BB-39 Model Album

This model is a "hacked" version of the famous Revel Arizona kit. I started building it in 1992. It was never finished, and sat languishing for years in this or that box. In 2003 I pulled it out of storage, and assembled the bits into a mock-up, and took these pictures with a low-resolution digital camera.

This model represents Arizona as she sat cooling on 10 Dec., 1941. There are several details missing, such as masts pieces, armored bridge platform, aircraft, aft crane, AAA, props and rudder, and boat deck details. The main areas of interest are all in the forward hull area and the upper level back to the boat deck. You will notice the bulge of the hull plating, the missing splinter belt, the collapsed barbette support structures and conning tower, and the 61 degree forward tilt of the foremast.

[View 1] A general view from above the port quarter. Even from this angle, the collapsed fore deck is obvious.

[View 2] A general view from above the port bow. The lay of the sunken deck can be seen. Details in the area of the stem and the forward portion on the collapsed deck have not been added. Still, the approximate locations of the breaks are visible in the "carving".

[View 3] Another shot from the port bow, closer in. The fore mast and armored bridge are visible here.

[View 4] A port beam view of the main damaged area. In this shot you may view the warped hull at the main armor belt, the missing splinter belt above it, and the collapsed turret and bridge supports. The deck, turrets and conning tower appear to be "in position". This is an illusion created by the fact that all of these structures settled within the hull in positions that are very close, relative to each other. If you have a photo of Arizona burning after the attack, you will recognize this shot very quickly. Quite a bit of effort went into correctly locating the turrets and tower, the elevation of the barrels, and the angle of the mast forward

[View 5] A port beam view of the amidships area. The stark contrast between the devastated bow and the intact stern is evident. The undamaged appearance the boat deck area and aft is misleading, however. Dives have discovered that the center of the hull was severely damaged back to a point near the main mast. You can see some evidence of this by watching the film of Arizona blowing up. The first indication that something is wrong is when a large, sharp plume of dense smoke blasts vertically from the funnel. This indicates that the boiler rooms were blown and pressurized. Accounts of the survivors recall the dense, acrid smoke that quickly made its way aft through the ships ravaged ventilation system. Approximately 300 men survived from the aft end of the ship.

[View 6] This view is more along the centerline of the ship from the bow.

[View 7] A stern end-on view of the deceptively peaceful rear armament and main mast.

[View 8] A starboard quarter view contrasting the intact aft hull with the foremast area of devastation. The slight outward bulge of the starboard fore hull area can just be seen.

[View 10] This is an interesting shot of the fore hull in the area of the splinter belt, and the section below the boat deck. You will notice that large pieces of the side hull above the main belt are completely missing, and the decks above them have fallen forward. You can see a large hole in the side plating below what appears to be an undamaged area of the boat deck. This is further evidence of massive internal amidships damage that actually broke free of the hull. The 5" single casemate turret immediately above the damage appears intact in NPS drawings and photos.

[View 11] This last photo shows the main damage area from the starboard bow, angling slightly aft. It focuses on the fore mast and B turret. Notice near the base of B turret that there is a 5" single casemate cannon. In the majority of photos today, the appearance of BB-39 is that of a stripped hulk. She was scrapped to the water line to reclaim steel for the war effort, and cannons for use on other warships and shore installations. The boat deck in this series is now long gone. It was removed, along with the majority of other parts, bits and pieces. The deck you can view in this area now is just one level down. The holes in that deck are present in this model, but only visible if the mid deck area if lifted away.

I hope this helps to create in your mind an image of Arizona's condition after the attack. The pictures of her burning mass do not show very much because the ship settled into the harbor mud fairly quickly. Eventually, this model will be completed, and then loaned to the military history museum in Sonora, California.

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