I co-curated this exhibition with another member of the Special Collections staff, who chose the materials for inclusion in the exhibition. My contributions included writing all of the captions and a narrative of the ship’s history (see the text below) as well as a timeline/chronology of key events in the life of the ship. All photos used here are from the U.S.S. Arizona collection, AZ 517, courtesy of Special Collections, The University of Arizona Libraries.

Promo from the UA News Service:

Special Collections, at the Main Library, has one of the largest collections of USS Arizona materials in the world. The collection will host a signature exhibition honoring the 1,177 USS Arizona crewmen and officers who gave their lives in the line of duty during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The extensive USS Arizona collection, which has been created primarily from donations of individuals associated with the battleship during her 26-year life, is the source of content for the exhibition, “The Life and Legacy of the USS Arizona,” which opens on Aug. 29.

The exhibition will remain open through Dec. 23, featuring original photographs that document the USS Arizona’s personnel and operational history. Other materials on display will be papers, scrapbooks, documents and memorabilia, such as the ship’s newspaper, official Navy documents and crew correspondence. Also included will be oral histories with men who served on the ship and papers from the USS Arizona Reunion Association.

Click here to see the chronology that I created for the exhibition.

The narrative I wrote for the exhibit:

1914-1915

At the close of the 19^th century, the military strength of Japan and Great Britain was largely based on their sea power, and both led the world in building great battleships. Domination of the seas meant domination of commerce and trade.  The United States, not to be outdone, dedicated itself into building even greater, mightier war ships, and in the early 1900s several were built. It took an act of Congress to authorize the construction of such ships. Upon completion of construction, the USS Arizona, the 41^st battleship built by the US Navy, was said, by the New York Times, to be “the world’s biggest and most powerful, both offensively and defensively, super dreadnought ever constructed.” The ship was built at a cost of 15 million dollars, and was a sister ship to the USS Pennsylvania. 

There was speculation in the news media about the name of the new ship. Some believed it would be named after the home state of the Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels, who hailed from North Carolina. However, as fate would have it, the keel for the new ship was laid on March 14, 1914 and it was christened the USS Arizona on June 19, 1915, in honor of its entry as the 48^th state into the union on February 14, 1912.

Esther Ross, an Arizona native and the daughter of a prominent Prescott businessman, was chosen by Governor George P. Hunt as the ship’s sponsor.  It was her job to “christen” the ship, and an estimated 75,000 people crowded the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn witness Miss Ross fling two bottles, one filled with champagne and one with water, at the prow of the ship, proclaiming, “I christen thee Arizona!”

1916-1920

The USS Arizona was commissioned on October 17, 1916 by Rear Admiral Nathaniel R. Usher. Its first captain was John D. McDonald. Following her “shakedown cruise”, or maiden voyage, on November 10, 1916, she joined the Atlantic fleet, and by the end of 1916 had sailed to Cuba and had fired both her 5-inch and 14-inch guns for the first time. Unfortunately, the ship had experienced some mechanical problems with one of its engines, and as a result had to return to New York for repairs, which took about four months.

The ship remained stateside during World War I because oil, which wasn’t readily available in Europe during the war, was the ship’s main fuel source, while other ships in the US fleet ran on coal, which was plentiful in places like England.

Shortly after the war ended, the ship participated in escorting President Woodrow Wilson to Europe for the Paris Peace talks in December 1918. It was then sent to Turkey in 1919 at the beginning of the Greco-Turkish War to represent US interests, which included the oil companies owned by men such as John D. Rockefeller. It then sailed back to New York where it remained until the following year. In January, 1920, the ship sailed to the Caribbean once again, with visits to Cuba, Barbados and Panama.

1921-1925

In early January of 1921, the USS Arizona joined the rest of the Atlantic fleet for a trek to Cuba to participate in a series of tactical exercises in the Caribbean. Having its sister ships in proximity offered the crew of the USS Arizona the opportunity to compete with the crews of other ships in a variety of sports, including football, rowing, boxing and baseball. Several of these athletic teams from USS Arizona won awards and trophies.

 The fleet transited the Panama Canal on January 17, 1921, and made its way to Peru, crossing the Equator for the first time on January 24. This was the USS Arizona’s first opportunity to both transit the Canal and to cross the Equator. Crossing the Equator, according to naval tradition, meant it was time for the “crossing the line” ceremonies, a series of mostly fun-filled activities and practical jokes intended to initiate new recruits into the naval brotherhood.

