uss arizona explosion analysis

GAO and Sandia National Laboratories. Mr. Fuqua was the senior officer on deck and set an example for the men in being unperturbed, calm, cool, and collected, exemplifying the courage and traditions of an officer under fire. Roll of 35mm movie film, obtained through the Office of Strategic Services, of OSS ARIZONA on the morning of 7 December, 1941 -- photographer unknown. of the detonation. USS ARIZONA. At 0755 all "X" doors and fittings should have been closed and reference (d) states that they were all closed with very few exceptions. Over 1100 of her crew were killed, including Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, Commander Battleship Division One, and the ship's Commanding Officer, Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh. 'The ship is several feet wider, apparently from the force of the explosionâ¦ The resultant explosion caused the ship to sink, and cost the lives of 1177 officers and crewmen. AR4/Lll-l/(066) of 11 December, 1941 (Action Report). All other structure above the top edge of the side armor between frames 10 and 70 was completely demolished - in faet, most of it was missing. He further states that ARIZONA received a bomb hit forward almost simultaneously, and that ARIZONA'S forward magazine exploded. It is a possibility that one of the modified 16-Inch A.P. On the other hand, the detonation of 1000 pounds of black powder could easily initiate a detonation of the 14-inch smokeless powder. 6. This one was reported by reference (b) to have hit on the forecastle by No. From reference (a) the ARIZONA had on board her full allowance of smokeless powder, arranged three magazines on each side of the vessel between frames 31 and 48 on the first platform. ", "Most explosions of black powder originate from sparks. Share. USS Arizona (BB-39) sunk and burning furiously, 7 December 1941. Picture 208 definitely shows the magazine explosion in which the dense black smoke of the previous picture changes to white, and luminous objects can be seen. NYPearl Itr. Picture 46 definitely shows an explosion on the bow of ARIZONA. There had been bomb hits at the first start and yellowish smoke was pouring out of the hatches from below decks. One of the most famous ships attacked at Pearl Harbor was the USS Arizona. The ARIZONA (BB 39), a Pennsylvania-class battleship designed for operation in the Pacific, was launched in June 1915. Wentzlaff, leading the end of the hose to the bomb hole where the deck was afire. ", "There is, however, incontrovertible evidence that explosions of nitrocellulose powders up to large sizes are capable of being propagated from box to box when they are initiated by detonation of high explosive charges. The ship was sent to Turkey in 1919 at the bâ¦ With respect to the properties of black powder, the following pertinent information is quoted from the same manual: "Black powder is regarded as one of the worst known explosive hazards. The turrets and the conning tower collapsed 30 feet into the ship's hull. In any case, the battleship was utterly devastated from in front of her first turret back into her machinery spaces. I rushed to the Officer of the Deck's booth to call up for pressure, but the phones were all knocked off the hooks and out of commission, as while this was taking place there had been bomb hits up fwd, shuddering the ship violently and planes straffing the decks. Toward the end of the reel the sagged forward structure becomes apparent, although the smoke and flame obscure the entire foremast structure in the series of pictures following 203. Discover (and save!) Fire. The majority of engineering spaces were in condition "Z" and locked. USS Arizona (BB-39) was the second and last of the Pennsylvania class of "super-dreadnought" battleships built for the United States Navy in the mid-1910s. The USS Arizona explosion and fire, filmed from the USS Solace on December 7, 1941 ... Print; Email; Analysis of the destruction The damage of the Arizona was shocking. Approximately 7 seconds after the start of this fire and after the initial bomb detonation, the main magazines exploded, almost completely destroying the ship forward of frame 70, Undoubtedly, the smokeless powder magazines detonated en masse. Site Description and Analysis (continued) Beginning at the stem of the USS ARIZONA and heading aft, a swimming observer would be struck first with the very sharp lines of the bow. The flames and smoke on the boat deck and galley deck were decreasing in intensity; I believe they were powder flames. Share with: ... 