This
listing is for the following Lauren Bruner WWII USS Arizona Pearl Harbor Survivor
signed 4x6 photograph.
On
December 7th, 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Arizona was hit by
several air-dropped armor-piercing bombs. One detonated an explosive-filled
magazine, sinking the battleship and killing 1,177 of its officers and crewmen.
Unlike many of the other ships attacked that day Arizona was so irreparably
damaged that it was not repaired for service in World War II. The shipwreck
still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor beneath the USS Arizona Memorial.
Dedicated to all those who died during the attack, the memorial is built across
the ship's remains. Only
334 USS Arizona veterans survived the sinking of the USS Arizona during the
attack on Pearl Harbor.
Shortly
before 08:00 local time on December 7th, 1941 Japanese aircraft from
six aircraft carriers struck the Pacific Fleet as it lay in port at Pearl
Harbor and wreaked devastation on the warships and installations defending
Hawaii. On board Arizona, the ship's air raid alarm went off at about 07:55,
and the ship went to general quarters soon after. Shortly after 08:00, ten
Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" torpedo bombers, five each from the carriers
Kaga and Hiryū, attacked Arizona. All of the aircraft were carrying
41-centimeter (16.1 in) armor-piercing shells modified into 797-kilogram (1,757
lb) bombs. Flying at an estimated altitude of 3,000 meters (9,800 ft), Kaga's
aircraft bombed Arizona from amidships to stern. Soon after, Hiryū's bombers
hit the bow area.
The
aircraft scored four hits and three near misses on and around Arizona. The near
miss off the port bow is thought to have caused observers to believe that the
ship had been torpedoed, although no torpedo damage has been found. The
sternmost bomb ricocheted off the face of Turret IV and penetrated the deck to
detonate in the captain's pantry, causing a small fire. The next forward most
hit was near the port edge of the ship, abreast the mainmast, probably
detonating in the area of the anti-torpedo bulkhead. The next bomb struck near
the port rear 5-inch AA gun.
The
last bomb hit at 08:06 in the vicinity of Turret II, likely penetrating the
armored deck near the magazines located in the forward section of the ship.
While not enough of the ship is intact to judge the exact location, its effects
are indisputable: about seven seconds after the hit, the forward magazines
detonated in a cataclysmic explosion, mostly venting through the sides of the
ship and destroying much of the interior structure of the forward part of the
ship. This caused the forward turrets and conning tower to collapse downward
some 25–30 feet (7.6–9.1 m) and the foremast and funnel to collapse forward,
effectively tearing the ship in two. The explosion touched off fierce fires
that burned for two days; debris showered down on Ford Island in the vicinity.
The blast from this explosion also put out fires on the repair ship Vestal, which
was moored alongside. The bombs and subsequent explosion killed 1,177 of the
1,512 crewmen on board at the time approximately half of the lives lost during
the attack.
Two
competing hypotheses have arisen about the cause of the explosion. The first is
that the bomb detonated in or near the black-powder magazine used for the
ship's saluting guns and catapult charges. This would have detonated first and
then ignited the smokeless powder magazines which were used for the ship's main
armament. A 1944 Navy Bureau of Ships report suggests that a hatch leading to
the black powder magazine was left open, possibly with flammable materials
stocked nearby. The Naval History and Heritage Command explained that black
powder might have been stockpiled outside the armored magazine. The alternative
explanation is that the bomb penetrated the armored decks and detonated
directly inside one of the starboard magazines for the main armament, but
smokeless powder is relatively difficult to detonate. Thus the 14-inch powder
bags required a black powder pad to quickly ignite the powder. The time elapsed
from the bomb hit to the magazine explosion was shorter than experience
suggested burning smokeless powder required to explode. It seems unlikely that
a definitive answer to this question will ever be found, as the surviving
physical evidence is insufficient to determine the cause of the magazine
explosion.
THIS
IS AN AUTHENTIC HAND AUTOGRAPHED 4x6 PHOTOGRAPH. I ONLY SELL AUTHENTIC HAND
AUTOGRAPHED MEMORABILIA. I do not sell reprints or facsimile autographs. When
you bid on my items you will receive the real deal authentic hand autographed
items. You will receive the same signed photograph that is pictured in the
scan. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me. PLEASE NOTE this 4x6
photograph was printed in the early 2000’s and then personally hand autographed.
I ship items internationally and the price for international S&H varies by
country. I currently have other rare autographed military and historical signed
items available. Please take a look at my other auctions of rare military and
historical autographed items.