# How much of a threat is the USS Arizona? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 28, 2006, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952 "2006-01-28T04:22:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/1 "2006-01-28T04:22:49Z")
From what I understand: The USS Arizona just sank down to the ocean floor immediately after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. It’s still got a debatable (but probably large) quantity of oil in it. It’s leaking said oil, and as boats do, it’s deteriorating. How much oil is in it, still? I haven’t been able to find anything saying exactly how much oil there is, which leads me to believe it’s not known. Why can’t the Navy just take a look at the records from early December, 1941, and at least get a decent estimate? For that matter, why was the wreckage allowed to just stay where it was in the first place? Wouldn’t moving it out of the way before a few decades of corrosion took their toll have been a better idea? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/2 "2006-01-28T04:29:58Z")
Because it’s a memorial to the dead sailors and marines who gave their lives. Doing anything with the wreckage would greatly upset veterans groups. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/3 "2006-01-28T04:31:48Z")
It’s a war grave, and therefore is not to be disturbed. As far as the oil goes, Pearl Harbor is pollution central. There have been hundreds of ships for a hundred years. It’s anything but clean. The leakage from the _Arizona_ isn’t even a drop in the bucket. ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/4 "2006-01-28T04:41:58Z")
"The fuel bunkers … still contain an estimated 500,000 gallons of No. 6 oil … At the moment, the Arizona releases a quart or two of oil a day – drop by rising drop – from a dozen or so leaks. Eventually, scientists say, the Arizona is likely to spring a serious leak, but it probably won’t happen soon. But by extracting core samples from different sections of the ship, by taking precise measurements via Global Positioning Satellite technology and chemically analyzing oil leaking from the Arizona, park service scientists and others have cobbled together a high-tech picture of the state of the Arizona. “If our research is correct, there are decades, if not centuries, before major structural collapse becomes likely,” Russell said. “There’s no urgency to move forward, to remove the oil or alter the state of the ship.” [http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:lzGkBgYKk\_MJ:www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20051207-9999-1n7ariz1.html+arizona+"pearl+harbor"+leaking+oil&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=19](http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:lzGkBgYKk_MJ:www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20051207-9999-1n7ariz1.html+arizona+%22pearl+harbor%22+leaking+oil&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=19) ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/5 "2006-01-28T04:43:47Z")
> [@BobT](#): > > Because it’s a memorial to the dead sailors and marines who gave their lives. > Doing anything with the wreckage would greatly upset veterans groups. The memorial is the structure above the Arizona,[ > [@](#): > > The USS Arizona Memorial grew out of wartime desire to establish some sort of memorial at Pearl Harbor to honor those who died in the attack. Suggestions for such a memorial began in 1943, but it wasn’t until 1949, when the Territory of Hawaii established the Pacific War Memorial Commission, that the first real steps were taken to bring it about. > > Initial recognition came in 1950 when Admiral Arthur Radford, Commander in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC), ordered that a flagpole be erected over the sunken battleship. On the ninth anniversary of the attack, a commemorative plaque was placed at the base of the flagpole. > > President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who helped achieve Allied victory in Europe during World War II, approved the creation of the Memorial in 1958. Its construction was completed in 1961 with public funds appropriated by Congress and private donations. The Memorial was dedicated in 1962. > > According to its architect, Alfred Preis, the design of the Memorial, “Wherein the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and ultimate victory…The overall effect is one of serenity. Overtones of sadness have been omitted to permit the individual to contemplate his own personal responses…his innermost feelings.” > > Contrary to popular belief, the USS Arizona is no longer in commission. As a special tribute to the ship and her lost crew, the United States flag flies from the flagpole, which is attached to the severed mainmast of the sunken battleship. ]([http://www.nps.gov/usar/home.htm](http://www.nps.gov/usar/home.htm)) > [@NinjaChick](#): > > …For that matter, why was the wreckage allowed to just stay where it was in the first place?.. The USS Arizona, is the final resting place for the majority of the ship’s 1,177 crewmen, (it’s their grave). ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/6 "2006-01-28T07:18:59Z")
