used the shells for decorating bowls and making fish hooks. The gem inside the oyster was not used until the early 1800s when foreign settlers discovered the bay and its abundance of bivalve mollusks, calling it Pearl Harbor for the first time.

Hawaii’s King Kamehameha implemented pearl gathering to meet the foreign demand for pearls, but as the area surrounding the harbor fell to deforestation and over-grazing in the 1840s, the bay filled with silt from the rains. The oysters suffered and had become nearly extinct by the 20th century. 2. The harbor continues to function as an active naval base. In 2010, the United States Air Force Hickam Field and the United States Naval Station Pearl Harbor merged to form the Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. Pearl Harbor is the headquarters of the United States Pacific Fleet, which relocated there in 1940. The Naval Station provides maintenance and training for surface ships and submarines as well as berthing and shore side support. It services many visiting submarines due to its location as the closest intermediate maintenance facility in that area of the Pacific. The base is located on Oahu, about 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from the U.S. mainland. 3. Pearl Harbor is known for watercress production Pearl Harbor is located in Pearl City, about 11 miles (18 km) west of downtown Honolulu.

In the past, this part of Oahu was known for its abundant spring water and the locals grew rice and plowed the fields with water buffaloes. Now, Pearl City is mostly residential but is still known for the Pearl Harbor Spring and abundant fresh water, which has led to the development of a dozen watercress farms. Sumida Farm, a small family-run operation of 10 acres of fields among shopping malls just off the Kamehameha Highway, accounts for around 70 percent of Hawaiian watercress consumption. 4. You can View Pearl Harbor monuments while golfing If you’re short on time and have to decide between visiting Pearl Harbor or going to the greens, don’t despair–you can do both! There are at least two golf courses that overlook Pearl Harbor and from which you can view the monuments. From the Pearl Country Club (home of the Hawaii Pearl Open Golf Tournament), you can view the USS Arizona Memorial, the most notable monument at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, as well as the USS Missouri. The Waikele Country Club also overlooks Pearl Harbor and the slopes of the Ko’olau and Waianae mountains. 5.

The architecture of the USS Arizona Memorial represents “initial defeat and ultimate victory” The sunken ship USS Arizona lies 12.2 meters under water and is the most iconic structure in the park. The architect, Alfred Preis, explains the design of the 65-meter-long Memorial “enclosed bridge” that spans the hull of the ship: “Wherein the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and ultimate victory.” The USS Arizona Memorial has come to commemorate all military personnel killed in the Pearl Harbor attack. 6. Oil still leaks from the USS Arizona The USS Arizona held approximately 1.5 million gallons (5.7 million liters) of “Bunker-C” oil. The ship burned two and a half days, in which some of the oil would have been burnt up, but no one knows exactly how much. It is estimated that 500,000 gallons (1,892,706 liters) of it was within the hull. About nine quarts (8.5 liters) of oil still surfaces from the ship each day. 7.

Of the 1,177 crew members who died on the USS Arizona, there were 37 sets of brothers. 8. The USS Missouri fought in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea The decommissioned USS Missouri, now docked in Pearl Harbor as a floating museum, is best known for being the ship that entered Tokyo Bay on August 29 to prepare for the signing by Japan of its official surrender. On Sept 2, General MacArthur made a speech at the a ceremony to mark the surrender and the official end of WWII. But before that, the Missouri fought in Iwo Jima, Okinawa and, believe it or not, the 270-meter (886ft) Missouri entered the narrow Seto Inland Sea, where it detected a Japanese submarine (which was later sunk), downed four Japanese aircraft and was itself hit by a kamikaze plane. The battleship continued on to raid airfields and naval bases near the Inland Sea. 9. Tora! is abbreviated Japanese meaning “lightning attack” Tora was the Japanese code word indicating that complete surprise had been attained.

The word, which can also mean “tiger” is actually an abbreviation of “totsugeki raigeki” (突 撃雷撃) which means “lightning attack.” “Tora! Tora! Tora!” was the name of a 1970 movie directed by Kinji Fukasaku, Toshio Masuda and Richard Fleischer that represented both the Japanese and the American points of view on the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. 10. In the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center bookstore, you can buy a book about “war dogs” At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, there were 90 dogs in the military, mostly Siberian Huskies and Malamutes. In 1942, the “Dogs for Defense” program began a military training program for canines in combat units and security. German Shepards, Doberman Pincers, Collies, Belgian Sheep dogs and Alaskan Sled dogs were eventually added. In “War Dogs: A History of Loyalty and Heroism” by Michael Lemish, you can read stories about the canine influence in battle since WWI.

