A 21 year old young man with dark hair, blue eyes, and a shy tender smile within a clear complexion lies somewhere below within the Arizona. We love you, great uncle Orville Rusher! Thank you for giving your life that we may live free. We'll see you in Heaven.....
I had the honor to re-enlist in 1983 on the memorial. I thought it would have been a great tribute to the first fighters to give their lives. Never Forget 🇺🇸
I am surprised and alarmed that there are young people who don't know anything about our country's history. A young lady claiming "her" country would never drop an atomic bomb on Japan or use firebombs. This level of ignorance would be comical if it wasn't so disturbing. And I agree. Before saying something so ignorant, just open up a tab and check first. Jeez, the internet is right at your fingertips so there is no excuse for not knowing something.
my great grandfather Rash was stationed in San Diego Harbor on December 7th 1941. he was coalman on board one of the destroyers. he fought in both world wars. Thanks for your service papa.
That is so sad to see that drop of fuel oil still coming up . To me it seems like the ship is crying and the drop of fuel oil is a tear that will allways be coming up to the surface of the water. I served in the Navy and had the great honor to go on the U.S.S. Arzona mem. to see it. I recomend if you ever are able to go on it and see it , dont turn it down .
I hate that it is still leaking. I realize it is a grave site and cannot be tampered with. You probably know more about it than I do: Did they drain most of the oil out?
@@louisskulnik7390 i dont think so, but national parks is monitoring it closely and if it becomes a environmental issue they will take action. I heard the arizona will continue to leak for 500 more years.
I was there the Arizona Memorial I think it's still crying my dad had a cup of cousins on the Arizona so if you over in Hawaii I recommended that you go visit the memorial it's a beautiful place Sailors who died on that ship may they rest in peace forever amen
My dad was on the California just prior to the start of the war. In December of 1940 he was transferred from the California to the Brooklyn Navy Yard where they were commissioning the President Hayes, an Attack Transport. He was a Store Keeper. The area where he would of been on the California was hit pretty bad in the attack. He said he probably would not have survived, if he had not transferred prior to the attack.
I went out on the Arizona when I was in the Air Force, 1973. Looking down into the terret from the observation area, just gives you a strange feeling. You know there are still remains of men such as yourself in side the ship.
For years,I have advocated collecting the Arizona seepage oil. and selling vials of it. The proceeds would be used to maintain the Memorial. Would reduce pollution,too.
That’s a tough one. Part of me says leave it, something about people displaying it and also seeing it resold on eBay feels weird. Other part of me sees money being raised and the Arizona getting more people experiencing the memorial that can’t visit. I saw a report from the DOD that the oil and other components are harmful but how intrusive would a cleanup be? Hard to say what would be respectful and respectful to the environment as well.
Those poor young men never knew what hit them. They never knew an enemy had attacked them. They probably went down thinking there was an explosion in the fuel holding area, or, in the magazines that held the many tons of weapons and gun powder stored on board. They never knew that they would go down in history with the same love and devotion from their country as the men that died in the Alamo, or the people that died on 9/11. RIP boys.
I don't know man I hope that was the case but I don't think so.I think they had enough time to realize that they were being attacked which makes everything even worse. But I hope you're right I hope they didn't realize it
Yes unfortunately they knew what was happening..The final bomb that ripped her apart was dropped during the 2nd wave of bombing by the Japanese. The attack was well underway by that time ..Rest in Peace to all the brave people who died for this great country..God bless you all
I visited the memorial thirty years ago. I recall one Arizona survivor who was a tour volunteer telling the small crowd that there were a few men trapped below who managed to tap out a code and rescuers were able to locate them and get them out. However, other tapping sounds from some other parts of the ship continued for up to two weeks and then there was silence.
I grew up across the alley from a guy that was blown off the deck and had to swim to shore. Till the day he died, you wouldn’t DARE park a Japanese car within sight of his house. To say he didn’t like it would be an understatement.
