The USS Arizona: From Battleship to Memorial – Primary Sources of Memory and Mourning

On the morning of December 7, 1941, the U.S. Pacific Fleet lay at anchor in Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii. At 7:55 a.m., the quiet was shattered by the roar of Japanese aircraft. Within minutes, the battleship USS Arizona was struck by armor-piercing bombs, one of which ignited her forward magazine. The explosion tore through the ship, and in less than nine minutes she settled to the harbor bottom. Of her 1,177 crewmen, more than 900 were entombed in her hull. The attack did not end with the Arizona; it was a coordinated assault that would pull the United States into World War II. But for the men who served on her, and for the families who would wait in vain for letters, the Arizona became a singular symbol of sacrifice—a place where memory, mourning, and national identity would converge for decades to come.

What Happened?

The USS Arizona was a Pennsylvania-class battleship that had served in the U.S. Navy since her commissioning in 1916. By 1941, she was an older vessel, but she was still a formidable presence at the Pacific Fleet’s base at Pearl Harbor. On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise aerial attack on the fleet. The Arizona was struck by several bombs, and a massive explosion—likely from a bomb that penetrated her forward magazine—broke the ship’s back and sent her to the bottom. The official death toll was 1,177 crewmen killed, a devastating loss that represented nearly half of all American casualties that day.

In the months and years that followed, the wreck of the Arizona became the focal point of a national effort to honor the dead. The ship was not raised, as other sunken vessels were; instead, she was left where she had fallen, a visible and somber reminder of the attack. Over the years, the site was transformed:

• 1943: Suggestions for a memorial at Pearl Harbor to honor those who died in the attack began to circulate.
• 1949: The Territory of Hawaii established the Pacific War Memorial Commission, the first formal step toward a permanent memorial.
• 1950: Admiral Arthur Radford, Commander in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC), ordered a flagpole to be erected over the sunken battleship.
• December 7, 1950: On the ninth anniversary of the attack, a commemorative plaque was placed at the base of the flagpole.
• Later: The iconic 184-foot-long memorial structure was built, spanning the mid-portion of the sunken battleship. It consists of three main sections: the entry room; the assembly room, a central area for ceremonies and observation; and the shrine room, where the names of the dead are engraved on a marble wall.

Today, the USS Arizona is the final resting place for over 900 of the ship’s crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941.

How It Was Seen at the Time

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, the dominant mood in the United States was one of shock and outrage. The attack was seen as a sudden, unprovoked act of aggression, and the Arizona’s destruction was the most visible symbol of the catastrophe. The language used in the press and in official communications was dramatic and solemn. The ship was described not just as a lost warship, but as a tomb. The phrase “final resting place” was used early on to describe the wreck, emphasizing that the ship was not simply a military loss, but a place where American heroes lay.

“The USS Arizona is the final resting place for over 900 of the ship’s 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941.” — National Park Service, USS Arizona Memorial

The mood in the years immediately after the war was one of solemn remembrance, but also of determination. The memorial grew out of a wartime desire to establish a memorial at Pearl Harbor to honor those who died in the attack. The effort was not a government initiative at first; it was driven by veterans’ groups, civic organizations, and the families of the fallen. The flagpole erected in 1950 and the plaque placed on the ninth anniversary were not just ceremonial gestures, they were the first physical manifestations of a national commitment to remember.

Historical Snapshot

What People Knew at the Time

In the days and weeks after December 7, 1941, the American public knew the bare facts: the Arizona had been sunk, and many men had been killed. But the full scale of the loss, the exact number of casualties, and the cause of the explosion were not immediately clear. The Navy initially reported the loss, but the specifics were censored to protect morale and operational security. Families waited in agonizing uncertainty for official notification. The public did not know, for example, that over 900 men were trapped inside the hull, or that the ship would never be raised. Over the months and years, the details emerged slowly, through official reports, survivor accounts, and the gradual release of information.

Eyewitness Accounts

Eyewitness testimony from survivors and observers of the attack provides some of the most powerful primary sources. These accounts were collected by the Navy, by historians, and by the National Park Service in the decades after the attack. While the sources we have today are rich, the most vivid accounts come from men who were on other ships or on shore at Pearl Harbor. They describe the sound of the explosions, the black smoke, the sight of the Arizona’s forward magazine exploding, and the terrible silence that followed. One survivor of a nearby ship, who was on the USS Nevada, later recalled watching the Arizona “rise out of the water and then settle back down, covered in fire.” The emotional weight of these accounts is captured in the memorial’s own history: the ship is not just a wreck, it is a place of personal loss and national mourning.