These are true stories of canine heroes who have pulled sleds, participated in search in rescue and at least one who has even parachuted. How’s that for a twist on combat? A little light reading is probably just what you need right now. Read more stories from RocketNews24. Business | Pearl Harbor: 16 Days To Die -- Trapped By The Memories -- Few Knew The Secret Of The Sunken Battleship; Families Weren't Told Of Sailors' Lingering Deaths | Seattle Times Newspaper Pearl Harbor: 16 Days To Die -- Trapped By The Memories -- Few Knew The Secret Of The Sunken Battleship; Families Weren't Told Of Sailors' Lingering Deaths By Eric Gregory Honolulu Advertiser At first, everyone thought it was a piece of loose rigging slapping against the wrecked hull of the USS West Virginia. Bang. Bang. To the survivors on land, it was just another noise amid the carnage of Pearl Harbor a day after the Dec. 7, 1941, attack. Like the sound of fireboats squirting water on the USS Arizona. Or the hammers chipping into the overturned hull of the Oklahoma.

But they realized the grim truth the next morning, in the quiet dawn. Someone was still alive, trapped deep in the forward hull of the sunken battleship. Bang. Bang. The Marines standing guard covered their ears. There was nothing anyone could do. When salvage crews raised the West Virginia six months later, they found the bodies of three men huddled in an airtight storeroom: Ronald Endicott, 18; Clifford Olds, 20; and Louis "Buddy" Costin, 21. But the most haunting discovery was the calendar. Sixteen days had been crossed off in red pencil. The young sailors had marked their time, not knowing what had happened to their ship or that their country was at war. For 54 years, their story has been told in hushed tones among the West Virginia's survivors. It has become a symbol of courage and perseverance for these aging men. Few people knew the whole truth. The Navy never told the families how long their loved ones had survived. And for those brothers and sisters who eventually found out, the truth was so devastating they kept it a secret. Even from their own parents.

"His days are numbered" In the days after the attack, Jack Frank Miller often found himself praying on the dock near the sunken West Virginia. He had met Clifford Olds at boot camp. Both were from small prairie towns in North Dakota. They liked fishing and motorcycles, ships and open seas. Now they were serving together on the same battleship. They had been drinking beer at a Pearl City tavern, the Monkey Bar, the night before the attack. A woman snapped their picture, with a third sailor. Olds was smiling, toasting his friends, a Camel cigarette dangling from his fingers. Miller just knew Olds was still alive down there, probably trapped in the airtight fresh-water pump room, waiting to be rescued. But the ship had taken at least six torpedoes and two bombs, burned for 30 hours, and settled in the mud of the harbor bottom, its main deck covered in oily water. Cut a hole to get someone out and you'd flood the whole thing. Use a torch and risk an explosion. Miller knew what that meant for his friend. "His days are numbered," he thought.

"I'm afraid it's going to be a lingering death." He returned to the Monkey Bar and found the woman who took the picture. She gave Miller the negative. Miller is now 75 and living in Seattle. He still has the photo, a memento of a friend he'll never see again. Friends, frozen in time, on the last night of peace. Trapped sailor from Aberdeen The Aberdeen Daily World, Ronald Endicott's hometown newspaper in Grays Harbor County, declared him dead on Dec. 17, 1941. "Died for U.S." his obituary read. "Ronald Endicott, young Aberdeen Navy man, was killed in the war in the Pacific. Endicott was the son of Mr. and Mrs. R.B. Endicott of Aberdeen." A photo showed a dimpled, baby-faced boy in his sailor suit. Nothing was said of Pearl Harbor, the West Virginia or the noise that still rang from its hull that same day, thousands of miles away. Bang. Bang. No one wanted guard duty that put him within earshot of the West Virginia, especially on quiet nights.

They would do anything to trade posts so they wouldn't have to hear the desperate - almost tireless - cry for help. "God, I can't go by that ship anymore," a buddy told Marine Dick Fiske. But there was Fiske, a sentry on Ford Island, with a thought he could not shake: "Just can't believe somebody is still in there." He used to stand watch with Cliff Olds. These were just normal guys, Fiske thought. Just like him. They used to gossip about their time in port, drink a beer now and then. Talk about girlfriends back home, worry about the threat of war. Trade letters - "If I don't make it, mail this." What were those men thinking now? He was pretty sure he knew. The same things had raced through his mind the day of the attack as he stood in the navigation bridge. Family. His mom and dad. What the future held. God. And one more thing. Surely they had asked it a thousand times: Does anyone up there hear us? The calendar After months of picking bodies from the West Virginia, sailors removed the remains of three men from storeroom A-111, clad in their blues and jerseys.

