In the Second Book of Shmuel (Samuel), 22nd chapter, 5th through the 19th verses, translated from the original in Hebrew and published by the Koren Publishers of Jerusalem, Israel, can perhaps aptly describe the fate of the crew and all other U.S.sailors who died defending their county:
"When the waves of death compassed me / the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; / the bonds of She'ol encircled me; / the snares of death took me by surprise; / in my distress I called upon the Lord, / and cried to my G-D: / and he heard my voice out of his temple, / and my cry entered into his ears. / Then the earth shook and trembled; /the foundations of heaven moved / and shook because of his anger /...the heavy mass of waters, and thick clouds of the skies /... And the channels of the sea appeared, / the foundations of the world were laid bare, / at the rebuking of the Lord, at the blast at the breath of his nostrils. / He sent from above, he took me; / he drew me out of many waters; / he delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me. / They surprised me in the day of my calamity: / but the Lord was my stay..."
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 | 55k | The death of the Arizona (BB-39), 0805, December 7 1941. The forward magazines of Arizona explode after she was hit by a Japanese bomb, 7 December 1941. Frame clipped from a color motion picture taken from on board Solace (AH-5). | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # 80-G-K-13513, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 71k | The death of the Arizona (BB-39), 0805, December 7 1941. The forward magazines of Arizona explode after she was hit by a Japanese bomb, 7 December 1941. Black and white photo from a picture taken from on board Solace (AH-5). Photo shows greater contrast than the color one above. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # 80-G-6683, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 62k | The forward half of the ship is engulfed in flames that shoot hundreds of feet into the air. The heat is so intense that the only remains of Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, the Commander of Battleship Division One is his Naval Academy class ring, welded to the steel deck of the armored conning tower. These color shots were taken from a rare color motion picture shot by an Army doctor visiting the Solace (AH-5). | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # 80-G-K-13512, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Text courtesy of ibiblio.org via Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 60k | Captain Isaac C. Kidd, USN. Photographed on board Argonne (AS-10), circa 1931. He was then serving as Chief of Staff to the Commander, Base Force, U.S. Fleet, Rear Admiral Henry H. Hough, USN. | USNHC # NH 50176, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 77k | Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh, USN; who was awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously, for devotion to duty and courage while serving as Commanding Officer of Arizona (BB-39) during the 7 December 1941 Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor. Halftone reproduction, copied from the official publication "Medal of Honor, 1861-1948, The Navy", page 272.
Commanding officers of the Arizona. 1. McDonald, John Daniel, CAPT. 17.10.1916 / 18.02.1918 FDC, 2. McKean, Josiah Slutts, CAPT. 18.02.1918 / 11.09.1918 3. Dayton, John Havens, CAPT:RADM. 11.09.1918 / 26.06.1920 4. Phelps, William Woodward, CAPT. 26.06.1920 / 11.06.1921 5. Chase, Jehu Valentine, CAPT:ADM. 11.06.1921 / 24.12.1921 6. Marvell, George Ralph, CAPT. 24.12.1921 / 27.07.1922 7. Blakely, John Russell Young, CAPT. 27.07.1922 / 29.11.1923 8. Olmstead, Percy Napier, CAPT. 29.11.1923 / 27.06.1925 9. Perrill, Harlan Page, CAPT. 27.06.1925 / 24.05.1927 10. Tarrant, William Theodore, CAPT. 24.05.1927 / 27.06.1928 11. Kimberly, Victor Ashfield, CAPT. 27.06.1928 / 04.09.1928 12. Wortman, Ward Kenneth, CAPT. 04.09.1928 / 29.04.1930 13. Thomson Jr., Thaddeus Austin, CAPT. 29.04.1930 / 20.09.1930 14. Freeman, Charles Seymour, CAPT :VADM. 20.09.1930 / 20.06.1932 15. Kerrick, Charles Sylvanus, CAPT. 20.06.1932 / 30.09.1933 16. Milne, MacGillvray, CAPT. 30.09.1933 / 10.12.1934 17. Baum, George Martin, CAPT. 10.12.1934 / 08.06.1936 18. Alexander, George Andrew, CAPT. 08.06.1936 / 11.12.1937 19. Brown Sr., Alfred Winsor, CAPT. 11.12.1937 / 07.09.1938 20. Phillips, Wallace Benjamin, CAPT. 07.09.1938 / 17.09.1938 21. Kidd Sr., Isaac Campbell, CAPT :RADM. 17.09.1938 / 03.02.1940 22. Geiselman, Ellis Hugh, CAPT. 03.02.1940 / 00.00.1940 23. Train, Harold Cecil, CAPT. :RADM. 05.09.1940 / 05.02.1941 24.Van Valkenburgh, Franklin Butler, CAPT. 05.02.1941 / 07.12.1941 25. Fuqua, Samuel Glenn, LCDR (Officer in Charge) :RADM. 07.12.1941 / 29.12.1941 In Ordinary-out of Commission-laid up stricken 01.12.1942. | USNHC photo # NH 75840, now in the collections of the National Archives. List of CO's courtesy of Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves HTC USNR (ret.) | |
