History of USS Arizona in Timeline

USS Arizona was a Pennsylvania-class battleship commissioned in 1916, named after the state of Arizona. It remained in the US during WWI but escorted President Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference and represented American interests during the Greco-Turkish War. In 1921, it was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Its history is marked by its symbolic representation of American naval power during the early 20th century.

March 1914: Keel Laying

On 16 March 1914, the keel of USS Arizona was laid with Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt in attendance.

1914: Armor Testing

In mid-1914, testing revealed USS Arizona's torpedo bulkhead system could withstand 300 pounds (140 kg) of TNT.

June 1915: Launched

On 19 June 1915, USS Arizona was launched, about fifteen months after keel-laying.

October 1916: USS Arizona Commissioned

In October 1916, the USS Arizona was commissioned into the Navy with Captain John McDonald in command.

November 1916: Departure from New York

On 10 November 1916, the USS Arizona departed New York after the crew cleaned the ship and the propulsion system was tested at the dock.

1916: Commissioned

In 1916, USS Arizona was commissioned into the United States Navy and remained stateside during World War I.

April 1917: US Declares war on Germany; Arizona assigned to gunnery training

In April 1917, the United States declared war on Germany. The USS Arizona was assigned to Battleship Division 8 and used as a gunnery training ship.

December 1917: Four American dreadnoughts sent across the Atlantic

In December 1917, four coal-fired American dreadnoughts were sent across the Atlantic as Battleship Division Nine, but the USS Arizona was not among them.

July 1918: Arizona wins the Battenberg Cup

In July 1918, the race-boat team from USS Arizona won the Battenberg Cup by beating the team from Nevada.

November 1918: Armistice and departure for the United Kingdom

In November 1918, following the armistice on 11 November, the USS Arizona left the United States for the United Kingdom, arriving on 30 November 1918.

December 1918: Escorting President Wilson to France

On 13 December 1918, USS Arizona joined nine battleships and twenty-eight destroyers escorting President Woodrow Wilson on the ocean liner George Washington into Brest for one day on Wilson's journey to the Paris Peace Conference. The ship returned to New York on 26 December.

January 1919: Sailed from New York for Hampton Roads

On 22 January 1919, the USS Arizona sailed from New York for Hampton Roads.

March 1919: Fitted with flying-off platform

In March 1919, USS Arizona was fitted with a flying-off platform, similar to the one given to Texas.

1919: Deployed abroad for Greco-Turkish War

In 1919, USS Arizona was deployed abroad to represent American interests during the Greco-Turkish War.

January 1920: Overhaul completed and sailed to Guantanamo Bay

In January 1920, the USS Arizona's overhaul was completed and the battleship sailed south to Guantanamo Bay for crew training.

January 1921: Transited the Panama Canal

In January 1921, the USS Arizona, in company with six battleships and eighteen destroyers, was sent south to transit the Panama Canal.

July 1923: Naval review in Seattle

On 27 July 1923, the USS Arizona joined President Warren G. Harding's naval review in Seattle.

March 1924: Prostitute stowed away aboard Arizona

In early March 1924, a prostitute named Madeline Blair stowed away aboard USS Arizona. She was discovered on 12 April while the ship was anchored in Balboa, Panama.

September 1924: Full-power trial

In September 1924, USS Arizona managed to reach 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph) during a full-power trial.

1925: Fleet Problems to defend the Hawaiian Islands

In 1925, USS Arizona participated in Fleet Problems that attempted to defend the Hawaiian Islands.

January 1929: Fleet Problem IX

In January 1929, the USS Arizona participated in Fleet Problem IX. This occurred four months before the ship underwent modernization at the Norfolk Navy Yard.

1930: Reprimands stricken from officer's records

In 1930, Admiral William V. Pratt ordered the reprimands stricken from the officer's records when he became Chief of Naval Operations.

March 1931: President Hoover's Visit

On 19 March 1931, President Herbert Hoover vacationed in the Caribbean aboard the USS Arizona, even before its post-modernization sea trials. The President visited Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

February 1932: Grand Joint Exercise No. 4

In February 1932, the USS Arizona participated in Grand Joint Exercise No. 4, during which carrier aircraft successfully attacked Pearl Harbor on Sunday morning, 7 February.

1933: Long Beach Earthquake Relief

In 1933, after Fleet Problem XIV, the USS Arizona was anchored in San Pedro when an earthquake struck Long Beach, California, on 10 March. Sailors from the ship provided food, treated the injured, and provided security from looters in the relief efforts.

1934: Filming of "Here Comes the Navy" and Collision with Umatilla

In early 1934, the USS Arizona and its crew were filmed for the James Cagney/Warner Brothers film "Here Comes the Navy". Later, on 26 July 1934, the Arizona collided with the fishing trawler Umatilla off Cape Flattery, resulting in two deaths and a subsequent court-martial for the ship's captain.

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March 1935: Rear Admiral Pettengill Relieves Bryant

On 4 March 1935, Rear Admiral George T. Pettengill relieved Rear Admiral Bryant. Two months later, the ship participated in Fleet Problem XVI.