1,547 160. bill jurens. Post Dec 29, 2008 #31 2008-12-29T20:42. Early reports claimed that she had been hit by one torpedo in the first part of the action. The USS Arizona was also destroyed with a large explosion. It is not clear, however, what initiated the smokeless powder detonation. II turret. The explosion and then the fires completely demolished the bow section at one-third of her length, from frame 10 to 70. The above evidence leads to the conclusion that there was a bomb detonation on or about the forecastle, which caused a bad fire - involving in some manner oil from tanks forward of amidships. It appears that the dive bombing continued from about 0810 to 0830 in this phase of the attack. Reference (f) actually shows the magazine explosion which resulted in the loss of ARIZONA. The big battleship had steamed into Pearl Harbor on â¦ Martini said the survey showed the explosion severely warped the Arizona out of alignment. I saw the admiral on the signal bridge. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -. Reference (a) found evidence of only five bomb hits, all of which were aft of the foremast structure. It appears that condition ZED was not completely set on and above the third deck and probably most of the third deck armored hatches were still open. The crews from 3 and 4 turrets had to come out on deck as the turrets were flooded and proceeded to help with the casualties and getting the life rafts over the side. She displaced 29,158 long tons (29,626 t) at standard and 31,917 long tons (32,429 t) at deep load, over 4,000 long tons (4,060 t) more than the older ships. 10 and 70, it is difficult to determine the exact magazines in which high order detonation took place, although the more severe damage is between about Frs, 10 and 33. A bomb which hit and detonated close to the port leg of the tripod at the superstructure deck level severed the port leg, and the starboard leg was insufficient to prevent forward collapse. In this connection see pictures 99 and 136. I said to Mr. Fuqua, when the valve was opened, "There is no water pressure on". 10. Just before all this shaking the quartermaster reported that a bomb struck #2 turret. Thanks to the coolness and calm manner Lt. Comdr. The stem at the hull bottom (forefoot) extends forward of the deck line, creating a bulbous bow form that is covered by silt and not visible to divers. The first 45 of these pictures show the ARIZONA and VESTAL, and include the bow of NEVADA and the stern of WEST VIRGINIA. It is this jet of black smoke which apparently gave rise to the rumor that a bomb went down her stack. It therefore can be accepted as a fact that a torpedo did not hit ARIZONA. There were no survivors from turrets I and II, and reference (d) believes that they probably were in condition ZED, or very nearly so. I left the J.C. mess at general quarters. It seemed as though one bomb hit the port after anti-aircraft crew and came down through the casemate and Executive Officer's Office. The quartermaster asked the Capt. The Arizona was hit four times by Japanese bombers on Dec. 7, 1941 and eventually sank. CO. ARIZONA ltr. Turret I with its barbette fell vertically approximately 22 feet, and turret II with its barbette fell approximately 23 feet. 2. The whole port compartment, A-704, from the quarterdeck on was a flaming inferno and the ship settled radpidy from fwd aft. As the pictures proceed, the fire gets worse, finally engulfing the entire ship forward of the mainmast. about the bombing and straffing, standing on the quarterdeck. Aug 26, 2018 - This Pin was discovered by Paul Baumgras. The Pennsylvania-class ships were significantly larger than their predecessors, the Nevada class. Fuqua and a few others still being aboard. Analysis of the destruction The damage of the Arizona was shocking. 3. 15. The USS Arizona explosion filmed by the Japanese. The signal gang, quartermasters, and all hands on the bridge went up as the signal men were trying to put out a fire in the signal rack and grabbing signal flags out to hoist a signal, the whole bridge went up, flames enveloping and obscuring them from view as the flames shot upward twice as high as the tops. Reference (a) is a fairly extensive report of damage prepared by the Navy Yard, Pearl Harbor and is based on salvage and diving operations covering a period of approximately 22 months. There were lots of men coming out on the quarterdeck with every stitch of clothing and shoes blown off, painfully burned and shocked. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 1,177 crewmen. It gutted the forward decks. This is consistent with the times reported. ", "Loose black powder is extremely dangerous.". There were short pieces of the shell projecting almost horizontally outward at the top of the armor belt on both sides. The USS Arizona was commissioned on October 17th, 1916 and was sunk on December 7th, 1941 during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. first bomb detonation and the detonation of the main Magazines (approximately 7 seconds) and the visible intense fire above the waterline makes the latter supposition the more reasonable. It seemed as though the magazines fwd blew up while we were hooking up the fire hose, as the noise was followed by an awful "Swish" and hot air blew out of the compartments. The USS Arizona was struck by as many as eight aerial bombs, which caused a cataclysmic explosion, and ignited a fire that burned for two days. Video clip from "Pearl Harbor The Real Story" I stepped outside the shop and started to my general quarters station on the quarterdeck, shouting "let's go", A bomb hit the after end of #4 turret, glancing off onto the quarterdeck, at the Captain's hatch, stbd side. In the second wave, which began at about 8:50 a.m. saw the USS Pennsylvania set on fire and the destroyer USS Shaw destroyed. 6 was in use). 10 to about Fr. At this time the measures referred to in paragraph 2 were started. 14. For example, it appears that WEST VIRGINIA was struck by bombs at about this time, as was TENNESSEE. Certain other action reports, notably those of WEST VIRGINIA, TENNESSEE, and MARYLAND, contain fragmentary information of minor value. Mr. Fuqua said in a calm, cool voice, "Turn it on", when he saw that we had hooked up the hose. projectiles, which the Japanese used for bombs, might have penetrated the 4-1/4-Inch STS armored deck and initiated a fire followed by a detonation of the smokeless powder magazines. document.write("whitet"); 12. He further states that ARIZONA received a bomb hit forward almost simultaneously, and that ARIZONA'S forward magazine exploded. Times in all the references of the various sequences of events check reasonably well, that is, within 4 or 5 minutes. Seymour was part of a team which was comprised of the NPS and National Geographic photographers that for ten days documented the interior first and second decks of the 608-foot long â¦ I looked around and saw that there was nothing that I could do. Arizonahad an overall length of 608 feet (185.3 m), a beam of 97 feet (29.6 m) (at the waterline), and a draft of 29 feet 3 inches (8.9 m) at deep load. Actually, Pearl Harbor could find no damage to the armor gratings, although there was bomb damage both forward and to port of the uptakes. On the other hand the armor belt was substantially intact and Pearl Harbor found absolutely no evidence of a torpedo hit on or just below the armor. did not want to, making phone calls. 7. Then I climbed down a hand railing to the deck galley. About half the 1,117 crewmen killed that day were aboard the â¦ BB39/A9/L11-1 of 28 January, 1942 (Damage Report). If you can see this text here you should update to a newer web browser, Normal | Following this attack the dive bombing attack on the battleship started. The ship had a metacentric height of 7.82 feet (2.4 â¦ She was seized by the Confederates in 1862 only to be captured as a blockade runner by the Union navy later that year. All the references agree that the bombs which struck ARIZONA fell between 0815 and 0820. It will be recalled that NEVADA was hit by a torpedo between 0800 and 0810. and that WEST VIRGINIA was torpedoed at about the same time. The majority of these remains were never recovered from the wreckage and are entombed in the USS Arizona Memorial. This seems rather improbable, though, considering the small charge of explosive (less than 70 pounds of TNT) in this type of bomb, and the fact (pictures 46-208) that the initial fire was definitely above the waterline and of large-scale proportions. It is estimated that picture 46 was taken within 0.5 sec. 16. Two photos from today at World War !! Almost simultaneously a torpedo attack on battleship row occurred. Shortly after the end of the war, Arizona was one of a number of American ships that briefly escorted President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference. document.write(">- Contact RAL"); Highlighted Text will be in Yellow, but there are none yet, Put hidden comments that show up as highlighted notes here. detonate. Some of these caused damage to her after and midships areas, but their effects were minor compared with what resulted from one that penetrated beside her forward turrets. The burned-out, sunken wreck of USS Arizona (BB-39), photographed some days after the attack. Fuqua, still on board. The black powder could have detonated either as the result of a bomb detonation below the third deck or a fire above the third deck passing down to the black powder magazines thru open hatches in the armored deck. The burning wreckage of the U.S. Navy battleship USS Arizona (BB-39) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, I was aboard the USS Arizona, being attached to the "V" Division on the ship, When the attack started I was in the aviation workshop which is located fwd of the quarterdeck, stbd side, Fr. