INFOGRAPHICS #12: USS Arizona (BB-39) battleship

USS Arizona. Photo: US Navy

The following image was created by Donn Thorson and it illustrates in detail main characteristics and weaponry of one of the most famous battleships in  United States history, the USS Arizona (BB-39). USS Arizona was a Pennsylvania-class battleship built for and by the United States Navy in the mid-1910s; it was the second and last of the Pennsylvania class of super-dreadnought battleships which in comparison with the dreadnoughts, they had increased displacement, heavier guns and all their main armament was placed on the centreline. The ship is best known for her cataclysmic and dramatic sinking during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the event that brought about U.S. involvement in World War II. During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Arizona was bombed. The battleship exploded and sank, killing 1,177 officers and crewmen. Unlike many of the other ships sunk or damaged that day, Arizona could not be fully salvaged, though the Navy removed parts of the ship for reuse. The wreck still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated on 30 May 1962 to all those who died during the attack, straddles the ship's hull.

USS Arizona by Donn Thorson. Click to enlarge and save the image to view the details. For high resolution click here.