USS ARIZONA (BB-39)



Arizona was the most heavily damaged of all the vessels in Battleship Row, suffering three near-misses and two 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. She was a total loss. Never seriously considered a candidate for salvage, her top-hamper was removed in 1942 and she remains where she sank to this day,

a tomb for 1,102 men who died with her.


SHIPS DATA

NAME

ARIZONA

HULL NUMBER

BB-39

BUILDER

BROOKLYN NAVY YARD, NEW YORK

LAID DOWN

MARCH 16, 1914

CHRISTENED

JUNE 19, 1915, BY MISS ESTHER ROSS.

COMMISSIONED

OCTOBER 17, 1917

CONSTRUCTION COST

$7,425,000.00 (HULL AND MACHINERY),
$12,993,579.23 (TOTAL)


DIMENSIONS

DISPLACEMENT

34,207 TONS (NORMAL); 37,654 TONS (FULL LOAD)

LENGTH (WL)

600'

LENGTH (OA)

608'

MAXIMUM BEAM

106' 3"

MEAN DRAFT

28'

MAXIMUM DRAFT

33' 6"


PROPULSION AND MACHINERY

TOTAL WEIGHT OF MACHINERY

2,462 TONS (WITH LIQUIDS)

BOILERS

SIX BUREAU EXPRESS TYPE; 300-PSI/472 DEGREES F. OPERATING TEMPERATURE.

DRIVE

FOUR WESTINGHOUSE GEARED IMPULSE/REACTION 3,600 RPM HIGH-PRESSURE MAIN TURBINES; FOUR WESTINGHOUSE GEARED IMPULSE/REACTION 3,600 RPM CRUISE TURBINES; FOUR PARSONS 226 RPM LOW-PRESSURE AHEAD AND ASTERN TURBINES; FOUR PARSONS 226 RPM HIGH-PRESSURE ASTERN TURBINES.

FUEL OIL

4,630 TONS (NORMAL); 6,180 TONS (EMERGENCY)

DIESEL OIL

75 TONS (FOR BOATS)

GASOLINE

11.76 TONS (FOR AIRCRAFT)

LUBRICATING OIL

5,000 GALLONS

RESERVE BOILER FEED WATER

323 TONS (NORMAL); 392 TONS ADDITIONAL EMERGENCY CAPACITY

POTABLE WATER

402 TONS

ELECTRICITY

FOUR 400KW, 120/240-VOLT TURBO-GENERATORS

SHAFT HORSEPOWER

35,081 MAXIMUM AHEAD (10-HR. TRIAL, JULY 1931)

PROPELLERS

FOUR, THREE-BLADED; 12'7" DIAMETER

RUDDER

ONE BALANCED, TAPERED TYPE. 443 SQUARE FOOT AREA. TRAINABLE 38" TO PORT AND STARBOARD.

MAXIMUM SPEED

20.7 KNOTS (TRIAL, JULY 1931)

MAXIMUM RADIUS

8,500 MILES @ 20 KNOTS;
13,600 MILES @ 15 KNOTS.

ANCHORS

THREE, 20,000-LB; ONE STARBOARD, TWO PORT. 120 FATHOMS CHAIN TO STARBOARD, 180 FATHOMS CHAIN TO PORT.


ARMOR

BELT

14" AMIDSHIPS, TAPERING TO 8" ENDS. ENTIRE BELT EXTENDS 9' ABOVE WATERLINE AND 8' 6" BELOW. PROTECTED TURRET MAGAZINES AND AMIDSHIPS MACHINERY SPACES.

DECK

4" OUTBOARD STRAKES (UPPER DECK); 6" AMIDSHIPS.
2" OUTBOARD STRAKES (LOWER DECK). PROTECTED MACHINERY AREAS AND STEERING GEAR FROM PLUNGING FIRE.

FUNNEL

15" AT BASE OF BOILER UPTAKES, TAPERING TO 9" AT THE UPPER DECK. ARMORED GRATING INSIDE FUNNEL AT THE LEVEL OF THE SECOND DECK.

TURRETS

18" FACES; 9" SIDES; 9" REARS; 5" TOPS; 2" ON EXPOSED UNDERSIDES.

BARBETTES

13" ABOVE SECOND DECK; 4.5" BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD DECKS.

CONNING TOWER

16" SIDES; TWO 4" LAYERS ON TOP.

CONNING TOWER TUBE

5' INSIDE DIAMETER FROM THIRD DECK TO CONNING TOWER BASE; 16" ARMOR ABOVE SECOND DECK, 6" BELOW.

LONGITUDINAL TORPEDO BULKHEADS

TWO, CONTINUOUS EACH SIDE FROM FRAME 20 TO 127; 60-LB TREATED STEEL PLATING OUTER BULKHEAD, NORMAL STRUCTURAL STEEL INNER BULKHEAD. TOTAL WIDTH OF PROTECTION EACH SIDE IS 11' 9".

TRANSVERSE TORPEDO BULKHEADS

FOUR 40-LB TREATED STEEL BULKHEADS OUTBOARD THE OUTER LONGITUDINAL BULKHEAD AT FRAMES 23, 30, 90, AND 120.

TOTAL PUBLISHED ARMOR WEIGHT

8,072 TONS


MAIN ARMAMENT

MAIN BATTERY:
14-INCH/45 CALIBER

TWELVE 14"/45 CALIBER 70-TON RIFLED GUNS MOUNTED IN FOUR SUPER-FIRING TRIPLE TURRETS, TWO FORWARD AND TWO AFT.

BARREL LENGTH

52 FEET, 6 INCHES

BREECH DIAMETER

46 INCHES

MAXIMUM ELEVATION

30 DEGREES

RIFLING

SPIRAL GROOVES IN BARREL IMPROVED ACCURACY BY IMPARTING A SPIN TO THE PROJECTILE, GIVING IT A CLOCKWISE TWIST OF ONE REVOLUTION FOR EACH 37.3 FEET OF TRAVEL.

