USS ARIZONA BB-39 (1941)

USS Arizona (BB-39) was an American battleship laid down in 1914, launched in June 1915, and commissioned by the US Navy in October 1916. The ship was 185 m long, 32.4 m wide, and had a full displacement of 36,500 tons. The maximum speed of the USS Arizona battleship was up to 21 knots. The main armament was 12 356 mm guns in four turrets of three each, and the secondary armament was mainly 22 127 mm guns. USS Arizona was the second and last battleship of the Pennsylvania class. Units of this type belonged to the so-called standard battleships, i.e. ships with similar combat values, dimensions and capabilities, although divided into different classes, which entered service with the US Navy in the period 1916-1923. The Pennsylvania-class battleships were, in fact, a slightly enlarged Nevada-class warship. The main differences were the installation of more powerful main weapons (12 356 mm cannons instead of 10 cannons of the same caliber) and auxiliary weapons, as well as armor reinforcement and the enlargement of the size of the battleships. USS Arizona (BB-39) took a very limited part in World War I, playing primarily the role of a training ship and convoy functions in the Atlantic. In the interwar period, the battleship underwent a major reconstruction in 1929-1931. As a result, the masts were changed, the fire control systems were improved and the anti-aircraft weapons were significantly strengthened. At the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific, USS Arizona was located at the Pearl Harbor base, where it was sunk in a Japanese air attack. The destruction of the ship was so significant that it was not decided to lift it from the bottom and overhaul it. Since 1962, the wreck of the USS Arizona has been used as a memorial mausoleum.