University of Arizona

Students, faculty, staff, and the public are now welcome to visit Special Collections without an appointment from 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday.

USS Arizona Collection

Photograph from the USS Arizona collection depicting the USS Arizona battleship in wet dock, circa 1932

The battleship USS Arizona (BB39) was launched in 1915 and sunk December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor. This collection was assembled from donations from various people involved with the battleship during those years.

The collection comprises photographic materials documenting the interior and exterior of the ship and its personnel comprise the bulk of the collection and range from the christening and launching ceremonies to the memorial built at Pearl Harbor in 1962. Also included are papers, documents, and memorabilia of the USS Arizona from its christening to destruction, and of the memorial ceremonies held at the University of Arizona Student Union every year. Other materials include copies of the ship's newspaper, At 'Em Arizona, menus from holiday dinners, official Navy documents and discharge certificates, and papers related to annual memorials. This collection also contains the papers of the USS Arizona Reunion Association.

Oral histories conducted with of survivors of the Pearl Harbor bombing can be found in the digital audio collection linked at top left. The digital exhibit That Terrible Day is accessible below.