"Lay the injured on the deck until we can get them off," he yelled at Conter, who had just turned 20. As he tried to gather men for evacuation, Conter could feel the ship listing, sinking into the harbor. He opened a hatch on the starboard side near the No. 4 gun turret, looking for survivors. Four men stood in water about to cover their heads. A minute later, they would have drowned." (McKinnon 2017)
On December 7, 1941 Japanese fighter planes attacked Pearl Harbor. The attack began at 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, and in just two short hours it became one of the deadliest attacks in American history. This attack killed more than 2,400 people and wounded over 1,000. Almost 20 American ships were destroyed as well as 300 airplanes. On the USS Arizona there were 37 sets of brothers, 77 men total. Of these men, 62 were killed, 23 sets of brothers. “He falters only when he talks about Jake, his twin brother, who could not escape the USS Arizona as it burned in Pearl Harbor. Anderson's eyes cloud as he feels the loss all over again.” (McKinnon 2017) Only one full set of brothers survived. “Men were staggering from the compartment that had blown up. They were burned so badly, Cook didn't recognize them. Their skin was charred, falling off their bodies.” (McKinnon 2017) The USS Arizona was hit four times by the Japanese before it sank. “A second bomb hit farther forward, on the port side somewhere near the anti-aircraft deck. A third struck the port side near the anti-torpedo bulkhead. At least three bombs missed the Arizona. The splash from one of those misses led many to think the Arizona took a torpedo.” (McKinnon 2017) There were 1,177 crewmen on the USS Arizona that died, almost half of the people that died at Pearl Harbor. According to the article, Top 10 Most Famous Shipwrecks, “The shipwreck was declared a National Historic Landmark on 5 May 1989. Today the shipwreck remains and can be viewed at the USS Arizona Memorial, and is annually visited by two million people.” The memorial for the USS Arizona is in Honolulu, Hawaii where fuel continues to leak from the wreck.
A Description From the Survivors:
azc.cc/1A1Nu3e
"Please don't write that I'm a hero," he says. "I'm no hero. I was just doing my job. I did what I had to do." (John Anderson)
A Description From the Survivors:
azc.cc/1A1Nu3e
"Please don't write that I'm a hero," he says. "I'm no hero. I was just doing my job. I did what I had to do." (John Anderson)