So, random question, if they should one day decide that the Arizona was in imminent risk of a major hull breach dumping it’s oil out into the water, how difficult would it be to drop some sort of barrier around the ship to contain the oil spill? Since oil floats, it could be a floating barrier rather than an actual wall (of course, this depends on how much oil comes out). Then again, if all 500,000 gallons of oil comes out in one big blob tommorow, what difference does that make in terms of ecology and Pearl Harbor’s naval operations? ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/7 "2006-01-28T08:43:38Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Then again, if all 500,000 gallons of oil comes out in one big blob tommorow, what difference does that make in terms of ecology and Pearl Harbor’s naval operations? The fuel bunkers are most likely compartmentalized in several different bunkers ,rather than one big tank, so I am not sure half a mil gallons will come out all at once. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/8 "2006-01-28T09:51:28Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > So, random question, if they should one day decide that the Arizona was in imminent risk of a major hull breach dumping it’s oil out into the water, how difficult would it be to drop some sort of barrier around the ship to contain the oil spill? Since oil floats, it could be a floating barrier rather than an actual wall (of course, this depends on how much oil comes out). Salvage of oil from sunken vessels at much _much_ greater depths have been effected. I think when the time comes when something has to be done, what will be done is fairly non-intrusive drilling into bunker tanks around the vessel and the oil will be sucked out. What can be done by modern salvage efforts is simply astonishing. Working at the shallow depth of the Arizona would be a child’s play. Munitions in the area might make it harder, but I’m guessing they’d generally be away from bunker tanks. Veterans may also conceivably raise a stink, but I think that the process could be done inobrtrusively, and if the alternative is having the memorial covered in bunkers, they won’t. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/9 "2006-01-28T10:49:06Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > The memorial is the structure above the Arizona,[url=http://www.nps.gov/usar/home.htm] > > The USS Arizona, is the final resting place for the majority of the ship’s 1,177 crewmen, (it’s their grave). Specifically, it is a United States National Cemetery, and the only one located entirely underwater, according to the Parks Department guide I ask this of some years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/10 "2006-01-28T13:12:59Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Since oil floats, it could be a floating barrier rather than an actual wall (of course, this depends on how much oil comes out). Not all oil will float. Some heavier oils with either float, be suspended or sink. No. 6 oil is one of those heavy oils that may sink depending on the specific gravity. Clean up of these oils are obviously a bit more difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/11 "2006-01-28T18:52:50Z")
> [@Scruloose](#): > > Not all oil will float. Some heavier oils with either float, be suspended or sink. No. 6 oil is one of those heavy oils that may sink depending on the specific gravity. Clean up of these oils are obviously a bit more difficult. \ I did not know that. \ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/12 "2006-01-28T19:04:38Z")
I have a relative on the _Arizona_. [Captain Chaplain Thomas Leroy Kirkpatrick](http://www.gonebutnotforgotten.homestead.com/Kirkpatrick.html). ---
**Author:** ![Lennon\_Lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Lennon\_Lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lennon_Lives)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/13 "2006-01-28T20:59:20Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > I have a relative on the _Arizona_. [Captain Chaplain Thomas Leroy Kirkpatrick](http://www.gonebutnotforgotten.homestead.com/Kirkpatrick.html). Thanks for the link but now I am really confused. Since the Arizona is a memoral/United States National Cemetery how did Capt. Kirkpatrick’s son get his personal belongings from the ship? I would imagine that would be very disruptive to the site. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2006, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/14 "2006-01-28T21:58:37Z")
a certain amount of salvage work was done on the ship immediately after Dec 7th, initially to remove some of the guns and ammunition for reissue (though turret no.1 was left intact), cut off the superstructure and remove easily accessible corpses. The divers were also directed to remove safes containing payrolls from some of the ships. They also found some .45 automatics from the _Arizona_’s armory and removed them for their own purposes, an action which later came back to bite them. At the time it was just another wreck and no special thought was given to preserving it as a memorial. Work on the ship eventually ceased as it was beyond economic salvage and the divers were needed on other tasks. See Cmdr. Edward C Raymer, _Descent Into Darkness_ (1996) ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2006, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-of-a-threat-is-the-uss-arizona/341952/15 "2006-01-29T01:03:52Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > Specifically, it is a United States National Cemetery, and the only one located entirely underwater, according to the Parks Department guide I ask this of some years ago. The Department of Veterans Affiars says [otherwise](http://www.cem.va.gov/listcem.htm#HI). I can’t find anything indicating that the wreck itself has any special legal standing: the memorial itself is run by the National Park Service, but I can’t find anything about the actual ship. Presumably it’s still considered property of the US Navy.