Historic
bottom, straddles the hulk, but never touches it––a way of giving visitors access without using the corroding ship for support.
Cultural Icon Gary immediately felt the impact of being there, isolated from city noises, with waves gently lapping against the hull––a place no one has to tell you to be quiet, one that exudes its own silent authority. But he also had the nagging sense something was missing––it didn’t look like a ship or anything close to it. He soon learned a disturbing truth; no one really knew what was there. There were many pictures of Arizona since being commissioned in 1916; but not a single photo or rendering of what remained. An aerial view is required even to discern the shape of a ship’s hull. In 1982, Gary invited me to visit
and accompany his staff on one of their regular snorkel-dives around the memorial. No one since the 1943 salvage had been allowed to dive the Arizona ‘using air’, the only exception being ceremonial touch- downs to the sunken deck by new graduates of the Navy Dive School. For them, it was an opportunity to touch the true cross; a sacred place to Americans, none more so than those in the Navy. Every few weeks, Gary’s rangers finned around the memorial walkway gathering things dropped in the water by visitors. But like things left at the Vietnam Memorial (which opened later that year), many didn’t seem the result of careless discard. Amidst coins and colourful flower leis, were pictures–– often faded, sepia-toned faces of young sailors. Newer images featured children. One can draw one’s own conclusions, but clearly
Arizona, but not a single photo or rendering of what remained
The USS Arizona from above
illustrates the
Memorial over the site and a blue sheen of oil that
has seeped slowly from the vessel for 74 years
there were things going on here beyond simple sight-seeing. I wasn’t sure why Gary had been
insistent on our visit. Now I knew. You don’t need to explain the importance of Arizona to someone once they’re there—the ship speaks for itself. “You know, I’m going to need some help here, Dan.” It wasn’t a question. At the time, I was the founding
Chief of the NPS underwater archaeology team, now known as the Submerged Resources Center (SRC).
In 1982, the U.S. was one
of very few nations with a full-time federal program to research and
Tere were many pictures of
42
Magazine
Photo: NPS, illustration: NPS / Jerry Livingston and Larry Nordby
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