On the morning of December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was quiet and sunny. The Arizona, just back from Fleet maneuvers, was tied up in “Battleship Row” along Ford Island. Most of the crew was at breakfast. Gunfire and the sound of bombs broke the quiet, and rushing to the deck, the sailors met a full attack underway. In a frightening, terrible instant, the Arizona took a torpedo in her port side, a large bomb “amidships”, and an armor piercing bomb in the forecastle. Eleven-hundred seamen lost their lives. As a remembrance to the men of the Arizona, a simple memorial and flagpole were erected over the ship.
The ARIZONA, a ship of 32,600 tons, was placed in commission on the 17th of October, 1916. She joined the Pacific fleet in 1931, and as a first line fighting ship, was ever ready to meet any enemy. It is most ironical that she met her end as a "sitting duck" in the most devastating attack in the history of modern naval operations.
As she settled into the oily, muddy waters of Pearl Harbor, her flag was still flying from her stern, an inspiration to the other ships which were to take her place.
In 1950, during a simple ceremony, a 50 foot flagpole was erected on her superstructure, and Admiral Radford, the Commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet said, "From today on, the ARIZONA will fly our country's flag just as proudly as she did on the morning of December 7, 1941." Since that time a modern memorial and museum has been erected there.
Revell skill level: 4
Recommended age: 12+
Scale: 1:426
Number of parts: 133
Length: 17.008 in
