Pearl Harbor

The band and men of the USS Arizona, all of whom perished on December 7, 1941.

A World War II poster discussing the sinking of the USS Arizona and Pearl Harbor.

President Herbert Hoover (seeted on the right) visits with the officers and the crew of the USS Arizona.

A Day of Infamy...

The sinking of the USS Arizona occurred December 7, 1941. As part of the larger Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Arizona had the highest casualty rate of any military vessel in American history. Bombs sank the battleship, claiming the lives of 1,107 men. The horrible deaths suffered by those men on that Sunday morning was only a prelude to the global disaster of WWII.

The USS Arizona was not a large battleship by today's standards, but before World War II, it was considered very reliable if war was a threat to the United States. The Arizona was a favorite of President Herbert Hoover, whose stay on the ship was often a great welcome for the Navy men. The ship also appeared in the 1930's movie, Here Comes the Navy, starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. 1

The Arizona was unprepared at the time of attack. For the most part, those who survived were either on shore or on deck, away from the bombs. Many of the men were severely burned and died almost immediately when the bombs landed directly on the ship (there were four direct hits, and two or three indirect hits that landed in the water next to the Arizona). Some of the men on the upper decks suffered, burned to death by the fire from the explosions. The majority of the men died underwater, trapped in their bunks and other rooms in the lower decks of the ship. The sinking of the battleship Arizona not only claimed the lives of the men on board, but was a part of an attack that became known for its turning point in the involvement of the United States in World War II.

Of the 1,022 crew members, only 15 survived. One man named Harlan Christensen survived, but lost his older brother in the Arizona. The two had planned to take pictures to send back to their parents at home. Ed Christensen, only two years older than Harlan, said that he forgot something and ran below deck to retrieve it. Moments later, the Japanese flew over Pearl Harbor. Below deck, Ed was drowned as the ship quickly sank. Harlan was severely burned, due to the burning oil in the water, which killed a few other crew members before the lifeboats were able to reach them.

Some of the divers who were in charge of recovering the bodies were left shaken and would often not dive again after their first descendance into the water. For about three weeks after the Arizona went down, crews of men tried to recover the bodies of the sailors so that the families of the men could be notified as soon as possible. However, most of the sailors found were often in the process of rapid decay. Often the skin would peel off as the bodies were brought to the surface. Paul Stillwell, author of Battleship Arizona, states:

Those divers who went inside the Arizona found it a spooky place. As they walked along inside the shattered hull, their movements set up currents in the murky waters. In effect, there was a kind of suction, and on more than one occasion divers were hit in the back or in the diving helmet by corpses suspended in the water. One of the divers who had been in the crew of the Arizona at the time of the attack never recovered from the experience. He turned first to alcohol for solace but didn't find it. Eventually, he used his Navy pistol to end his life.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was the beginning of America's official involvement in World War II. The war brought death to a great number of people from every country, and certainly many tragedies exist like that of the USS Arizona because of it. To look at the whole picture, however, one cannot see the pain of those involved in any one incident. It is only when one can focus on the inevitable, that the pain and the awe of such great tragedies can be understood.

"Today I can smell the fresh pinewood, and the memory comes back to the day at Oahu Cemetery when I saw blood and oil seeping out of these boxes and knew that only yesterday these men were live human beings." -Robert LaForte, Remembering Pearl Harbor: Eyewitness Accounts by U.S. Military Men and Women

Suggested Readings:

Cherokee Tragedy by Thurman Williams
Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by
Essays by William Penn

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Boise State University

The band and men of the USS Arizona, all of whom perished on December 7, 1941. A World War II poster discussing the sinking of the USS Arizona and Pearl Harbor. President Herbert Hoover (seeted on the right) visits with the officers and the crew of the USS Arizona.	A Day of Infamy... The sinking of the USS Arizona occurred December 7, 1941. As part of the larger Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Arizona had the highest casualty rate of any military vessel in American history. Bombs sank the battleship, claiming the lives of 1,107 men. The horrible deaths suffered by those men on that Sunday morning was only a prelude to the global disaster of WWII. The USS Arizona was not a large battleship by today's standards, but before World War II, it was considered very reliable if war was a threat to the United States. The Arizona was a favorite of President Herbert Hoover, whose stay on the ship was often a great welcome for the Navy men. The ship also appeared in the 1930's movie, Here Comes the Navy, starring James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. 1 The Arizona was unprepared at the time of attack. For the most part, those who survived were either on shore or on deck, away from the bombs. Many of the men were severely burned and died almost immediately when the bombs landed directly on the ship (there were four direct hits, and two or three indirect hits that landed in the water next to the Arizona). Some of the men on the upper decks suffered, burned to death by the fire from the explosions. The majority of the men died underwater, trapped in their bunks and other rooms in the lower decks of the ship. The sinking of the battleship Arizona not only claimed the lives of the men on board, but was a part of an attack that became known for its turning point in the involvement of the United States in World War II. Of the 1,022 crew members, only 15 survived. One man named Harlan Christensen survived, but lost his older brother in the Arizona. The two had planned to take pictures to send back to their parents at home. Ed Christensen, only two years older than Harlan, said that he forgot something and ran below deck to retrieve it. Moments later, the Japanese flew over Pearl Harbor. Below deck, Ed was drowned as the ship quickly sank. Harlan was severely burned, due to the burning oil in the water, which killed a few other crew members before the lifeboats were able to reach them. Some of the divers who were in charge of recovering the bodies were left shaken and would often not dive again after their first descendance into the water. For about three weeks after the Arizona went down, crews of men tried to recover the bodies of the sailors so that the families of the men could be notified as soon as possible. However, most of the sailors found were often in the process of rapid decay. Often the skin would peel off as the bodies were brought to the surface. Paul Stillwell, author of Battleship Arizona, states: Those divers who went inside the Arizona found it a spooky place. As they walked along inside the shattered hull, their movements set up currents in the murky waters. In effect, there was a kind of suction, and on more than one occasion divers were hit in the back or in the diving helmet by corpses suspended in the water. One of the divers who had been in the crew of the Arizona at the time of the attack never recovered from the experience. He turned first to alcohol for solace but didn't find it. Eventually, he used his Navy pistol to end his life. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the beginning of America's official involvement in World War II. The war brought death to a great number of people from every country, and certainly many tragedies exist like that of the USS Arizona because of it. To look at the whole picture, however, one cannot see the pain of those involved in any one incident. It is only when one can focus on the inevitable, that the pain and the awe of such great tragedies can be understood. "Today I can smell the fresh pinewood, and the memory comes back to the day at Oahu Cemetery when I saw blood and oil seeping out of these boxes and knew that only yesterday these men were live human beings." -Robert LaForte, Remembering Pearl Harbor: Eyewitness Accounts by U.S. Military Men and Women


Suggested Readings: Cherokee Tragedy by Thurman Williams Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Essays by William Penn