They were carried away in heavy canvas bags drawn tight at the top. The clues left in the dry storeroom hinted at a horrifying demise. Flashlight batteries littered the floor. The manhole to a supply of fresh water had been opened. Emergency rations had been eaten. And the calendar. A foot high, 14 inches long. A red "X" scratched through the dates from Dec. 7 through Dec. 23. Word spread quickly of its discovery. The survivors couldn't believe it, especially Fiske, as he watched the bodies brought out. "Now we know how long they were actually there," he thought. But families weren't told Spurred by the death of his brother, Harlan Costin joined the Navy in October 1942 when he turned 17. He was assigned to the USS Tuscaloosa in the South Pacific, far from his family in southern Indiana. A friend was serving on the refurbished West Virginia in the same fleet. He told Harlan the truth about Louis. But Harlan couldn't bring himself to tell their mother or young sister.

All they knew came from a Navy man who had appeared at their door in the middle of the night, several days after the attack: "Louis died at his battle station." When the salvage crews searched his locker, they found a watch he'd already bought his mom for Christmas. It was broken and waterlogged. But the Navy sent it to Effie Costin anyway. She had it repaired and wore it until she died in December 1985. She was 92 years old. Louis' sister, Edna Heil, first learned the truth about his death from a reporter last week. "It is so sad, it just breaks you up," she said. Her brother Harlan, now 70, had kept his secret. "I just wanted to spare them the grief," he said, fighting tears. Another knew the truth Duke Olds had learned the real story about his brother Cliff from their cousin, a sailor assigned to the shipyards in Bremerton, where the West Virginia was repaired. He told his other brother and two sisters. But not their parents. It would be too much for them, especially Dad. He and Cliff were close. Cliff. That tough little rascal.

He loved to pick a fight but he always got licked because he was so small. He made $21 a month in the Navy, but sent $18 of it home to Mom. She put it in war bonds. Saved every penny. Duke Olds' mother, Jane, died in 1956. His father, Nathan, died 15 years later. Duke kept his promise - they never learned the truth. "I've never even told it to my wife." Nothing left in writing The calendar, sent to the chief of naval personnel in Washington, D.C., after it was found, now is lost. Ronald Endicott and Buddy Costin are buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl crater in Honolulu. Cliff Olds' body was returned to his hometown and buried in the city cemetery. All their headstones say they died on Dec. 7, 1941. Copyright (c) 1995 Seattle Times Company, All Rights Reserved. Pearl Harbour - Teresa the Traveler Pearl Harbour Riding the Bipolar Express Learn Some WWII History at Pearl Harbour Excerpt from the book I Need to Get Laid , part of the Teresa the Traveler series of books.

When I realized it was Remembrance Day, I decided to visit Pearl Harbor. I had spent the previous Remembrance Day in Poland visiting the Auschwitz concentration camps and gaining a new respect for the veterans of WWII. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941 was significant in WWII history because it was this unannounced military strike that resulted in the United States entry into the war. In1937, the Japanese launched a full scale invasion of China and in response, the US moved their Pacific Fleet to Pearl Harbor to deter Japanese aggression. The backbone of the fleet was the battleships named for the states of the union. The Japanese objective was to damage the fleet thus preventing the US from interfering in the Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies and Malaya where they sought to gain control of natural resources such as oil and rubber. At the time, the Japanese relied on the United States for their oil supply A total of 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor in two deadly waves sinking four US Navy battleships, three cruisers, three destroyers and an anti-aircraft training ship. The Japanese losses were minimal losing 29 aircraft, five midget submarines and 65 servicemen killed or wounded in battle.

The Americans were hit hard with an astounding 2,402 personnel killed and another 1,282 injured causing the American public (who supported a policy of isolationism) to change their minds and support US involvement in the war overseas. Fortunately for the Americans, the attack did not affect their fuel storage, aircraft carriers, and submarines. Even though the US salvaged 6 of the 8 sunken battleships, it was their aircraft carriers and submarines that reversed the Japanese advance. The Japanese attacked mainly battleships anticipating their use in a decisive naval battle. How wrong were they? The USS Arizona I had the concierge at the hotel book me on a shuttle and within minutes a mini bus brought me to Pearl Harbor, dropped me off and promised to pick me up four hours later. I started my visit with a short movie presentation of the Pearl Harbor attack which was followed by a boat ride to the USS Arizona memorial monument. The USS Arizona battleship was commissioned in 1916 and named in honour of Arizona becoming the 48th state to enter the union. An astounding 1,177 lives were lost when a Japanese bomb pierced the ship’s deck and hit the armoured ammunition magazine which exploded sinking the ship.