May 1936: Port Visit to Balboa

In May 1936, the USS Arizona made a port visit to Balboa during Fleet Problem XVII.

January 1937: Rear Admiral Greenslade Assumes Command

On 2 January 1937, Rear Admiral John Greenslade assumed command of Battleship Division Two from Bloch.

May 1938: Participation in Fleet Problem XIX

In April-May 1938, the USS Arizona participated in Fleet Problem XIX off Hawaii.

September 1938: Captain Brown's Death and Kidd's Assumption of Command

In September 1938, Captain Brown died in his sleep on 7 September, and Captain Isaac C. Kidd assumed command of the ship on 17 September 1938. Rear Admiral Chester Nimitz also assumed command of Battleship Division One on the same day.

May 1939: Nimitz Relieved by Willson

In May 1939, Rear Admiral Chester Nimitz was relieved by Rear Admiral Russell Willson.

February 1940: Captain Train Assumes Command

On 5 February 1940, Captain Harold C. Train assumed command of the ship.

April 1940: Pacific Fleet moved to Pearl Harbor

In April 1940, the Pacific Fleet's home port, including the USS Arizona, was moved from California to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as a deterrent to Japanese imperialism.

May 1940: Last Fleet Problem off Hawaii

In April–May 1940, the USS Arizona's last fleet problem was off Hawaii. Following this, the United States Pacific Fleet was retained in Hawaiian waters, based at Pearl Harbor.

October 1940: Overhaul at Puget Sound Navy Yard

From October 1940 to January 1941, the USS Arizona was overhauled at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington.

1940: Based in San Pedro, Los Angeles

Until 1940, USS Arizona was based in San Pedro, Los Angeles.

January 1941: Flag Change-of-Command

On 23 January 1941, Willson was relieved by Isaac Kidd, who was by that time a rear admiral, marking Arizona's last flag change-of-command.

February 1941: Captain Van Valkenburgh Relieves Train

On 5 February 1941, Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh relieved Captain Train.

October 1941: Collision with the Oklahoma

On 22 October 1941, the USS Arizona was struck in the bow by the Oklahoma during an exercise in heavy fog, requiring dry-docking at Pearl Harbor for repairs.

December 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor and sinking of USS Arizona

On 7 December 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona was hit by several air-dropped armor-piercing bombs, detonating an explosive-filled magazine, sinking the battleship and killing 1,177 of its officers and crewmen. The shipwreck was not repaired and remains at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, now the site of the USS Arizona Memorial.

December 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor

On 7 December 1941, the USS Arizona was attacked by Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor. Ten Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" torpedo bombers struck the ship, resulting in a devastating explosion.

1941: Arizona's Wreck in Pearl Harbor

The wreck of Arizona remains at Pearl Harbor to commemorate the men of her crew lost that December morning in 1941.

December 1942: USS Arizona Stricken from Naval Vessel Register

On 1 December 1942, the USS Arizona was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register, being considered unfit for service even if salvaged due to the extensive damage from the magazine explosion. Her surviving superstructure was scrapped in 1942.

1944: Navy Bureau of Ships Report on Arizona Explosion

In 1944, a Navy Bureau of Ships report suggested that the USS Arizona explosion may have been caused by a bomb detonating in or near the black-powder magazine. It suggested that a hatch leading to the black powder magazine was left open, possibly with flammable materials stocked nearby.

1944: Guns from Turret II Installed on Nevada

In the fall of 1944, the guns from Turret II of the USS Arizona were salvaged, straightened, relined and later installed on the USS Nevada.

August 1945: Battery Pennsylvania Fires Guns on V-J Day

In August 1945, Battery Pennsylvania, armed with salvaged guns from the USS Arizona, fired its guns for the first and last time on V-J Day while training.

March 1950: Raising of Colors Instituted

On 7 March 1950, Admiral Arthur W. Radford instituted the raising of colors over the remains of the USS Arizona.

1962: Designation as a National Shrine

In 1962, legislation during the administrations of presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy led to the designation of the USS Arizona wreck as a national shrine.

October 1966: National Memorial Listed on National Register of Historic Places

On 15 October 1966, the national memorial for the USS Arizona was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

December 1987: USS Arizona Memorial Trophy Provided to the Navy

On 7 December 1987, the citizens of Arizona provided the Navy with "The USS Arizona Memorial Trophy," a three-foot-tall bronze trophy on a black marble base. This trophy is awarded every two years to a ship that achieves the highest combat readiness.

May 1989: Designation as a National Historic Landmark

On 5 May 1989, the USS Arizona was designated a National Historic Landmark.

2004: Comprehensive Computerized Mapping of the Hull

In 2004, the US Navy and the National Park Service oversaw a comprehensive computerized mapping of the hull of the USS Arizona, being careful to honor its role as a war grave. The navy considered non-intrusive means of abating the continued leakage of oil.

2020: Bell No Longer Rung

As of 2020, the original USS Arizona bell at the University of Arizona Student Union Memorial Center bell tower is no longer rung due to the risk of damaging it.