Few historical events have created a symbol so impacting on the American psyche as the Arizona Memorial. Americans over the last few decades have taken the pilgrimage on the Navy launch taking them there. Let’s review how it happened.
Ensign Parker held the Jeep as he bounced around the wet and muddy road to Opana Point, with Captain Smith and Ensign Jones, to reach the Army radar site.
The Commander dropped the Ensigns at their destination, saying he will be back with their relief at 8:00am. It was 6:00am, and the two Ensigns fired up the radar site. The U.S. Army’s SCR-270 radar was primitive and sometimes fuzzy.
They had been at the site an hour, and Ensign Parker screamed. “There’s over a hundred radar blips!” Ensign Jones jumped up and peered at the screen. “What can it be?” Ensign Parker said. “Can it be birds? No, I don’t think so. Let me phone the Captain. Captain Smith! We have over one hundred radar blips on the screen. What can it be? Could it be birds?” “I don’t know,” the Captain said. “I’m uncertain. There are planes coming from the mainland. Maybe it’s what you’re seeing. I’ll tell you what: I’m coming up there now.” “It can’t be coming from the mainland,” Parker said to Smith. “There are radar blips north, and California is east. Well, the Captain will be here.” On the deck near the Arizona’s rear, crewmen engaged in the assembly procedure to present colors and raise the American flag. The musicians aboard the Arizona, who remained in a heightened state after the fleet-wide Band Duel, tuned their instruments on the fantail. Sirens blasted. The zeros came low, one hundred feet above the vessel. Their machine guns were ablaze with fury. The men rushed to their designated battle stations. The Watch Commander was having breakfast in the wardroom accompanied by his men when the air raid sirens blasted. He grabbed the telephone next to him, sounded general quarters, and ran to the quarterdeck. Radio operators at the battle stations on Ford Island sent frantic messages. Torpedo planes inflicted heavy damages along Battleship Row. Nevada, Utah, Carolina, and Maryland suffered direct hits. West Virginia sank. Oklahoma turned over before sinking. High-altitude bombers transported via two carrier planes from Japan, flying below ten thousand feet, joined with heavy armor-piercing bombs weighing one thousand eight hundred pounds. Zeros formed ‘V’ formations atop the ships from bow to stern. A torpedo hit the Arizona, leaving the Watch Commander unconscious. Machine guns from the zeros hit near the Captain’s hatch, and exploded three decks, causing instantaneous fires. One secondary bomb hit further ahead on the port side somewhere near the deck. Another bomb struck the port side near the bulkheads for the torpedoes. Several other bombs missed the Arizona, causing a large splash. Many men thought the Arizona might sink. Two bombs hit the Vestal, a vessel designed for repairing purposes, attached to the Arizona port side, though the Vestal retreated amidst the attacks and avoided sinking. Afterwards, …show more content…
“Hesitation will cause our deaths. We must act now.” Anderson found the turret Captain.
“Del is on batteries,” Anderson said. “They need added help. Why not me? I’m knowledgeable in the department.” “Worth a shot,” the Captain responded.
On the deck, Anderson could not get an unobstructed gunfire view. The man tried to reach the anti-aircraft guns, and the fourth bomb struck the vessel. The impact knocked Anderson to the ground.
Bruner and Stratton ran to the deck near the gun control panels. Enclosed steel cubes directed the operations, and hung atop the primary masts had by the vessel one or two decks atop the bridges, behind the No.2 gun turret. Their place enabled the twenty-five-caliber guns getting trained on the attackers in the skies overhead. Japanese pilots persisted with strafing the Arizona deck.
Bullets landed in Bruner’s calves when the man climbed the ladders. Around ten men became required for running the guns’ directors, including a pointer, one to set sights, one to handle the gunning, and a man to control the firing. Fifty rounds’ worth in ammunitions rested behind each gun. But, the cabinets had gotten
Ensign Parker held the Jeep as he bounced around the wet and muddy road to Opana Point, with Captain Smith and Ensign Jones, to reach the Army radar site.
The Commander dropped the Ensigns at their destination, saying he will be back with their relief at 8:00am. It was 6:00am, and the two Ensigns fired up the radar site. The U.S. Army’s SCR-270 radar was primitive and sometimes fuzzy.
They had been at the site an hour, and Ensign Parker screamed. “There’s over a hundred radar blips!” Ensign Jones jumped up and peered at the screen. “What can it be?” Ensign Parker said. “Can it be birds? No, I don’t think so. Let me phone the Captain. Captain Smith! We have over one hundred radar blips on the screen. What can it be? Could it be birds?” “I don’t know,” the Captain said. “I’m uncertain. There are planes coming from the mainland. Maybe it’s what you’re seeing. I’ll tell you what: I’m coming up there now.” “It can’t be coming from the mainland,” Parker said to Smith. “There are radar blips north, and California is east. Well, the Captain will be here.” On the deck near the Arizona’s rear, crewmen engaged in the assembly procedure to present colors and raise the American flag. The musicians aboard the Arizona, who remained in a heightened state after the fleet-wide Band Duel, tuned their instruments on the fantail. Sirens blasted. The zeros came low, one hundred feet above the vessel. Their machine guns were ablaze with fury. The men rushed to their designated battle stations. The Watch Commander was having breakfast in the wardroom accompanied by his men when the air raid sirens blasted. He grabbed the telephone next to him, sounded general quarters, and ran to the quarterdeck. Radio operators at the battle stations on Ford Island sent frantic messages. Torpedo planes inflicted heavy damages along Battleship Row. Nevada, Utah, Carolina, and Maryland suffered direct hits. West Virginia sank. Oklahoma turned over before sinking. High-altitude bombers transported via two carrier planes from Japan, flying below ten thousand feet, joined with heavy armor-piercing bombs weighing one thousand eight hundred pounds. Zeros formed ‘V’ formations atop the ships from bow to stern. A torpedo hit the Arizona, leaving the Watch Commander unconscious. Machine guns from the zeros hit near the Captain’s hatch, and exploded three decks, causing instantaneous fires. One secondary bomb hit further ahead on the port side somewhere near the deck. Another bomb struck the port side near the bulkheads for the torpedoes. Several other bombs missed the Arizona, causing a large splash. Many men thought the Arizona might sink. Two bombs hit the Vestal, a vessel designed for repairing purposes, attached to the Arizona port side, though the Vestal retreated amidst the attacks and avoided sinking. Afterwards, …show more content…
“Hesitation will cause our deaths. We must act now.” Anderson found the turret Captain.
“Del is on batteries,” Anderson said. “They need added help. Why not me? I’m knowledgeable in the department.” “Worth a shot,” the Captain responded.
On the deck, Anderson could not get an unobstructed gunfire view. The man tried to reach the anti-aircraft guns, and the fourth bomb struck the vessel. The impact knocked Anderson to the ground.
Bruner and Stratton ran to the deck near the gun control panels. Enclosed steel cubes directed the operations, and hung atop the primary masts had by the vessel one or two decks atop the bridges, behind the No.2 gun turret. Their place enabled the twenty-five-caliber guns getting trained on the attackers in the skies overhead. Japanese pilots persisted with strafing the Arizona deck.
Bullets landed in Bruner’s calves when the man climbed the ladders. Around ten men became required for running the guns’ directors, including a pointer, one to set sights, one to handle the gunning, and a man to control the firing. Fifty rounds’ worth in ammunitions rested behind each gun. But, the cabinets had gotten