In the days and weeks following, efforts were made to recover the bodies of the crew and the ship's records. Eventually, further recovery of bodies became fruitless and the bodies of at least crewmen remained in the ship.
During , salvage work to recover as much of the ship as was practical began. The masts and superstructure were removed for scrap and the two turrets aft were salvaged for use at shore batteries on Hawaii. The forward part of the ship had received the most damage, and only the guns of turret two were removed while turret one was left in place.
On December 1, , the ship was stricken from the registry of US Navy vessels. In the years immediately following the end of World War II, the wreck was largely ignored. To date, more than 30 Arizona crewmen who survived Pearl Harbor have chosen the ship as their final resting place. Crewmembers who served on the ship prior to the attack may have their ashes scattered above the wreck site, and those who served on other vessels stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, , may have their ashes scattered above their former ships.
As of November , only 18 of the crewmen who survived the bombing of USS Arizona are known to be alive. After Arizona sank, its superstructure and main armament were salvaged and reused to support the war effort, leaving its hull, two gun turrets and the remains of more than 1, crewmen submerged in less than 40 feet of water.
Eisenhower signed legislation to create a national memorial. The funds to build it came from both the public sector and private donors, including one unlikely source. In March , entertainer Elvis Presley, who had recently finished a two-year stint in the U.
The monument was officially dedicated on May 30, , and attracts more than 1 million visitors each year. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Nothing was said of Pearl Harbor, the West Virginia or the noise that still rang from its hull that same day, thousands of miles away. No one wanted guard duty that put him within earshot of the West Virginia, especially on quiet nights.
He used to stand watch with Cliff Olds. These were just normal guys, Fiske thought. Just like him. They used to gossip about their time in port, drink a beer now and then. Talk about girlfriends back home, worry about the threat of war.
He was pretty sure he knew. The same things had raced through his mind the day of the attack as he stood in the navigation bridge. His mom and dad. What the future held. After months of picking bodies from the West Virginia, sailors removed the remains of three men from storeroom A, clad in their blues and jerseys. They were carried away in heavy canvas bags drawn tight at the top.
The clues left in the dry storeroom hinted at a horrifying demise. Flashlight batteries littered the floor. The manhole to a supply of fresh water had been opened. Emergency rations had been eaten. And the calendar. A foot high, 14 inches long. Word spread quickly of its discovery. Spurred by the death of his brother, Harlan Costin joined the Navy in October when he turned A friend was serving on the refurbished West Virginia in the same fleet.
He told Harlan the truth about Louis. All they knew came from a Navy man who had appeared at their door in the middle of the night, several days after the attack:. It was broken and waterlogged.
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