Knew a guy that was pretty much the same. He had been held on one of the Japanese "Hell Ships". During his captivity he told me that with him standing 6'4", he went from 237lbs to 119lbs by the time he was liberated. Of the group he was captured with, only he survived, with this being due to his large size. He said that the times when they were taken off of the ships, they were just worked until they could no longer stand. When a captive fell, they would use him for bayonet practice or an officer would take the man's head off. He often said that if he hadn't been naturally gifted with his size he wouldn't have survived either, and he lived because he naturally had more weight he could lose that the others didn't. He did go on to say that his time was rapidly approaching when he was liberated, and that no human could live in such a way forever.
When I see those ladders, I can, in my mind, hear the faint echo of general quarters sounding and the feet of those young hero's trying to get to their battle stations.
I visited the USS Arizona Memorial, and I was in absolute awe standing in the Memorial looking up at those plaques and pictures and the names of all who went down with her, I visited her again several years later, such a peaceful place now, in direct contrast to that day on 12-7-41! Eternal RIP to them all. Of course, I couldn't see very far down in the water from the surface but this is interesting, especially those huge guns! I went early in the morning both times, as I'd heard negative things about the crowds and how they let their noisy kids run loose inside and I didn't want that, I wanted the peace and quiet and reverence that Memorial deserves. RIP to all the brave men who rest below her, we will never forget you and your sacrifice for our Country!
brave men! RIP to those who lost their lives defending us. may their souls find peace with God...my hat goes off to you all that have served or will ever serve. America loves you...America's military kicks butt🇺🇸👍
I lived on Hickam AFB on Oahu for 4 years as my Dad was a USAF Officer and pilot. Across the bay from Hickam was Pearl Harbor and we could see The Arizona Memorial from our side of the bay. I went to The Memorial many times on school trips and of course we always took family members from the mainland that came to visit. I'd venture to say that I was on The Memorial close to 10-12 times in 4 years and I'll never forget how quiet it is as well. Bless All
The Stuport... I visited the memorial for the first time in 1976. They had a small boat carry people to the memorial maybe once an hour. There were so few who stopped to visit. Then I went back there in 2012 and WOW!!! There was a HUGE visitors center and hundreds were line up to get on the quite large boat shuttles to visit the memorial. I think that half or more were Japanese tourists. I could scarcely believe how much that great war memorial and national cemetery had become so popular.
Thanks for the reply Tex! My parents went back every year to house sit for a family we were friends with on Oahu who was a big wig with The Diamond Power Company on the Island and they said that the Memorial had grown to huge numbers as well. I remember those small boats taking us out there when I was a kid....Blessed to have seen this up close and personal AND really thrilled others are seeing this tragic yet historic "Cemetery". Salute Tex man
One last comment on the visitor's center as it was when I visited back in 1976. It is trivia, but I recall that in the small room that sold a few souvenirs they also sold the most ungodly wonderful lemon ice cream in the world. To this day I can remember the taste of the smooth flavor of that ice cream. I have never found anything as good since. I would love to return to Oahu and stay in the Marriott at Waikiki Beach with an unbelievable view of Diamond Head like I had so many times when I stayed there on business from 2009 to 2012.. The traffic is murder in Honolulu because of the great increase in population. On my business trips, I would fly into Honolulu and stay all the next day to acclimate to the difference from the Eastern Time Zone in the US Mainland. I used to sit at the statue of Duke Kahanamoku and call my friends and tell them to pull up the webcam of that site and I would wave to them as we talked. How cool is technology these days. When I started out in the world of electronics, the transistor was as big as my thumbnail. Today, they can get tens of thousands of transistors on that same size. Pomaika`i.
The International Market Place sad to say i sno longer around...as a kid me and my siblings really loved to go off the base and see that place...and one of the beach's we loved called Fort Derussey is no longer around.....hotels were built on the beach and walk ways out to the ocean are now there....no worries...i have my memories!! Cheers and TY for the conversation...Mahalo and Aloha
I walked across the abandoned Ford Island Airfield on a visit to Hawaii. Very eerie feeling. Pavement severely broken,weeds growing in the cracks,as Nature recycles it.
It's amazing how the teak wood is still intact.. I grew up on Oahu and went to Pearl Harbor many many times.. I always thought it would be a great honor to dive on the Arizona and the other areas of the harbor.. Must be a treasure trove of things to see under that water.. God bless those guys.. They were true heroes
As a SCUBA diver, I thought that also, but I've heard diving on that area is very restricted, and with good reason. I visited twice, once few decades ago, and then again later, and I was in awe of the place, especially remembering what it was all about on 12-7-41. May they all Rest In Peace.