The un-salvaged wreck remains a watery mass grave on the ocean floor. I loved the 2001 Oscar-winning movie Pearl Harbor and read about the attack in many a history book, but seeing the memorial first hand made it more real for me. I stood in the shrine room reading the names engraved on the wall hardly able to believe all these men were buried beneath me. They were real people with real lives cut short by the horrors of war. A tear trickled down my face as I honoured these brave men with a moment of silence. The memorial was completed in 1961 with the help of public funding and private donations. Architect Alfred Preis commented on the design of the memorial saying, "Wherein the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and ultimate victory....The overall effect is one of serenity. Overtones of sadness have been omitted to permit the individual to contemplate his own personal responses...his innermost feelings." According to a 2009 Salem News article by Paul Leighton, Pearl Harbor survivors are entitled to a special scattering of the ashes ceremony conducted by the U.S. Navy.

Since the program began in 1996, 214 veterans have been laid to rest with their fellow servicemen. Many of the 1,177 men who died on the USS Arizona are entombed below this memorial A list of name of the men who died aboard the USS Arizona A Pearl Harbor Veteran signs autographs for tourists A memorial to all the ships and crews lost in WWII is located at the Pearl Harbor Site I walked outside onto the middle deck to look at the smoke stack, one of the few parts of the ship that remains above water. In front of it was a plaque that read: DEDICATED TO THE ETERNAL MEMORY OF OUR GALLANT SHIPMATES IN THE USS ARIZONA WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN ACTION 7 DECEMBER1941 “From today on the USS Arizona will again fly our countries flag just as proudly as she did on the morning of December 7 1941. I am sure the Arizona crew will know and appreciate what we are doing”. Admiral A.W.

Radford , USN 7 March 1950 MAY GOD MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON THEM AND GRANT THEM PEACE After about 30 minutes, our group returned to the shuttle boat so another group could visit. On our way back to the visitor’s center I reached into my pocket and grabbed my entrance ticket and noticed a picture on the back of it along with a story about the first Japanese-American serviceman killed in World War II. His name was Torao Migita from Kalihiwai, Kauai, Hawaii. Private Torao Migita was at home on leave the night before the attack. Upon hearing the radio broadcast directing all servicemen to report for duty, Private Migita hurried toward Schofield Barracks where his Hawaii National Guard Company was stationed. His mother recalls “that was the last time I saw him alive... That afternoon when I read the casualty list in the newspaper, I found his name among the dead.” Torao Migita was killed by friendly fire in Honolulu. He received the Purple Heart.

I wondered if he was killed as a result of exploding anti-aircraft munitions also known as “friendly fire” as were 48 civilians ranging in age from 3 months to 59 years from the island of Oahu. In front of the Pacific Aviation museum on Ford island is the watch tower used in the movie Pear Harbour however during the real attack only the lower white watch tower existed The USS Bowfin aka the Pearl Harbour Avenger U.S.S Bowfin The USS Arizona Memorial was free of charge; however, I had to purchase a ticket to visit the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park. I had never been on a submarine and was excited to have the opportunity to get a glimpse into what life was like for the men serving on these underwater war tubes. Submarines played an important role in World War II. After the Japanese crippled the US battleships, it was up to their submarines to turn things around. As boldly stated on , “Within hours of the surprise attack young men in steel tubes took the war to the enemy using defective torpedoes against overwhelming odds. They triumphed and endured high losses”.

The 288 American submarines were responsible for sinking over 30% of the Japanese fleet including 8 aircraft carriers, one battleship and 11 cruisers but not without cost. More than 3600 officers and crew along with 52 submarines were lost in the war. Many of these subs were lost with all hands on board and sit at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The search to find them is ongoing while a memorial website was created to tell the stories of the many servicemen lost at sea. The Bowfin, which takes its name from the hard fighting, aggressive Bowfin fish, was launched exactly one year to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Also known as The Pearl Harbor Avenger, the Bowfin completed nine patrols sinking 44 enemy ships (passenger, cargo and military) including the Tsushima Maru. The Tsushima Maru was an unlighted, unmarked passenger-cargo vessel carrying 1,484 civilians including 826 school children who, along with their teachers and some parents, were being transported from Okinawa to Japan’s mainland to escape the anticipated invasion of the Ryukyu Islands.

Only 59 of the children survived but were not allowed to speak of the incident under threats of extreme punishment. The crew of the Bowfin did not learn about the tragedy until over 20 years after the war. The sunken ship was found on December 12th 1997, and the Emperor of Japan wrote a poem about the discovery. Foundered,with lives

Question: Which sunken ship lies on the floor of Pearl Harbour as a memorial to those killed in the attack of 7 December 1941?
Answer: USS Arizona