By mid-1921, a number of changes took place, including a change in senior leadership. The USS Arizona was now under the command of Rear Admiral Josiah S. McKean and tasked to join the Pacific fleet, with its new home base at San Pedro, a port adjacent to Long Beach, Ca.

In 1923, President Warren Harding reviewed the ship while anchored in Seattle. Upon his death the following month, the USS Arizona half-masted her colors and joined other ships in firing a salute to the deceased President.

1925-1930

The latter part of the 1920s found the USS Arizona with a busy schedule. It was continually moving, often engaged with its sister battleships in a variety of military exercises. From its home base in Southern California, it sailed up and down the West Coast, from San Pedro to San Francisco to Seattle and back numerous times. It sailed to Hawaii twice, to Panama and the Caribbean, and up to New York and back. Its final trip of the 1920s was through the Panama Canal up to the Norfolk Navy Yard where it was dry docked in late May, 1929, and underwent major renovations.  The cage masts were replaced with newer tripod-type masts, and newer five inch guns replaced her old three-inch anti-aircraft battery. Outer plating was added to protect against underwater mines and torpedos.  Work on the ship was finally completed in December of 1930.

1931-1935

Remodeling of the ship was completed by 1931 and the ship is re-commissioned. It sails the East Coast, and escorts President Herbert Hoover on a cruise to the West Indies and back to Maine. It also makes trips to Cuba and the Panama Canal on its way back to the West coast. By early 1932 it makes its way to Hawaii with other battle ships for tactical exercises, but soon returns to the West Coast. This would be the normal routine for the ship for the remainder of the 1930s, although there were a few out of the ordinary adventures, including the occurrence of an earthquake in Long Beach in 1933. The crew of the ship assisted with the relief efforts that followed. Another was the use of the ship as the main prop for the movie, “Here Comes the Navy” starring James Cagney in 1934.

1936-1940

The next five years (1936-1940) finds the ship spending time sailing up and down the Pacific coast, as well as making a few long distance trips to Hawaii, Panama and the South Seas.  It crossed the Equator two more times, offering the ship’s men the opportunity to engage in more rounds of “crossing the line” ceremonies. It also participated with the rest of the US Fleet in various military exercises throughout this time period.   Tragically, on July 9, 1937, one of the USS Arizona’s planes, an O3U-3 biplane, was caught by a sudden wind that plunged it five hundred feet, into Puget Sound, leaving one man, Seaman First Class William H. Meyers, dead. By late September, 1940. the ship returned to the West Coast and spent the last days of 1940 in the Puget Sound region. 

December 7, 1941

Pearl Harbor. The fate of the crew on the USS Arizona took the worst turn imaginable on December 7, 1941. Early in the morning, the Japanese attacked the US fleet docked in the harbor, and virtually destroyed the USS Arizona with a direct hit which split the ship in half and caused it to sink, killing most of its men. In all over 1,100 lives were lost. Over 900 of these men are still buried on the ship. As then President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed shortly after the bombing, Dec. 7 1941 “would be a day that would live in infamy”. 

There are numerous first person accounts of the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. To learn more about these personal testimonies, please see the computer kiosk included as part of this exhibit. It includes two recorded oral histories. 

The book, “The USS Arizona: the ship, the men, the Pearl Harbor attack, and the symbol that aroused America,” by Joy Waldron Jasper, James P. Delgado and Jim Adams. New York: Truman Talley, 2001, is also available in the Main Library and Special Collections.                (Call #: D 767.92 J37 2001)

Daily Life on the USS Arizona

The USS Arizona was home to over 1500 crew members at any given time. There was a clearly defined chain of command and very little, if any, informal interaction between officers and the non-commissioned and enlisted ranks. Those in the enlisted ranks were assigned the most laborious jobs, such as holystoning the deck, (sanding the deck with a brick attached to a pole) polishing brass and peeling chipped paint.

While daily life on the USS Arizona was very regimented, the sailors still found time for engaging in various activities, including a variety of sports such as boxing, rowing, baseball and football.  Over the years the teams representing the USS Arizona in competition with teams from other ships won a number of trophies and awards.

The ship housed a printing operation, and published a weekly newsletter, as well as programs for events and other activities. The ship had its own band, and concerts were given whenever possible. Parties, and special dinners occurred all too rarely, but were memorable events. The ship also had a library, and a canteen, and church services were held every Sunday.