 | 93k | Commander Samuel Glenn Fuqua, USN, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism and distinguished conduct in action while serving on board Arizona (BB-39) during the 7 December 1941 Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor. He was a Lieutenant Commander at that time. Halftone reproduction, copied from the official publication "Medal of Honor, 1861-1948, The Navy", page 189. | USNHC # NH 92306, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 69k | Rear Admiral Issac C. Kidd, USN. Portrait in oils by Rishell, 1942. The original painting measures 48 inches by 38 inches. | USNHC # NH 85226-KN, courtesy of the U.S. Navy Art Collection, Washington, D.C. | |
 | 899k | The forward superstructure and Number Two 14"/45 triple gun turret of the sunken Arizona (BB-39), afire after the Japanese raid, 7 December 1941. The foremast is leaning as a result of the collapse of the hull structure below its front leg, following the explosion of the ship's forward magazines. | Text from USNHC # NH 97379, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Photo from NARA FILE #: 080-G-32420, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil, Defense Visual Information Center. | |
 | 83k | Arizona (BB-39) sunk and burning furiously, 7 December 1941. Her forward magazines had exploded when she was hit by a Japanese bomb. At left, men on the stern of Tennessee (BB-43) are playing fire hoses on the water to force burning oil away from their ship. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph,USNHC # 80-G-19942, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 60k | Arizona (BB-39) sunk and burning after the Japanese attack, 7 December 1941. Her forward magazines had exploded when she was hit by a Japanese bomb, resulting in the collapse of structure below her two forward turrets and superstructure. The tug Hoga (YT-146) is alongside, fighting fires on board the wrecked battleship. | Submitted by Scott Dyben. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # 80-G-32485, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 58k | View of "Battleship Row" during or immediately after the Japanese raid. Arizona (BB-39) is sunk and burning at right. West Virginia (BB-48) is in the center, sunk alongside Tennessee (BB-43), with oil fires shrouding them both. The capsized Oklahoma (BB-37) is at the left, alongside Maryland (BB-46). | Submitted by Scott Dyben. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # 80-G-32485, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 82k | The forward superstructure and midships gun positions of the sunken Arizona (BB-39) , afire after the Japanese raid, 7 December 1941. At right are the ship's mainmast and boat cranes, which were beyond the areas wrecked by the explosion of her forward magazines. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 97380, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 71k | The sunken Arizona (BB-39) burns following the raid by Japanese carrier aircraft, 7 December 1941. Photographed from the shore of Ford Island. The after gun turrets of Tennessee (BB-43) are faintly visible at the extreme right. One of that ship's motor launches is nearby. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 97381, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 60k | Sunk and burning at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941, after her forward magazines exploded when she was hit by Japanese bombs. YG-21 is alongside, helping to fight the fires. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 83062, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 84k | Aftermath of the Japanese sneak attack on these three stricken U.S. battleships; from left to right: West Virginia (BB-48) (severely damaged), Tennessee (BB-43)(damaged), and the Arizona (BB-39)(sunk). | NARA #(NLR-PHOCO-A-65458). | |