I have had the Honor to pay respect to this great ship pulling in and out Pearl Harbor. Very uplifting and historic to be there. To the men that gave their lives for us of WW2 I thank you for your sacrifices.
I’m at Ford Island every year on the same spot at 0755hrs where Hangar #1 used to be, (the old PBY hangar) there’s a big one & a half inch thick steel plate that covers the hole where a bomb hit & you can still see shrapnel scars that are in bedded in the concrete, to me this is a special place for me & it’s a hollow ground ... AMEN !
This was very, very moving. Thank you for posting this look at the U.S.S. Arizona from an underwater perspective. I hope I have a chance to visit this site someday.
We all need to remember these brave souls and their sacrifice. So many have sacrificed for our country 🇺🇸. So please all you football , basketball fans when those SOB’s take a knee and disrespect our flag 🇺🇸 turn them off. Turn off the damn TV and don’t give them the time of day! God Bless our nation and RIP all that have sacrificed so much.
The USS Arizona was the only ship in the US fleet that had a wood burning fireplace in the captains quarters. I live in Hawaii and done volunteer work on the USS Missouri.
ConwayTruckload....OK, now you went and tickled my jealousy bone. I love Oahu more than any other place on earth. But I could never afford to live there. My wife and I are retired with a combined income of just under $3,000 a month. Buying a house on that Paradise of an island is way out of the question. Thanks for your volunteer service. The biggest hearts in the world belong to volunteers.
Thank you. Yea $3K is about what you would pay for rent or a house payment here. The only reason I am able to afford it here is I got my house before the property values went so high about twenty years ago. But I would not be able to afford moving if I had to do so.
Very poor editing job on the video, but still interesting. I visited the USS Arizona memorial on a trip to Hawaii, and felt a pang in my heart as I read the names of those below. War is always a tragedy, but when you see something like this, which was really before your time, you never forget what a sacrifice our men made for their (our) country that very awful day -- RIP to all.
that gives me a chill to see but when I watch I imagine the scene from titanic, the sunken old ship morphing into its glorious condition making ready to set sail.
I was there 2 years ago, and the bubbles are bigger and more frequent than when we went every year in the 70s. What bothered me was the condition of the USS Missouri. The decks are rotting, and she's falling apart. It never looked that poor in Bremerton
And people don't stand for the flag, don't sing the national anthem or deface but they pull down memorials. Horrible. Shameful. Unpatriotic. God bless the U.S. Navy.
I agree. Though It was a different world back then. A different time and A different country. Run by god fearing, humble patriotic people who had the nations best interest and heart, not their own. Where communities were united by cause and concern. A sense of belonging no matter who’s house you visited, and where everyone would bow their heads and connect at mealtimes. Where you blessed everyone in your prayers before bed. Even people who didn’t deserve it, but needed it. I thank god everyday that I was lucky enough to experience that. And I still pray for the world today and everyone in it that doesn’t deserve it.
Those 14 inch guns are looking a little sad. Also, a question, how much oil has leaked from the Arizona since December 7th 1941 to November 3rd 2022? Surely there must be a way to calculate it.
Americans need to visit Arlington National Cemetery and the USS Arizona Memorial and see what our young men and women have sacrificed during their military service. Freedom is not free and we can’t do enough to honor those who have served and are currently standing watch around the world ensuring we sleep under a blanket of freedom each night. Semper Fidelis.
Every time I read and hear about young man losing their lives for this country, I find it absolutely astonishing the young creeps of your day will put their hand over their heart or salute the flag of the United States of America. Is a representation I have a lot of men and women lost their lives over the years of this great country
That's why this debt was so tragic and so underhanded. Japanese samurai tradition says it is dishonor to not tell your enemy before a fight. Tradition says, when fighting an enemy you must first show yourself before fighting even if that means you must wake your enemy.
The Japanese got their comeuppance and then some. They lost that war, and their empire, simply by starting it. Much time has passed since with much different.
Prior to the bombing of Pearl CINCPAC, as it was known at the time, was based in San Diego and moved to Hawaii. There were 8 Battleships in the harbor at the time of the attack. The California, Arizona, Maryland, Oklahoma, Tenessee, West Virginia and the Nevada were moored along Battleship row by Ford Island. The Pennsylvania was in drydock.