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself. Valor in the Pacific press event: I will be posting about this project, the team, the technology, partners, my participation, and â¦ After the magazine explosion occurred, reference (a) reports that exploded 5"/51 caliber powder cans were found along the beach on Ford Island - a distance of 350-400 feet on the starboard side of the vessel. Under certain conditions, with sufficient initiation, smokeless powder has been known to detonate. We three were trying to get out the port door at the after end of the bridge during all this shaking, but could not, we staggered to the stbd side and fell on the deck just fwd of the wheel. It was followed in 7 seconds by a magazine explosion. Fuqua, USN said in a steady voice, "Put that fire out back, aft", which the bomb had started. Courage and performance of all hands was of the highest order imaginable, especially being handicapped by adverse conditions and shipmates being blown up alongside them, there was no disorder or tendency to run around in confusion. Me and Hurst grabbed the fire hose off its stowage on the fumigation box and assisted by Wentzlaff, took it to the fire plug at #4 turret, Fr. BB39/A16 of 7 December, 1941 (Action Report). A bomb hit on the stbd side of the after 5 inch guns and anti aircraft gun, and got most of the marine crew and anti aircraft crews. Between pictures 46 and 208 the development of a jet of black smoke from ARIZONA'S stack can be noted. One of them was the USS Arizona, which went down after a bomb hit the powder magazine. All these sources were used, as well as certain publications of the Army with respect to stability and characteristics of black powder and smokeless powder, In the following analysis: 1. The battleship Arizona served with pride and distinction in the US Navy from 1916 until 1941.The map above highlights the events surrounding the USS Arizona as well as the duties the ship carried out over her lifetime. The collapse of the foremast structure was not due, among other curious things, to the main magazine detonation. Blazing furiously, Arizona quickly settled to the bottom of Pearl Harbor, a total loss. ", "Most black powder fires start from sparks, and ignition results in an explosion so quickly that no attempt can be made to fight the fire. This tipped her foremast forward, giving the wreck its distinctive appearance. But on a Sunday, the USS Arizona was slower to awaken. At various places between pictures 46 and 208 minor explosions on the forecastle of ARIZONA and possibly on the stern of TENNESSEE, can be seen. After the big explosion and "Swish", the men painfully burned and wounded, dazed beyond comprehension, came out on the quarterdeck and I had to stop some of them from entering into the flames later on, and directed them over to the stbd side of the deck to the gangway for embarking and encouraging them to be calm. This fire spread rapidly over a large area and increased rapidly in intensity. 110. Naval Academy, The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members, The African American Experience in the U.S. Navy, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Navy, Contributions of American Indians to the U.S. Navy, Naval Service of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Personnel, The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, Navy Underwater Archaeology Return Program, Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards - Main, Research Permits for Sunken & Terrestrial Military Craft, Scanning, Copyright & Citation Information, Obtain Duplications of Records and Photos, Battleship Row During the Pearl Harbor Attack, USS Arizona During the Pearl Harbor Attack. There is no doubt that the smokeless powder magazines detonated. The massive explosion that followed has never been fully explained, since the bomb apparently did not pierce Arizona's armored deck, which protected her magazines. From the evidence, it is believed that the latter is more probable. Suddently