 | 91k | Burned out and sunk at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, after her fires were out, 9 December 1941. She was destroyed when bombs detonated her forward magazines during the Japanese raid of 7 December 1941. Tern (AM-31) and Navajo (AT-64) are alongside. Solace (AH-5) is in the center distance. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 83063, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 90k | A harbor tug (YT) and a garbage lighter (YG) fighting fires on the battleship, after she was sunk at Pearl Harbor by Japanese bombs on 7 December 1941. This photograph may have been taken on the following day. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 97382, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 90k | View of the starboard side of the sunken battleship's collapsed foremast and midships area, taken at Pearl Harbor on 9 December 1941, two days after the Japanese attack that destroyed her. A motor whaleboat is at left, apparently carrying an inspection party. On the opposite side of Arizona (BB-39) is Tern (AM-31), spraying water on the still-hot wreckage. Stern of West Virginia (BB-48), also sunk in the Japanese raid, is at right. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 97383, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 103k | Burned out and sunk in Pearl Harbor on 10 December 1941, three days after she was destroyed during the 7 December Japanese raid. Ships in the background are Saint Louis (CL-49), in center, and the hulked minelayer Baltimore (CM-1) at left. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 63918, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 89k | Sunk at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, after her fires were out, 9 December 1941. She was destroyed during the Japanese raid of 7 December 1941. Navajo (AT-64) and Tern (AM-31) are alongside, spraying water to cool her burned out forward superstructure and midships area. In the left center distance are the masts of West Virginia (BB-48) and Tennessee (BB-43). | USNHC # NH 83064, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 116k | Aerial view of "Battleship Row" moorings on the southern side of Ford Island, 10 December 1941, showing damage from the Japanese raid three days earlier. In upper left is the sunken California (BB-44), with smaller vessels clustered around her. Diagonally, from left center to lower right are: Maryland (BB-46), lightly damaged, with the capsized Oklahoma (BB-37) outboard. A barge is alongside Oklahoma, supporting rescue efforts.Tennessee (BB-43), lightly damaged, with the sunken West Virginia (BB-48) outboard. Arizona (BB-39), sunk, with her hull shattered by the explosion of the magazines below the two forward turrets. Note dark oil streaks on the harbor surface, originating from the sunken battleships. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # 80-G-387565, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 159k | Salvage work on the Arizona (BB-39) taken in December, 1942. This photo shows the armored conning tower with all of the surrounding bridges, tripod foremast, and supporting superstructure already removed. | USN photo. | |
 | 86k | Wrecked at Pearl Harbor, 12 December 1941. Her forward magazines had exploded, destroying the ship, when she was hit by bombs during the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack. By the date of this photo, the National Ensign was being flown from her mainmast, rather than at the stern. | USNHC # NH 64473, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 44k | The burned-out, sunken wreck of Arizona(BB-39) , photographed some days after the attack. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # 80-G-1021538, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 65k | Arizona (BB-39) sunk and burning, with the National Ensign still flying at her stern. See 013916b for comparison of placement of flag. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # 80-G-32591, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 69k | A small boat alongside the water level turrets of the blown up Arizona (BB-39), sometime between December 1941 and early February 1942. | Photo courtesy of periscopefilm.com. Text i.d. courtesy of Tracy White. |
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 | 122k | Sunken wreckage of the battleship Arizona (BB-39) destroyed during Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. | Photo courtesy of time.com. via / images.google.com & Life. Photo added 11/24/08. | |
 | 203k | Sunken wreckage of the battleship Arizona (BB-39) destroyed during Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. | Photo courtesy of time.com. via / images.google.com & Life. Photo added 11/24/08. | |
 | 134k | View of the sunken battleship's forward superstructure, showing damage caused when her forward magazines exploded during the 7 December 1941 Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The photograph was taken on 17 February 1942, as work began to remove the collapsed wreckage. The crane in the left background was then removing Arizona's mainmast. | USNHC # NH 83993, now in the collections of the National Archives. | |