I have been to the memorial. It is, indeed, a moving experience (even though I was not born for over 10 years after the attack and therefore do not have any personal remembrances of Dec. 7, 1941).
The Dresden firebombing was an RAF operation - the US part targeted rail yards, not the city itself. In any case, Germany and Japan defined the tactics used in WWII. That they got it back 10 times over, well, too bad.
I see the comments about the tags, other than removing trash (the dropping of which is seriously disrespectful in my opinion), are there on going efforts to preserve the ship? I'm thinking of the wooden decking which seems to have survived remarkably well.
Re: wooden decks. Prissy captains wanted pretty decks, and had expensive teak laid down. When bombed, thousands of wooden splinters injure and blind the crew.High price for 'pretty 'ships.
My father, Everett and my grandfather, Howard Shaffer, were both members of the of the Officers crew, though neither were on board that morning of Dec 7th, my father at a BOQ in Honolulu. Our family was stationed back to Pearl in 1957, my father being in the Supply Corp since the end of WW2.We were able to make our way in sailboats to the sunken ship before the "Memorial" was constructed and opened in 1962, largely due to the efforts of Elvis Presley. My father was assigned to the U.S.S. Indiana for the rest of the war, and in Aug of "45" was in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender. He was literally first person to the beginning and end of the war.
Been there seen that and it moves you to say the least....if you go there..take a moment to reflect....those men never got to have lives, families, watch grandchildren grow....they are forever, a part of history....
I have never been to the USS Arizona, I wish I could. I am 68 years old so I don't think that will ever happen. But if I did I can just see myself, balling like a little baby, At the horrific Thought of what all those men had been through. My heart goes out to all of their families that are left, And there be loved wives.
Impressive?...no, we should have salvaged her or at least used parts to build a new Arizona, now it is a grave, people don't usually return from the grave, but the ship could have with a plaque on her....bad decision to honor pearl harbor, by not finding the heroes and returning them home, we have enough memorials.
The ship was essentially obliterated....there was no way to raise and return her to service. They scrapped her in place and it wasn't until later that the memorial idea came about
There was an estimated 97% cremation rate for the dead as a result of the fire. There wasn't much remains to return to bury. As for Battleship Arizona what's there is all that couldn't be moved or wasn't worth the effort to remove said wreckage.
The other issue...the fire. Intense heat destroys/changes the properties and strength of the metal, considering the Arizona burned for hours, maybe days in some places, there was really nothing to salvage and re-use, especially anything that was considered to be armored.
Those were different days back than where salvaging a ship in that situation, though not impossible was more I'd believe a decision made not in haste by more than 1 man, , If im correct there were also quite a few UNOFFICIAL surveys done asking who was for or against and again not official they were pretty much consistant with leaving her as a war grave memorial. Besides the man power and time that were being used to remove and clear the harbor and repairing as many ships as possable to retaliate. Remember , 4 the most part we were without a navy in the area for the moment, quite a few of the ships sunk were actually raised and repaired in a very short amount of tome to actually participate in the war against the Japanese
Much of her upperworks were removed during WW2, including her iconic tripod masts. It's a shame they weren't just left in place, as I've always found the old photos of her after the attack especially poignant -- with the forward tripod bent over in the direction of the bow, almost like her head is bowed in sorrow for her lost men. BTW, they did salvage the two stern triple 14" gun turrets, refurbished them, and eventually installed them as Army coastal defense batteries on Oahu. They were called Batteries Arizona and Pennsylvania (after the Arizona's sistership). They did remove the gun barrels from turret 2, but I believe the Navy retained them as spares (most of the turret structure of no. 2 is still in place). If I remember correctly, only Battery Arizona ever became operational, and then, only near the end of the war, when there was no chance of a naval attack on Oahu! Both were declared obsolete and scrapped post-war.
Still mad at myself for not going there when i was in pearl harbor but i was in the Navy so i really didnt wanna see another boat at the time sunken memorial or not
The images are indeed haunting, especially for surviving family members. Its a shame these brave men were sacrificed so the USA could enter the war.. At Dawn We Slept, is a better mantra that the day that will live in infamy.