the whole bridge shook like it was an earthquake, flame came through the bridge windows which had been broken by gunfire. A bomb detonation within the smokeless powder magazines presumably could cause a detonation, although smokeless powder as such is not an unusually severe hazard. The VESTAL, tied up alongside the portside, did not seem to get hit hard and started to get underway, so I stood by to cast off lines on the quarterdeck portside and cast off their bow lines as the Lt. Comdr. When confined or in large quantities, the rate of burning increases with the temperature and pressure. Finally I raised my head and turned it and saw that the port door was open. The references comprise the majority of important information accumulated regarding the loss of ARIZONA. On December 7, 1941, the ship was bombed in the surprise attack, causing a â¦ There is no evidence that the camera was stopped at any time between pictures 46 and 208. U.S. Navy veteran Donald Stratton was station aboard the U.S.S. It can be seen from the above that the ignition of black powder will almost inevitably result in an explosion. ", "When smokeless powder is stored in magazines in containers or propelling charges, there is no evidence to indicate that fires will give rise to any unusual hazard. Then getting the small life raft on 3 turret barbette portside off and over the port stern, the water and oil being on deck and the ship settling fast, we got orders to embark in the motor boat at the stbd stern quarter. This was at about 0815-0820. It appears that ARIZONA escaped torpedo damage during the initial torpedo attack which occurred at about 0800. As there was no "going to pieces" or "growing panicky", noticeable, and he directed the moving of the wounded and burned men who were on the quarterdeck to the motor launches and boats, he gave orders to get the life rafts on 3 barbette down, supervised the loading of the wounded and burned casualties, assisted by Ensign J. D. Miller, who set a very good example for a younger officer in being cool, calm, and collected. On 19 April 1989, the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) exploded. This bomb, and possibly others, caused an intense fire which shortly covered the entire forecastle. USS Arizona (BB-39) was moored inboard of the repair ship Vestal (AR-4) when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor. On the morning of 7 December, 1941, ARIZONA was moored to interrupted quay "F-7", headed down channel, starboard side to Ford Island. I got up and ran to it, and ran down the port ladders, passing through flames and smoke. We landed at BOQ landing, Ford Island, Smith BM2/c USN boat coxswain making many trips for wounded and burned men, being delivered by Lt. Comdr. The explosion and then the fires completely demolished the bow section at one-third of her length, from frame 10 to 70. Between pictures 45 and 46 the camera was apparently stopped for an indeterminate time. These six magazines supply both turrets I and II, the black powder magazine is located on the first platform on the centerline between frames 37 and 39. When ignited unconfined, it burns with explosive violence, and will explode if ignited under even slight confinement* It can be ignited easily by very small sparks, heat, and friction. Reference (f), of which a 3" x 5" movie strip is available, comprises about 400 pictures taken at the rate of 24 per second. Summarizing, there seems to be no doubt that at least one bomb struck and penetrated the forecastle deck in the vicinity of either turret I or turret II. She spent the next few years serving as gunboat for the Western Gulf Blockade Squadron until October 1864 when it received orders to serve the flagship for the squadron under Admiral David Farragut. CO. ARIZONA ltr. 11. Two major investigations were undertaken into the cause of the explosion, one by the U.S. Navy and then one by the Government â¦ Certain that with sufficient initiation, smokeless powder has been known to detonate confidence in the uss arizona explosion analysis.! The bomb had started fatal blow to the ship resulted in the crew surviving had to jump to the quarterdeck! And myself time, as was TENNESSEE resultant explosion caused the ship to,., among other curious things, to the general extent of interior Damage Frs... Z '' uss arizona explosion analysis locked # 1 through it to show it was earthquake... My head and turned it and three red lines running through it to show it was seriously.! Shook like it was an earthquake, flame came through the upper deck deaths... 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