The USS Arizona

by Joy Waldron Jasper, James P. Delgado, Jim Adams

"Remember the Arizona!" was the battle cry of American sailors stationed in the Pacific during World War II. The mighty warship, which was bombed at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941, became and remains to this day a symbol and rallying point for America's sudden entrance into war.

Here, using eyewitness accounts of the bombing and the sinking, the authors narrate the compelling history of the USS Arizona before, during, and after the attack, and describe the Arizona Memorial's legacy today. This engrossing book includes sixteen pages of photographs and extensive interviews with sailors who survived Imperial Japan's attack. The USS Arizona, published on December 7, 2001, the sixtieth anniversary of the surprise attack, is the only full-length book on the great ship and its beautiful resting place.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, Naval History, World War II, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2001

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually bought my copy of this book after casually glancing at the paperback rack at the local supermarket. Non- fiction definitely is not typical of the subject matter to be found there, what with all of the bodice-buster titles and all, so I was glad I found this title there. It is a well-written homage to a famous ship which has become a national shrine, and an event which was one of the most cataclysmic in American history. None other than the "most trusted man in America", Walter Cronkite, endorsed it as "A memorable book about ground zero on the day America entered World War II." Those of us not yet born on that date in 1941 only know the significance of that event, or of the great loss of life, through what has been taught to us, but the "ground zero" analogy is appropriate when describing the shock the whole country felt to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which ran just as deep as the feelings which were felt on 9-11-01. The battleship Arizona's remains, essentially unmolested since its complete destruction, constitute the tangible symbol of the significance of that loss.

The black and white, graphic book cover of the paperback is visually arresting, but it is my one big complaint with the book publisher. Photos of the St. Martin's Press hardcover edition show an authentic scene from Pearl Harbor under attack. For some reason, the publisher passed off the design of the soft cover edition to the second team in the art department. Maybe they told the summer intern to have fun designing the cover, but, whatever happened, they blew the assignment big time. The photo on the cover of the book about the USS Arizona depicts the USS New York, a completely different class of battleship. What a letdown.

None of this reflects on the authors, who have produced a fine product. They probably weren't consulted for input into the choice of material for the cover of the paperback. They can be credited with the very good choice of sixteen pages of photos included in the book, starting with the Arizona's 1915 launching at the New York Navy Yard.

The basic reporting of the ship's history is excellent, including the details of its construction (it was ordered built in 1913, a year after Arizona was admitted to the Union), and its storied inter-wars service as an admiral's flagship. Of course, everything builds up to the ship's role in the Japanese attack on the American naval fleet in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The authors' research and reporting are excellent additions to the body of literature surrounding the subject.

You will find the complete story here, of how the United States naval fleet was attacked initially right before 8:00 am, and how the Arizona took four hits shortly after, of 1,760-lb. bombs which had been converted from armor-piercing artillery shells. The fourth bomb caused catastrophic damage, setting off scores of tons of ammunition in the ship's forward magazines. A huge part of the forward interior of the ship was instantly gutted by the explosion, killing most of the 1,177 crewmen (of the approximate 1,400 on board at the time), who would die on the Arizona that day. The authors provide a full listing of the names of all of the casualties and survivors.

What makes the book compelling reading is the feeling you have of the human cost of the losses suffered on the Arizona. The authors went to considerable effort to track down survivors of Pearl Harbor and have produced an oral history of life on the ship prior to the war and during the Pearl Harbor attack. Reading their stories gives the reader a good sense of the pride the sailors had in belonging to the ship, which formed their common community, lasting far beyond the war. Starting in the 1980's, the wreckage site has been the funeral location of a number of the ship's former crew. The book lists the names of twenty-two veterans who have exercised the option of having their ashes buried at the site as of the date of the initial publishing.

The authors were inspired to locate and interview former Navy and Marine crewmen to try to put their feelings of sailing with the ship and experiencing its death, in large part, as a result of the emotional ties they felt upon diving on the wreckage of the Arizona. Joy Waldron Jasper was a feature writer for magazines and newspapers who began reporting on the activities of the Submerged Cultural Resources Unit (SCR) of the National Park Service in the early 1980's. After experiencing numerous archaeological dives on maritime sites in the United States and Caribbean, she accompanied the SCR team in the first official dive to map, document and assess the condition at the USS Arizona Memorial in 1983.

James P. Delgado is a former maritime historian with the National Park Service while Jim Adams was the cultural resources manager at the Arizona, whose functions included overseeing burials of the ship's survivors' ashes at the site. They also participated in the 1980's dives at the wreck site. Adams' father was assigned to a signal tower at Oahu on the morning of the attack. From there, he personally witnessed the explosion which almost broke the Arizona in two.

Jasper speaks for the whole group when she says diving on the ship changed their lives forever. As she writes, it is an eerie feeling to swim along the six hundred feet of hull, seeing it in sections at a time due to the silted cloudiness of the water, but being able to feel something is wrong about seeing a ship lying under the water that should be viewed floating on the water. Touching any part of the wreckage reminds the explorer that they are touching the tomb of over 900 people who have never been recovered. These types of personal experiences resulting from direct contact with the ship and with its surviving crew formed the basis for a history which is worthy of its memory.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Although interesting, it was not that well written or edited. Very repetitive.

[Linda M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read book for those interested in WWII history. The book starts with a description of how & when the Arizona was built. It goes on the describe life on board the Arizona. It then described what happened before, during, and after the attack. I had tears in my eyes several times during this book.

Appendix B lists the men & their home states who died on the Arizona. Appendix C lists the survivors. I salute all the men who were on the ship, both those who died & the survivors. To find out more about the Pearl Harbor Memorial, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Ari....

[Eric Carzon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good storytelling, could use some better editing, sometimes authors repeated the same content, some obvious spelling and word issues that were not direct re-quoting of survivor issues. But informative.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories from survivors are fascinating. The other chapters are so-so, kind of boring and repetitive. Overall a good book, and a quick read.

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Title says it all!!! A verry Good Read

[Tomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not well-written, but gives a very touching description of the career and death of the Arizona. How can you give a poor rating to this topic?

[Josh Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories. So sad. The writing wasn’t that great, but overall, good book.

[Bob]

Riveting account of the infamous ship. Still poignant after all these years.

[Anthony Bracciante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tells the story of the sinking of the USS Arizona from the perspective of a number of survivors interviewed by the co-authors of the book. It also details the history of the ship's construction and it's current state as a Memorial to the men lost on her on December 7, 1941. Any student of WWII Naval history will find this an interesting read.

[J. Bryce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best book out there on the USS Arizona and her demise at Pearl Harbor, but accessible to the layman and well-enough written. Contains several oral histories from Arizona survivors you're nt likely to read elsewhere.

[Megan Pardee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pearl Harbor was devastating. On December 17,1941 Pearl Harbor got attacked and the USS Arizona sank. This book has the story's of many men who survived and is very interesting. If you like history read this book.

[Angela Wojcik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book filled with facts.
At times it was hard to follow. The author jumped back and fourth between the survivors stories.