MAXIMUM RANGE

34,000 YARDS

MAXIMUM PROJECTILE

1,400-LB ARMOR PIERCING

EXPLOSIVE CHARGE

31.5-LB (2.25% OF PROJECTILE WEIGHT).

MUZZLE VELOCITY

2,700 FEET PER SECOND

AVERAGE RATE OF FIRE

1.5 PER MINUTE


SECONDARY ARMAMENT

SECONDARY BATTERY:
5-INCH/51 CALIBER

TWELVE 5-INCH/51 CALIBER, SINGLE-MOUNTED GUNS; TEN WITHIN THE SUPERSTRUCTURE DECKHOUSE AND TWO ATOP IT, ONE ON EITHER SIDE OF THE CONNING TOWER. (THE LATTER TWO WERE REMOVED SHORTLY BEFORE PEARL HARBOR IN ANTICIPATION OF RECEIVING 1.1-INCH AA MOUNTS. AT THE TIME OF THE ATTACK, THESE POSITIONS WERE EMPTY.)

MAXIMUM ELEVATION

20 DEGREES

MAXIMUM RANGE

17,100 YARDS

MAXIMUM PROJECTILE

50-LB HIGH-CAPACITY

EXPLOSIVE CHARGE

4.5-LB (26.4% OF PROJECTILE WEIGHT).

MUZZLE VELOCITY

3,150 FEET PER SECOND


ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARMAMENT

MAIN AA BATTERY:
5-INCH/25 CALIBER

EIGHT 5-INCH/25 CALIBER SINGLE-MOUNTED GUNS, LOCATED ATOP THE SUPERSTRUCTURE DECKHOUSE, FOUR TO A SIDE.

SECONDARY AA BATTERY:
.50 CALIBER MG

EIGHT TOTAL; TWO ON EACH MAST, FOUR ON THE FUNNEL PLATFORM.


DIRECTORS

RADAR

NONE

FIRE CONTROL

TWO ENCLOSED MAIN BATTERY SURFACE RANGEFINDERS; ONE ABOVE PILOT HOUSE, ONE ON MAIN-MAST PLATFORM.
TWO MK 20 MAIN BATTERY GUN DIRECTORS; ONE IN HIGHEST LEVEL OF EACH MAST-TOPS.
FOUR SECONDARY BATTERY DIRECTORS; ONE EACH SIDE OF LOWEST LEVEL OF BOTH MAST-TOPS.
TWO MK 28 ANTI-AIRCRAFT DIRECTORS, ONE ON EACH BRIDGE WING.


AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS

AIRCRAFT

THREE VOUGHT 0S2U KINGFISHERS (SINGLE ENGINE, LOW-WING, FLOAT-TYPE MONOPLANE; ONE FLOAT UNDER FUSELAGE, ONE FLOAT UNDER EACH WING).

CATAPULTS

ONE TRAINABLE, POWDER-FIRED, P MK VI ON FANTAIL (TYPICAL PERFORMANCE WAS 6,500 POUNDS AT 65 MPH IN 60 FEET); ONE FIXED, POWDER-FIRED, P MK IV ATOP TURRET THREE (TYPICAL PERFORMANCE WAS 6,350-LB AT 64 MPH IN 60 FEET).

STERN CRANE

SERVICED FANTAIL P MK VI. 6,000-LB LIFTING CAPACITY.

BOAT CRANES

SERVICED TURRET-MOUNTED P MK 1V. 25,687-LB LIFTING CAPACITY.

HANGAR

NONE


CREW

COMPLEMENT

1,731 TOTAL (92 OFFICERS AND WARRANTS; 1,639 ENLISTED).

ACCOMMODATIONS

2,037 TOTAL (4 CABIN OFFICERS; 44 WARDROOM OFFICERS; 32 JUNIOR OFFICERS; 10 WARRANT OFFICERS; 72 CHIEF PETTY OFFICERS; 1,875 OTHER ENLISTED).


.

PHOTO GALLERY

HISTORY
LAUNCHING
BOW-ON IN ROUGH SEAS, OFF CALIFORNIA, 1932
AERIAL VIEW, STARBOARD QUARTER
STARBOARD VIEW
AERIAL VIEW, PORT FORWARD
IN DRYDOCK, UNDERGOING MODERNIZATION
VIEW OF AFT-STARBOARD, AFTER SETTLING
DETONATION OF 14-INCH POWDER MAGAZINES
REMOVAL OF TOP-HAMPER
VIEW OF FLAG FROM MEMORIAL
OVERHEAD SKETCH OF DAMAGE
PORT-BOW VIEW OF DAMAGE
OVERHEAD VIEW OF MEMORIAL
VIEW FROM MEMORIAL, LOOKING SOUTH
CLOSE-UP, POST-ATTACK VIEW OF TWISTED SUPERSTRUCTURE
REMOVAL OF FOREMAST
VIEW FROM MEMORIAL OF NUMBER THREE BARBETTE
VIEW OF QUAY FROM MEMORIAL
TWO SALVAGED 5" GUNS
STARBOARD VIEW FROM FORD ISLAND
STERN VIEW OF BLAZING WRECK
TOP-HAMPER REMAINS ON WAIPIO PENNINSULA
CLOSE-UP OF MEMORIAL
VIEW OF FORD ISLAND FROM MEMORIAL
VIEW OF STILL-SEEPING FUEL-OIL
ARIZONA WALL, ONBOARD MEMORIAL
VIEW OF MEMORIAL AT NIGHT
REMOVING 14" SHELLS FROM TURRET 4



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