USS Arizona (BB-39)

USS Arizona (BB-39) was a Pennsylvania-class battleship built by the Newport News Shipbuilding company and commissioned into the United States Navy on October 17, 1916, under the command of Captain John D. McDonald. The ship was named after the Arizona Territory, which was admitted to the United States as the 48th state in 1912, with the support of President William Howard Taft and Congressman Carl Hayden. The USS Arizona (BB-39) was one of the largest and most advanced battleships in the world at the time, with a crew of over 1,000 United States Navy personnel, including Admiral Thomas C. Hart and Admiral Husband E. Kimmel. The ship's construction was overseen by the United States Navy Department, led by Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels.

● Construction and Commissioning

The construction of the USS Arizona (BB-39) began on March 16, 1914, at the Newport News Shipbuilding company in Virginia, with the keel laying ceremony attended by Governor George W. P. Hunt of Arizona and Rear Admiral Victor Blue. The ship was launched on June 19, 1915, and was sponsored by Miss Esther Ross, the daughter of Governor William P. Ross of Arizona. The USS Arizona (BB-39) was commissioned into the United States Navy on October 17, 1916, under the command of Captain John D. McDonald, with a crew of over 1,000 personnel, including Lieutenant Commander William F. Halsey Jr. and Lieutenant Commander Raymond A. Spruance. The ship's commissioning ceremony was attended by President Woodrow Wilson, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, and Admiral William S. Benson.

● Service History

The USS Arizona (BB-39) served in the United States Navy for over 25 years, participating in several major events, including the United States occupation of Veracruz in 1914, led by Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher and General John J. Pershing. The ship also participated in the Battle of the Atlantic (1914-1918), where it escorted convoys and protected Allied shipping from German U-boat attacks, under the command of Admiral William S. Sims and Admiral Henry T. Mayo. In the 1920s and 1930s, the USS Arizona (BB-39) participated in several fleet exercises and gunnery competitions, winning several awards, including the Battle Efficiency Award, presented by Admiral Charles F. Hughes and Admiral William V. Pratt. The ship was also modernized and upgraded several times, with the addition of new aircraft catapults and anti-aircraft guns, under the supervision of Bureau of Ordnance and Bureau of Aeronautics.

● Attack on Pearl Harbor

On December 7, 1941, the USS Arizona (BB-39) was attacked by Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft during the Attack on Pearl Harbor, led by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and Commander Mitsuo Fuchida. The ship was hit by several bombs, including a 1,760-pound (800 kg) armor-piercing bomb that exploded in the ship's magazine, causing a massive explosion that killed 1,177 crew members, including Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh and Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd. The attack on the USS Arizona (BB-39) was one of the most devastating attacks on a single ship during the Attack on Pearl Harbor, which was also targeted against the USS Oklahoma (BB-37), USS California (BB-44), and USS West Virginia (BB-48), under the command of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and General Walter C. Short.

● Salvage and Memorial

After the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona (BB-39) was declared a total loss and was left to rest at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, where it remains to this day, near the USS Utah (BB-31/AG-16). In 1958, a memorial was built over the ship's wreckage, designed by architect Alfred Preis and dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Admiral Arleigh Burke. The USS Arizona Memorial is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hawaii, with over 1 million visitors per year, including President John F. Kennedy and President Ronald Reagan. The memorial is managed by the National Park Service, in partnership with the United States Navy and the State of Hawaii, under the supervision of Governor John A. Burns and Governor George Ariyoshi.

● Specifications

The USS Arizona (BB-39) was a Pennsylvania-class battleship with a length of 608 feet (185 meters) and a beam of 97 feet (30 meters), designed by the Bureau of Construction and Repair and built by the Newport News Shipbuilding company. The ship had a displacement of 29,158 tons and was powered by 12 Babcock & Wilcox boilers and 4 Curtis turbines, producing 33,000 horsepower, under the supervision of Bureau of Engineering and Bureau of Ships. The ship's main armament consisted of 12 14-inch (356 mm) guns in 4 twin turrets, with a range of over 20 miles (32 kilometers), designed by the Bureau of Ordnance and manufactured by the Bethlehem Steel company.

● Career

The USS Arizona (BB-39) had a long and distinguished career in the United States Navy, serving in both World War I and World War II, under the command of Admiral William S. Benson and Admiral Ernest J. King. The ship participated in several major events, including the United States occupation of Veracruz and the Attack on Pearl Harbor, and was awarded several honors, including the World War I Victory Medal and the American Defense Service Medal, presented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Admiral Harold R. Stark. The USS Arizona (BB-39) is remembered as one of the most iconic and historic ships in the United States Navy, with a legacy that continues to inspire and educate people around the world, including the United States Naval Academy and the National Museum of the United States Navy, under the supervision of Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations. Category:United States Navy