Did anyone take oil samples that’s leaking out of the USS ARIZONA, I’m thinking the military are adding oil for tourists amusement and it’s contaminating the harbor, if the military cared about contaminating environment or anything like this they would put a oil absorbent material around the perimeter to catch it
and we now face this possibility again as Obama ordered all carriers to port. all of the US carriers are in port. not 1 anywhere in the world deployed.
There were still a fair amount left in service, 18 pre-1937, 14 post 1944. if you count the two losses at Pearl Harbor (Arizona, and Oklahoma) and two more if you count Utah being converted to a Target trainer ship in 1937 and later sunk during the attack at Pearl Harbor, and Wyoming being converted to a floating Anti-air battery in 1944. But from 1937-1945 the US had commissioned 10 new Battleships, 2 of the North Carolina class, 4 South Dakota class, and 4 Iowa class. 2 more Iowa's were under construction USS Illinois BB-65 and USS Kentucky BB-66 though neither ship would be finished and were broken up as scrap. and a planned successor to the Iowa's the "Montana class" which 5 were planned though construction never started. Just some interesting History lesson below if anyone's interested. The "Oldest" Battleship the Navy operated was USS Utah, until 7, Dec. 1941 when she was sunk. She was originally a Florida class battleship built in 1909, but was "rebuilt" and re-designated as a Target training ship in 1937, being reclassified from BB-31 to AG-16. After the attack on Pearl Harbor the oldest ships in Naval service were the 2 Wyoming class built in 1910 (Wyoming BB-32 which would later go on to have her main guns removed in favor of installing 5 inch guns. And Arkansas BB-33 being the only ship in the Navy's arsenal to still be using 12 inch guns as her main armament. Then you had the 2 New York class built in 1911 (New York BB-34 and her sister Texas BB-35 [Texas being still preserved today] And both ships being the first in the navy to have 14 inch guns.) Then you had 2 Nevada class built in 1912 (Nevada BB-36, and the only battleship to be present at both Pearl Harbor and Operation: Overlord AKA D-Day. And Oklahoma BB-37 the only Battleship to capsize during the attack.) Then you had the 2 Pennsylvania class built in 1912 (Pennsylvania BB-38 and Arizona BB-39) The 3 New Mexico class, built in 1915 ( New Mexico BB-40, Mississippi BB-41, and Idaho BB-42) 2 Tennessee class built in 1916( Tennessee BB-43 and California BB-44) and 3 Colorado class built in 1916 and the first US class of Battleships to carry 16 inch main guns. (Colorado BB-45, Maryland BB-46, and West Virginia BB-48, A 4th was planned Washington BB-47 but was cancelled due to the London Naval Treaty.)
On my several trips to Oahu, I have noted that Honolulu and Waikiki are overrun with Japanese tourists. I took the tour of the USS Arizona and at least half of the people on the shuttle boat were Japanese. I was wondering what was going through their minds as they stood in front of the wall that had the names of the American dead inscribed. I read somewhere that Japanese students are no longer taught about the atrocities the Japanese committed during WW2, including the attack at Pearl Harbor. Does anyone know if that is true?
They probably felt the same way l felt when l visited Peace Park at Hiroshima many years ago. Yes the curiosity feeling is there at first but once you get there at is very somber. You get in a very respectful attitude. I'm sure it is the same for the Japanese tourists that visit the Arizona memorial. Don't blame the people, blame the governments. Governments are the creators of war.
Were you taught about the "atrocities" the Americans committed during 2WW? yep that's what I figured....it was war and things need to be done during war, may there never be another one but I am not holding my breath for that to happen....
@@Dargonkin527 -- Yes, I was in high school in the mid 1960's and in our American History class we were taught about some (obviously not all) of the terrible things our military did in the Civil War, WW1, and WW2. Vietnam had only just started. I joined the Marine Corps right out of high school to go to fight Communism in Vietnam. There were atrocities there, also. My point is that the new generation of Japanese kids are not taught how their country set off on a campaign of world domination and that they killed 9 million people before their war machine was stopped. If people forget about their past they might just repeat it.
@ 1:28 is that the camera light or is that an actual light still lighting the place because it really looks like its coming from the ship idk its intresting
