USS Arizona

Posted on February 17, 2015 by KG

USSArizona A kind person just sent me this, with the following comment: “We’re used to seeing the battleship Arizona as a mangled wreck at Pearl Harbor, or as an underwater memorial after salvage operations. We forget she was once a proud and beautiful ship. Built in 1915, here it is in Norfolk Navy Yard after her 1931 modernization.”

(click the pic for full size)

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

23 Responses to USS Arizona

  1. caleb says:
    February 17, 2015 at 21:10

    Nice, some gear back in those days, shooting at each other over the horizon..
    My Grandfather served on this cruiser:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Dorsetshire_(40)
    Great stories about the Battle of the Bismarck.
    What a battle that was :shock:

    • KG says:
      February 17, 2015 at 21:18

      :grin: I love those names from the past, Caleb. All but forgotten now. Dorsetshire was a County-class, cruiser, right?

      • caleb says:
        February 17, 2015 at 21:50

        Yip, his best mate was posted to HMS Hood. The Bismarck sunk it. I think a shell went down the funnel and blew the ship to bits… No survivors and it was the RN flagship. The Brits went all out to get the Bismarck. After it sank, my Grandfather said there were 100s of German sailors in the water, they were rescuing them and the odd one would do a Nazi salute when they came on board, they would push them back off the side :twisted: They sailed off and left most to drown after U boats were reported.

    • The Gantt Guy says:
      February 17, 2015 at 21:48

      Nice! My grandfather served on HMS Leander.

      • KG says:
        February 17, 2015 at 21:56

        Great, great names. Along with Ajax, Exeter, Achilles and the Tribal-class destroyers. (A relative of mine commanded one of a flotilla in the Med). :mrgreen: http://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_yahoo.gif

        • The Gantt Guy says:
          February 18, 2015 at 05:37

          Beautiful. I have Granddad’s pictures of Achilles and Leander together in service.

          Sad how low we’ve sunk that for reasons of tokenism and pandering, every new vessel commissioned into the RNZN (which happens about once every 25 years) has to be given a maori name.

          • KG says:
            February 18, 2015 at 05:51

            Perhaps too, that’s because very, very few kiwis would have the faintest effing idea who Leander and Achilles and Ajax were. :evil:
            Mustn’t teach boys about male heroes, after all…

            • The Gantt Guy says:
              February 18, 2015 at 06:02

              Hell no. They might want to grow into … men. Instead of cowardly metro-bitches like Hugh Muir (per your comment on the Open House).

      • caleb says:
        February 17, 2015 at 21:57

        Amazing to think these ships hauled along at over 30 knots. Not sure I would have been that keen to be a sailor :mrgreen:

        • KG says:
          February 17, 2015 at 21:59

          I always wanted to be, when growing up, Caleb. But the shit-fairy intervened… :sad:

          • Darin says:
            February 18, 2015 at 03:03

            We named ours after States,Alabama,Mississippi,Iowa,New Jersey,Arizona,Missouri etc.

            In the mess hall on the wall was the state seal bearing the motto of each state a given ship was named for.The New Jersey BB-62 it was the words “For Liberty and Prosperity” a reminder to the sailors for why they were fighting.

            http://youtu.be/4ub1DhRs3TI

        • The Gantt Guy says:
          February 18, 2015 at 05:39

          Absolutely incredible. Granddad was an engineer, stuck in the engine-room. Hot, sweaty, nasty work indeed.

  2. caleb says:
    February 17, 2015 at 22:04

    Id be keen to be on one when those big guns are fired :twisted:
    Ahh, not as simple as lying about your age.. Maybe next life then ;-)

    • KG says:
      February 17, 2015 at 22:07

      :mrgreen: I have a very, very long list of things to do with my next life. Every time I think I’ve done and seen a bit, that list taps me on the shoulder.

  3. Ronbo says:
    February 18, 2015 at 02:42

    I toured the USS Alabama, which is tied up to a wharf in Mobile Bay, and is a major tourist attraction in that area.

    I spent the better part of a day in 1992 doing a tour of the old battlewagon and many of the guides were old retired sailors who had either served on that battleship, or others like her.

    Tough old warship manned by by rugged sailors, “Give me a fast ship for I intend to sail into harm’s way.” —John Paul Jones

    I don’t like the new warships – aside from a couple of AAA guns – everything warlike is hid from view. :cry:

  4. Darin says:
    February 18, 2015 at 07:34

    One of the lesser known,but equally important ship classes were the LST (Landing Ship Tank)
    Here is a site dedicated to one of the last remaining ones LST 325.

    http://www.lstmemorial.org/pages/history.html

    I was friends with an old WWII vet that sailed on one,he was involved in retrieving this one from Greece,forget if he was a drydock volunteer or a seamen volunteer.