Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Arizona Phoenix Relics of the USS Arizona
AO Edited

Relics of the USS Arizona

Artifacts from a battleship sunk at Pearl Harbor displayed in the Capitol building of its namesake.

Phoenix, Arizona

Added By
Brett Iredell
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
A salvaged piece of the USS Arizona’s superstructure.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
The ship’s anchor.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
The ship’s mast and guns.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
The flag the USS Arizona was flying as it sank.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
A copper statue of a miner that was aboard the ship to commemorate Arizona’s mining industry.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
Some of the USS Arizona’s ceremonial silverware.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
The ship’s bugle and a bottle of champagne donated to the survivors by President Gerald Ford.   WhiskeyBristles / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Launched in 1915, in honor of Arizona, which had attained statehood three years earlier, the USS Arizona was a battleship in the US Navy. Twenty-seven years later, the ship was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i, during World War II. Despite its relatively short career, the Arizona was present for several notable events and today the battleship is memorialized within the Capitol building of its namesake.

The Arizona spent World War I mostly in the United States, primarily used in training missions and only sailing across the Atlantic Ocean after the armistice ending the war had been signed. The Arizona was part of the convoy escorting President Woodrow Wilson to Europe for the Paris Peace Conference and later part of the fleet that escorted him back to the United States. In 1919, tensions rose between the Greek, Italian, and Turkish governments over the partitioning of land after the war, and the Arizona was positioned between the unhappy parties to ensure the treaty was enforced.

Early in the 1920s, the Arizona was moved to San Pedro, California, which would be her home port for most of the next two decades. In 1924, the Arizona and her crew were part of a scandal in which a sex worker named Madeline Blair was smuggled aboard by sailors and plied her trade in exchange for secret passage from New York to California, where she hoped to become a movie star. Shortly after passing through the Panama Canal, Blair was discovered and sent back to New York by train. Every officer on the ship received a letter of reprimand and 23 sailors were court-martialed, with sentences of up to 10 years handed down.

Apart from training exercises, the Arizona was used as a floating embassy, hosting diplomats in foreign ports and in 1931 was even used by President Herbert Hoover during a vacation to the Caribbean. In 1934, the Arizona and her crew starred in the romantic comedy film Here Comes the Navy, which received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. In 1940, as tensions between the United States and Japan rose, the Arizona was transferred to Hawai'i.

On December 7, 1941, the Navy base at Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese military aircraft. Shortly after the attack began, a bomb from a Japanese plane detonated one of the Arizona's munition stores, resulting in a cataclysmic explosion. Nearly all of the sailors aboard died in the attack—1,177 of the ship's crew of 1,512. Their deaths made up more than half of the total American casualties in the battle.

Most of the ship remains underwater where she was sunk and is managed by the National Park Service as Pearl Harbor National Memorial but several pieces have made it back to the state of her namesake. An anchor, mast, and one of the ship's large guns are in a plaza in front of the Capitol building in downtown Phoenix. Additionally, part of the ship's superstructure, the ship bugle, the flag the ship was flying as it sank, and its ceremonial silverware are displayed in the Arizona Capitol Museum.

Related Tags

Shipwreck Ships World War I World War Ii Pearl Harbor Military History

Know Before You Go

The Arizona Capitol Museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. 

The University of Arizona in Tucson has one of the largest collections of U.S.S. Arizona artifacts and was a major contributor/sponsor of the new Visitor Center at Pearl Harbor. There is a life-size/to-scale outline memorial of the battleship on the mall in front of Old Main. It's very well done with plaques of all the servicemen killed.

Community Contributors

Added By

WhiskeyBristles

Edited By

patschieffer1

  • patschieffer1

Published

July 21, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.strategypage.com/cic/docs/cic133b.asp
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Arizona_(BB-39)
  • https://azcapitolmuseum.gov/
Relics of the USS Arizona
1700 W Washington St
Phoenix, Arizona, 85007
United States
33.448097, -112.097024
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

'Her Secret Is Patience'

Phoenix, Arizona

miles away

Hanny's

Phoenix, Arizona

miles away

‘Release the Fear’

Phoenix, Arizona

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Phoenix

Phoenix

Arizona

Places 24
Stories 3

Nearby Places

'Her Secret Is Patience'

Phoenix, Arizona

miles away

Hanny's

Phoenix, Arizona

miles away

‘Release the Fear’

Phoenix, Arizona

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Phoenix

Phoenix

Arizona

Places 24
Stories 3

Related Places

  • The wreck.

    Hunstanton, England

    Wreck of the Steam Trawler Sheraton

    All that remains of the fishing-vessel-turned-warship is its weathered hull.

  • The rudder under the bridge.

    Alexandria, Virginia

    World War I-Era Rudder

    This rudder is one of the few remnants of a shipyard that once operated on the banks of the Potomac River.

  • Taino, Italy

    Taino Gunpowder Mill

    The ghostly remains of a gunpowder mill lost in 70 hectares of thick woods.

  • The Caisson with the Hayling Island Landing in the background

    Hayling Island, England

    Mulberry Harbour Wreck

    This concrete monster of a wreck lies in the mouth of Langstone Harbour as a monument to the incredible history of D-Day.

  • F14 Fighter Jet

    Alameda, California

    USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum

    After serving in World War II and picking up Apollo astronauts, this aircraft carrier has been turned into a museum overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

  • Yokosuka, Japan

    Mikasa Memorial Warship

    The last remaining pre-dreadnought battleship in the world has been a museum for nearly a century.

  • Isle of Wight, England

    Culver Battery

    The now-quiet remains of coastal artillery defenses that were used in both World Wars.

  • Jinja War Cemetery.

    Jinja, Uganda

    Jinja War Cemetery

    The final resting place of soldiers who fell during the First and Second World Wars.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.