William Watkins

William Allen Watkins was born in Jackson County, West Virginia and served aboard the USS Arizona from 1931-1938. He remained with the US Navy for 23 years, and retired in 1953. His duties while on the USS Arizona included that of turret crew member, where he kept the turret #1 clean and ready for firing.  He was active in sports, and participated on the ship’s tennis, baseball and rowing teams throughout the 30s.  He donated over 400 USS Arizona related items to the University of Arizona, including photographs, albums, books, certificates, banners, a kerchief and various handmade souvenirs such as handmade photo frames and ashtrays, made from shell casings and scrap metal.

Carlos Cecil

Carlos Cecil enlisted in the US Navy in 1917. He was a Carpenter’s Mate 1^st class, and served on board the USS Arizona from 1919 to 1921, whereupon he received an honorable discharge. He was born on October 15, 1899 in St. Louis Missouri, and passed away at the age of 70 on July 8, 1970.  His last will and testament stipulated that his collection of Navy memorabilia be donated to the University of Arizona. These included photographs, news articles and programs for various events. They were presented to the University by Cecil’s widow at the 18^th Annual Fleet Reserve Associations SS Arizona Memorial Service, held at the Student Union building on December 5, 1971.

Crew-Kin Association

The USS Arizona Crew-Kin, an Arizona non-profit organization, was founded in 1979 shortly after the fourth annual reunion of the USS Arizona Reunion Association. The organization’s objectives were to: maintain membership of the immediate relatives of persons who served on board the USS Arizona; to perpetuate and memorialize the Battleship USS Arizona and the officers and men who served on board; and to conduct reunions with such members. Meetings were held annually and reunions were to take place on the weekend nearest the 7^th of December at the University of Arizona’s Student Union building. The organization’s bylaws included descriptions and duties for various committees, including the newsletter committee, a historian committee, and a publicity committee.

Pearl Harbor Memorial

Efforts to create a memorial at Pearl Harbor date back to 1950, when Admiral Arthur W. Radford, commander of the Pacific Fleet, attached a flag pole to the main mast of the USS Arizona and began a tradition of hoisting and lowering the flag. A temporary memorial was created that same year above the remaining portion of the deckhouse.  As early as 1951, Radford requested funding to create a national memorial, but it took over 10 years to see his vision realized.

The USS Arizona Memorial was built in 1962, and is the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the USS Arizona during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The memorial was designed by Honolulu architect, Alfred Preis.

The National Park Service currently manages a visitor’s center, where historical information about the ship is provided.  It also runs a shuttle to and from the memorial, and provides other general visitor services. 2 million people visit the site annually. The sunken remains of the USS Arizona were declared a National Historic Landmark on May 5, 1989.

The Ship’s Bell

In June, 1944, while in search of scrap material in the Bremerton Navy Yard, Wilbur Bowers, (a University of Arizona graduate, class of 1927), discovered one of the ship’s bells from the USS Arizona, enclosed in a crate and in line to be melted down. Bowers worked immediately to save the bell, contacting the senior Naval command. In August of the same year, Arizona Governor Sidney P. Osborn wrote to the Honorable James V. Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, requesting that once the war ended, that the ship’s bell be turned over to the State of Arizona, to be hung at the University of Arizona’s Old Main building. The bell reached the campus in 1946, and when the new Memorial Student Union building was constructed in the early 1950s, was installed in a tower built specifically for it. While the Memorial Student Union has since been re-modeled, the bell remains a stalwart fixture in the structure, and is rung on special occasions. It is also rung seven times every third Wednesday of the month to honor the achievements of UA students, faculty and staff.

Crossing the Line Ceremonies

The Crossing the Line ceremony is an initiation rite in the US Navy that has origins going back hundreds of years.  It commemorates a sailor’s first crossing of the Equator. The two-day event is a ritual in which previously inducted crew members called Trusty Shellbacks, are organized into a “Court of Neptune” to induct “slimy pollywogs” into the “mysteries of the deep”. The pollywogs undergo a series of personal initiation ordeals. After a day and half of such activities, a pollywog receives a certificate indicating his new status as a shellback.

The USS Arizona crossed the Equator three times, first on January 24, 1921, then again on May 19, 1936 and a final time in July, 1940. On each occasion, the crossing of the line ceremony was held. The USS Arizona collection includes a variety of photographs and memorabilia commemorating each crossing.

Click here to see Special Collections’ online exhibition.