December 7th, 1941. The Empire of Japan launched an aircraft carrier borne attack against the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese launched their aircraft roughly 300 miles north of Oahu...six Carriers worth of torpedo bombers, dive bombers and "zero" fighter aircraft. There were two waves sent by the Empire...and when it was over, the U.S. Pacific fleet was in shambles. The Japanese lost a handful of aircraft and pilots...the United States lost thousands of men, hundreds of warplanes, and some of the most iconic ships that ever sailed.
Pearl Harbor is and was located on the Island of Oahu, Territory of Hawaii (The Hawaiian Islands did not become a State until 1959). At 7:55, Sunday morning, the "Surprise Party" began...
Just about everything is known and documented about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, from books to films and all ephemera in between. There are a few tidbits left...things that are not as well known, but still of interest...
U.S.S. Arizona is perhaps one of the most well-known ships in the World, right
behind R.M.S. Titanic. Commissioned into the U.S. Navy in
1916, Arizona spent World War I on the Eastern Seaboard of the
U.S. She did not engage in the war zone because she burned oil to power
her engines, where most of the World's navies burned coal. Fuel oil was
in short supply overseas, whereas coal wasn't, so it was decided to keep her on
the Home-front where she could be supplied. Not very glamorous but given
the almost total lack of naval opportunity and action for the United States
Navy in the Great War, it was not uncommon.
WWI ended in November of 1918. The Arizona was tasked as part of the fleet that escorted President Wilson across the Atlantic to the Paris Peace Conference in December. From France, she sailed back home, delivering over two-hundred American soldiers who were lucky enough to catch the early ride back to the States. Arizona proceeded back to Europe and into the Mediterranean Sea, showing the Stars and Stripes and protecting American interests in the region during Turkey's war with Greece. Her actions included landing Marines at Smyrna to guard the American consulate. In 1921, U.S.S. Arizona was transferred to the Pacific fleet based out of San Pedro, California where she remained save for a few trips back to the East Coast and the Caribbean as well as a complete modernization at Norfolk Virginia in 1929.
Scandal rocked
the ship in 1924, when a prostitute by the name of Madeline Blair was
"stowed away" aboard Arizona, and "plied" her trade quite
successfully until the "business" was discovered. Over 20
sailors were court-marshalled. Penalties were stiff, with one unlucky
sailor receiving a 10-year prison sentence.
March of 1933 brought one of the largest earthquakes recorded to Southern California. The city of Long Beach was the epicenter, with San Pedro (where the Arizona was based) being right next door. Surprisingly, another iconic ship was in Long Beach Harbor at the time, the frigate Constitution. She was on her grand 1933 tour of U.S. coastal cities, both East and West. Arizona's crew was active in assisting local authorities on-shore, helping with everything from clean-up to security.
Gloria Stuart would look back to her time aboard Arizona with great sadness, knowing she had spent a considerable amount of time aboard, as well as time with some crew members who doubtlessly perished when Arizona was destroyed. Stuart would be associated with another famous ship late in her acting career. She starred as the elder Rose DeWitt in the 1996 film Titanic...
Unfortunately, the U.S.S. Arizona met her end on the morning of December 7th, 1941. During the attack a well placed Japanese bomb pierced the deck and exploded in the forward magazine, rocking the entire battleship, tearing her apart and sending her to the bottom of Pearl Harbor with 1,177 of her crew. They remain entombed onboard to this day.
