# USS Arizona remains **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-arizona-remains/533140 "2010-03-20T16:04:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-arizona-remains/533140/21 "2010-03-21T05:22:10Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > With today’s technology the _Arizona_ . The site is a memorial, and sacred ground (well, water). There is no more fitting interment place for the brave men that died that day than with their comrades in arms aboard the ship they defended to the end. Some of the survivors have had their ashes placed on the Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-arizona-remains/533140/22 "2010-03-21T05:26:17Z")
> [@wedgehed](#): > > It’s worth remembering that some of the crew remained alive for days (or maybe even weeks) after the sinking. This was not the Arizona. Three sailors were traped below decks on the USS West Virginia. They survived until December 23. Their bodies were found when the ship was raised and taken to drydock. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-arizona-remains/533140/23 "2010-03-21T05:26:23Z")
I, too, can confirm oil is still leaking, but I never heard a story about that being why they could not get to any possible remains, and I lived in Honolulu for 2-1/2 years. Not saying that’s not the reason, just that I’ve never heard that. But I think leaving them be is a fitting memorial, and if I were a relative I would not want the remains removed. ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-arizona-remains/533140/24 "2010-03-21T06:31:39Z")
> [@audit1](#): > > This was not the Arizona. Three sailors were traped below decks on the USS West Virginia. They survived until December 23. Their bodies were found when the ship was raised and taken to drydock. There are accounts of tapping coming from the Arizona & Oklahoma also. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-arizona-remains/533140/25 "2010-03-21T07:19:16Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Bad wording by me - I did not mean to say the Arizona is at 15,000 feet. I meant to say the Titanic sank 30 years earlier and it is at 15,000 feet. Should not have said “also” nitpick, 12500 feet [actually something like an average of 12500 and 12600, it is sort of spread out] Yes, I have seen a few too many documentaries on the Titanic … I was stuck in bed when the damned movie came out, and anything about the titanic was in infernally heavy rotation on the few tv channels we had at the time. did I ever mention that I have never seen more than a random 5 minutes of the freaking movie and I will go to my grave resolute to NEVER see the freaking movie… ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2010, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-arizona-remains/533140/26 "2010-03-21T10:23:27Z")
As of May 2008, oil is still leaking from the hull. I have a photo of the oil visible against the water in the memorial. ---
**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:** [March 21, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-arizona-remains/533140/27 "2010-03-21T15:16:26Z")
Clearance divers entered the hull pretty extensively at the time, and at one point, under pressure from Congress, they did get orders to bring up such corpses as they had found floating inside the top of compartments. All had been decapitated in the course of the sinking and the hands had no flesh left on them, if the crabs hadn’t eaten them off already. The bodies were in a disgusting condition, held together only by their rotting uniforms, dealing with them was extremely unpleasant and no identifications could be made. After the first session of this unlikeable task, orders were given to leave any further ones that were located down there, no matter what congressmen wanted. See Lt-Cmd E C Raymer, _Descent Into Darkness_ ---
**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:** [March 21, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-arizona-remains/533140/28 "2010-03-21T15:24:26Z")
Just to be clear, I am not advocating removal of an remains or asking why they aren’t removed. I was just wondering if there are any remains left, or whether they have been completely consumed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-arizona-remains/533140.md?page=1)