Back on May 12th, I had an entry about a former member of the USS Arizona during the attack having his ashes buried aboard the ship.
It got me to thinking about what happened to the ship after the attack.
From Wikipedia
The ship was struck from the Naval Vessel Register December 1, 1942. The rumor that it is perpetually in commission is just that. Instead, it is a last resting place for the crew and a memorial.
The wreck was unfortunately cut down so that little remains above water today. I would have liked to have left it just the way it appears in the post-battle photographs (I also would have liked for them to have left the collapsed part of the World Trade Center as a memorial).
I would have liked for them especially to have left the collapsed tower and front turret #2 as a fitting memorial. That would have driven home the enormity of the attack even more.
The two aft main battery turrets and their guns were removed as were the guns from Turret #2 forward. Both forward turrets remain on the wreck with #1 still mounting its three guns.
The USS Arizona had four turrets in its main battery, each mounting three 14-inch guns.
Next, the Arizona Arises. --Cooter
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