Name Arizona Ordered 4 March 1913 Commissioned 17 October 1916 Construction started 16 March 1914 Builder Brooklyn Navy Yard | Namesake Arizona Laid down 16 March 1914 Decommissioned 29 December 1941 Launched 19 June 1915 | |
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Some of the USS Arizona salvaged artifacts, taken from the wreck of that battleship after it exploded and sank in the Attack on Pearl Harbor, are displayed in several locations in the U.S. State of Arizona. The term "marine salvage" refers to the process of recovering a ship, its cargo, or other property after a shipwreck. This is a list of those artifacts recovered from the shipwreck. These artifacts are on display in the Arizona State Capitol Museum, the Carl T. Hayden Veterans Administration Medical Center and in the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, all of which are located in Phoenix. One of two salvaged bells of USS Arizona is on display in the University of Arizona Student Union Memorial Center in Tucson, and Glendale Veteran’s Memorial in the city of Glendale, Arizona is constructed using material from the wreck of the battleship.
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USS Arizona
USS Arizona was a Pennsylvania-class battleship named after Arizona, the 48th state which was admitted to the Union in 1912. She was built in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, laid down on March 16, 1914; launched on June 19, 1915 and commissioned on October 17, 1916. In April 1940, she and the rest of the United States Pacific Fleet were transferred from California to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii as a deterrent to the Empire of Japan.
On December 7, 1941, the Arizona was among the ships stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii that were attacked by the Japanese Empire’s Air Forces. The ship was hit, and exploded and sank, taking with her the lives of 1,177 crewmen and officers.
The wreck still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor. Legislation passed during the administrations of Presidents Dwight D Eisenhower and John F Kennedy designated the wreck as a national shrine. The USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated on 30 May 1962 to all those who died during the attack, straddles the ship's hull."
Arizona State Capitol Museum
The first floor of the Arizona State Capitol Museum is home to a 500-pound superstructure piece of the Arizona, the U.S. flag that flew on the ship when it sank, and pieces of the vessel's silver service.
Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center
A small piece of the ship's superstructure is on display in the second floor of the Carl T. Hayden VA (Veterans Administration) Hospital located at 650 E. Indian School Road in Phoenix. There is a plaque which reads:
Glendale Veterans Memorial
The Glendale Veterans Memorial, also known as the Glendale USS Arizona Memorial, is located at 5959 West Brown Street in Glendale, Arizona. The City of Glendale acquired historical artifacts that were salvaged from the Arizona in Pearl Harbor. The rusted metal pieces are from a portion of the potato locker in the ship's galley. The steel rings were cut from the USS Arizona Memorial flagpole.
University of Arizona Student Union Memorial Center
The University of Arizona Student Union Memorial Center houses one of the original bells used in the Arizona. The 1,820-pound bell is one of two salvaged from USS Arizona and is housed in the “bell tower”. The bell is rung after every home football victory. The other bell is on display in the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. The University of Arizona Student Union Memorial Center is located at 1303 E University Blvd in Tucson.
Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza
Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza is the home of the mast, anchor and the restored gun barrel of the Arizona.
The U.S.S. Arizona Signal Mast Committee purchased the upper 26 feet of signal mast of the Arizona and transported it to Arizona and had it erected in Wesley Bolin Plaza. It was dedicated and donated to the state of Arizona on December 7, 1990. The 16,000 pound anchor was salvaged from the Arizona after she was sunk by the Japanese in Pearl Harbor. The restored gun barrel is one of two gun barrels on display. The gun barrel is measures 55 feet long and weighs 70 tons. It was officially placed on display at the plaza on December 7, 2013. The other restored gun barrel belonged to the USS Missouri.