USS Arizona

The Arizona was a very large ship.

It had many big guns. It also had many people on board.

Many years ago, a sad thing happened. The ship was attacked in Hawaii. A big blast hit the ship. This caused the ship to sink.

Many people were lost that day. The ship was too broken to fix. Now, a memorial sits over the ship. It helps us remember the people.

The USS Arizona was a large battleship.

It was built in the mid-1910s. The ship was named after the 48th state.

It had twelve big 14-inch guns. The ship used steam to move. It also had many people on board.

During World War I, the ship stayed in the United States. It helped escort President Woodrow Wilson to a peace meeting. Later, the ship moved to the Pacific Fleet. It spent many years doing training exercises. It even helped after an earthquake in California.

On December 7, 1941, the ship was in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Japan attacked the harbor that day. Bombs hit the Arizona. One bomb hit a room full of explosives. This caused the ship to sink. Many people on the ship died. The ship was too damaged to fix. Today, a memorial sits over the wreck. It honors all those who died.

The USS Arizona was a very large and powerful battleship.

It was built for the United States Navy in the mid-1910s. The ship was named to honor the 48th state. It was part of the Pennsylvania-class of ships. These ships were much larger than the ones built before them. The Arizona was a massive vessel that carried many people.

This ship used a special way to move through the water. It had twelve Babcock & Wilcox boilers to make steam. This steam powered four large Parsons steam turbine sets. Each turbine moved one of its own propellers. The ship was designed to go a certain speed. During sea trials, it reached its designed speed of 21 knots. It could also travel a long way on its fuel oil.

Building the ship was a huge event for many people. The keel was laid on March 16, 1914. A man named Franklin Delano Roosevelt was there to watch. The ship was launched on June 19, 1915. About 75,000 people came to see the launch happen. A woman named Esther Ross was the ship's sponsor. She used sparkling wine and water from a dam for the ceremony.

The Arizona had many tools for defense and work. It carried twelve large 14-inch guns in triple turrets. These guns were numbered from I to IV. It also had twenty-two smaller guns on its sides. These were meant to stop fast torpedo boats. The ship had thick armor to protect its important parts. This armor covered the machinery and the magazines.

A sad day happened for the ship in 1941. On December 7, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Several armor-piercing bombs hit the USS Arizona. One bomb hit an explosive-filled magazine. This caused the ship to sink quickly. Sadly, 1,177 officers and crewmen died that day. The ship was too damaged to ever be repaired. Today, a memorial sits over the wreck to honor them.

The USS Arizona (BB-39) was a massive standard-type battleship built for the United States Navy. It was the second and final ship in the Pennsylvania-class of battleships. These ships were designed to be much larger than earlier models. The Arizona was named to honor the 48th state of the Union. This vessel served as a powerful symbol of American naval strength during the early 20th century.

To move through the ocean, the ship used a complex steam propulsion system. It featured twelve Babcock & Wilcox boilers to generate steam. This steam powered four direct-drive Parsons steam turbine sets. Each turbine drove its own propeller to move the ship forward. During sea trials, the ship reached its designed speed of 21 knots. The ship was also built to carry enough fuel oil to steam for 8,000 nautical miles at 10 knots.

The Arizona was heavily armed for both offense and defense. It carried twelve 14-inch guns mounted in four triple gun turrets. These turrets were numbered I through IV from the front to the rear. For defense against smaller torpedo boats, the ship had twenty-two 51-caliber guns. These were located in casemates along the sides of the hull. The ship also featured four 50-caliber guns for anti-aircraft defense.

Protection was a major part of the ship's design through the "all-or-nothing" principle. This meant that armor was concentrated only on the most vital areas. A thick waterline armor belt of Krupp armor protected the machinery spaces and magazines. This belt was 13.5 inches thick at its highest point. The ship also had a main armor deck consisting of three plates. These plates totaled 3 inches in thickness to protect the interior.

The construction of the Arizona was a historic event. The keel was laid on March 16, 1914, with Franklin Delano Roosevelt in attendance. On June 19, 1915, the ship was launched in front of roughly 75,000 people. Esther Ross served as the ship's sponsor during the christening. To respect a local ban on alcohol, the crew used sparkling wine and water from the Roosevelt Dam. The ship was officially commissioned into the Navy on October 17, 1916.

During World War I, the Arizona served as a gunnery training ship for merchant vessel convoys. It stayed in the Atlantic to protect against U-boats. After the war, the ship performed many diplomatic duties. In 1919, it was deployed to the Greco-Turkish War to represent American interests. It also escorted President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference. In 1921, the ship transited the Panama Canal as it moved to the Pacific Fleet.

In the years leading up to World War II, the Arizona underwent many changes. It received a comprehensive modernization between 1929 and 1931. The Pacific Fleet moved its home port to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in April 1940. This move was intended to act as a deterrent to Japanese imperialism. The ship participated in annual Fleet Problems to practice naval maneuvers. It also supported relief efforts following a 1933 earthquake near Long Beach, California.

A tragic event occurred on December 7, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The USS Arizona was struck by several armor-piercing bombs dropped from the air. One bomb detonated inside an explosive-filled magazine. This massive explosion caused the battleship to sink rapidly. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,177 officers and crewmen. Because the damage was so severe, the ship could not be repaired for service.

Today, the USS Arizona remains a site of great historical significance. The shipwreck lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor. The USS Arizona Memorial was built directly across the ship's remains. This memorial is dedicated to all those who died during the attack. It serves as a permanent reminder of the ship's history and the people who served on it.