Official Reports

The official record of the attack is contained in the Navy’s after-action reports and the congressional inquiry. These documents establish the timeline of the attack, the actions of the crew, and the official death toll. The Navy’s reports, while factual, also reflect the shock of the event. They describe the Arizona’s loss as a “total loss” and list the dead. The reports also note the decision to leave the wreck in place, a decision that would have been made by the Navy and the War Department. The official record also includes the creation of the Pacific War Memorial Commission in 1949, and the later authorization of the memorial structure. These documents show that the memorial was not an immediate response but a deliberate, evolving process that took place over years.

Timeline

1. 1916: The USS Arizona is commissioned into the U.S. Navy.
2. December 7, 1941: The Arizona is sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
3. 1943: The first suggestions for a memorial at Pearl Harbor are made.
4. 1949: The Territory of Hawaii establishes the Pacific War Memorial Commission.
5. 1950: Admiral Arthur Radford orders a flagpole erected over the sunken battleship.
6. December 7, 1950: A commemorative plaque is placed at the base of the flagpole on the ninth anniversary.
7. 1962: The USS Arizona Memorial is dedicated (the structure that stands today).
8. 1989: The National Park Service conducts a Submerged Cultural Resources Study of the Arizona and Pearl Harbor, documenting the wreck’s condition.
9. 2001: The study is updated and republished, reflecting ongoing preservation and archaeological work.

Aftermath

The aftermath of the attack on the Arizona was long and complex. The immediate military aftermath was the entry of the United States into World War II. For the families of the dead, the aftermath was a lifetime of grief. The Navy decided not to raise the Arizona, and the ship was struck from the Naval Vessel Register. In the years after the war, the memorial movement grew. The flagpole in 1950 was the first step; the plaque followed; and finally, the permanent memorial structure was built. The memorial was designed to span the mid-portion of the sunken battleship, with the shrine room at the far end, where the names of the dead are engraved on a marble wall. The memorial was built with the support of the Pacific War Memorial Commission and the Navy, and it was later transferred to the National Park Service. The Arizona has also served as an active burial ground for survivors of the attack, who have the right to be interred in the wreck upon their death, a practice that continues to this day.

How Historians See It Today

Historians today understand the USS Arizona Memorial not just as a monument to a single event, but as a cultural and archaeological site that has evolved over time. The juxtaposition of submerged cultural resource preservation and cultural interpretation is central to the modern scholarly view. The National Park Service manages the site with a methodology that includes regular underwater archaeological survey and mapping. This means the wreck is not just a memorial; it is also an archaeological site that is actively studied and preserved. Historians also emphasize that the Arizona is an active burial ground, a unique status among war memorials. The memorial is a place where the past is not static; it is a place where the dead are still being honored, and where survivors are still being interred. This active, ongoing aspect of the memorial sets it apart from other war memorials and has been the subject of scholarly inquiry.

Common Misconceptions

How Historians See It Today

Modern scholarship has moved beyond the simple narrative of a “surprise attack” to a more nuanced understanding of the Arizona as a site of memory, a symbol of the Pacific War, and a complex cultural resource. The ship is recognized as a “Navy War Memorial and Active Burial Ground,” a phrase that captures its dual role. The National Park Service’s management of the site, which includes regular underwater archaeological survey and mapping, has provided a deeper understanding of the wreck’s condition and the ongoing process of preservation. Historians today also emphasize the role of the memorial in community engagement, particularly with the families of the fallen and the survivors of the attack. The memorial is not just a static monument; it is a living place where memory is actively preserved and interpreted.

The primary sources—the official Navy reports, the memorial’s own commemorative history, the archaeological studies, and the testimonies of the survivors—reveal a story of tragedy, grief, and remembrance. The USS Arizona was a battleship, but it has become a sacred place. The ship’s wreck, the memorial structure, and the rituals that take place there all speak to the enduring power of primary sources to convey the human experience of war and loss. The Arizona is not just a relic of December 7, 1941; it is a living archive of the American experience of that day, and of the long, slow process of mourning and memory.