 | 87k | 25 February 1942: Removing the 14" guns from Turrets #3 & 4. Of note is the amount of water being pumped out from both turrets and signs of oil on the water. | USN photo & text courtesy of ibiblio.org via Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 96k | The center gun of the Arizona's(BB-39) turret 4 is pulled free on 25 February, 1942. The turret had been rotated toward Ford Island to provide clearance for the gun's removal. | From the book "Resurrection-Salvaging the Battle Fleet at Pearl Harbor" by Dan Madsen. National Archives photo courtesy of Mike Green. | |
 | 79k | The toppled, blackened foremast of the Arizona (BB-39) lies on a barge, 6 May, 1942. The foremast, surrounded by dense black smoke, would be one of the enduring images of the attack. But, in the spring of 1942, it was just so much scrap metal to be removed. | From the book "Resurrection-Salvaging the Battle Fleet at Pearl Harbor" by Dan Madsen. National Archives photo courtesy of Mike Green. | |
 | 106k | 18th May 1942: View of 14 inch projectiles being removed from #4 turret. | USN photo. | |
 | 106k | Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii
view looking northward, with the Navy Yard industrial area in the foreground and the Marine Barracks in the lower right, 28 July 1942. Ford Island is at left, with Oklahoma (BB-37) and Arizona (BB-39) under salvage nearby. San Diego (CL-53) is in the upper center. West Virginia (BB-48) is in Drydock Number One, in the lower left, and California (BB-44) is alongside the wharf at the extreme right. Cruisers alongside the pier in right center are Northampton (CA-26) (left) and Pensacola (CA-24). Submarines alongside 1010 Dock, just beyond Drydock # 1, are Trout (SS-202), Pollack (SS-180), Dolphin (SS-169) and Cachalot (SS-170). Note camouflage on many of the Navy Yard's buildings. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 84002, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center, courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Collection of The Honorable James V. Forrestal. | |
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161k | 6 May 1943 photo taken onboard the Oklahoma (BB-37), looking aft showing her quarterdeck and rear turrets. A good photo showing the still attached cables around both turret barbettes. In the background, the above water remains of the Arizona are all but gone. Guns from this turret were later embarked on Nevada (BB-36) and fired in anger against the Japnese at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. | From the book "Resurrection-Salvaging the Battle Fleet at Pearl Harbor", by Dan Madsen. National Archives photo courtesy of Mike Green. Partial text courtesy of ibiblio.org via Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 142k | Members of the diving crew emerge from water-filled compartments of the sunken battleship Arizona (BB-39) at Pearl Harbor, 25 May 1943. They are removing elements of the ships armament and other items for reuse. Arizona had been sunk in the 7 December 1941 Japanese air raid. Her hull was left where she sank, after removal of most of her superstructure and salvage of her after 14" gun turrets and other guns. | Official U.S. Navy Photograph, USNHC # NH 64303, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 46k | Arizona's (BB-39) foremast being removed, circa 1943. | USN photo. | |
USS Arizona BB-39 History
View This Vessels DANFS History Entry
(Located On The Hazegray & Underway Web Site, This Is The Main Archive For The DANFS Online Project.)
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Contact Name: Ruth Campbell
Address: PO Box 14435 Tucson, AZ, 85732-4435
Phone: 520-529-7494
E-mail: rcmpbll@comcast.net
Note About Contacts.
The contact listed, Was the contact at the time for this ship when located. If another person now is the contact, E-mail me and I will update this entry. These contacts are compiled from various sources over a long period of time and may or may not be correct. Every effort has been made to list the newest contact if more than one contact was found.
Additional Resources
Hazegray & Underway Battleship Pages By Andrew Toppan.
U.S.S. Arizona (BB-39) Web Site at the University Of Arizona
U.S.S. Arizona (BB-39)Facts by Lorraine E. Marks (Haislip)
Home of the Heros, U.S.S. Arizona
HyperWar Pacific Theater of Operations.
Pearl Harbor Attack: Commander Battle Force Action Report Naval Historical Center
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