A Day That will Live in Infamy

[scirocco16vr32 at gmail.com (Chris Bennett)]

My Neighbor was in the Pacific during the war he tells me that even
though he was in the army, he had three, yes 3 boats shot out from
under him.  Sometimes I go over there and let him ramble for hours, I
love to hear it.  He's in his 80's or 90's now and doesn't get around
very well, but his memory is very sharp.  When I mow my yard I go
across and mow his too.  He always wants to pay me but I can't take
his money.  Sweet guy--My 4 year old adores him.  (My Grandpa passed
last year and she knows he's in heaven, but I don't think she realizes
what that means yet)

I know the movie Pearl Harbor was A BORDERLINE TRAVESTY, the one thing
they did get right in my opinion, was the explosion on the USS
Arizona.  If you go to that site I mention above, there is a picture
on one of the sub-pages that has a drawing of the hull as it sits on
the bottom of the harbor.

We all know that a armor peircing bomb penetrated the wooden deck just
in front of turret number one,  there may have been armor there but it
is like tissue paper compared to the sides.  This bomb set off the
foreward magazine (turret #1's shells and gunpowder)  When that ship
was constructed carrier based planes were a dream and it's primary
threat was torpedos hitting it's side and 14in shells (larget they had
in that day)  hitting at or below the waterline.  That was how you
sunk something in that day you punched holes in it's hull.  Read up on
the Bismark for a painful example of this, in short it is believed the
germans scuttled the bismark because british shells were tearing up
the superstructure but couldn't penetrate the armor belt.  Same for
torpedos.  Other than the rudder the torpedos bounced off.

Back to the Arizona... She was a aging WW1 battleship, based on older
but fairly effective technology.  She was built in the post WW1 arms
race where tonnage was restricted on the battlehips.  Dec 7 comes and
she takes a direct hit.  Now that armor belt that protected her also
DOOMed her.  The magazine blew and the armor belt kept the majority of
the blast inside and directed it backwards.  If you look at where the
hull bells out from the explosion, that is slightly foreward of the
mag and where the hull narrows, providig a choke point the force has
nowhere to go and it goes up and blisters out where the armor is
thinner above the waterline.

Imagine if you will, most of the sailors lived on the ship, they
usually had a dress whites uniform inspection on Sundays, but not
until a little later, some of them were sleeping, some of them getting
ready, and boom.  If you were lucky and you were in the rear 1/3rd of
the ship, and you weren't instantly engulfed in flames, or blown apart
like a leaf from the concussion, you were most certainly deafened, and
now in utter darkness.  Poison smoke is pouring in wherever you are,
water is coming in and your only real choice is to get topside and
face jumping water covered with burning oil.  Maybe you get out, maybe
you make it through the oil, and maybe you don't get hit by strafing
Zero's.  Maybe... history tells us only a handful made it out.  Some
where topside and blown off into the water.  I even read that many
died because they would stop saluting the flag when the national
anthem was playing for morning colors.

Sobering thoughts aren't they?

Chris

On 12/6/05, silvius14@comcast.net <silvius14@comcast.net> wrote:
> Yes, it is very sad..............My neighbor was in the Army during WWII and
> I enjoy listening to his stories.  As a matter of fact his picture is in the
> recent Time Life WWII commemorative book.
>
> I personally have my own "A Day that will live in Infamy", our son was born
> 7 Dec. 2000.  I will never forget what Dec 7th means to our nation, my
> neighbor and our freedom.......oh yeah, and my son's birthday.
>
> Karl
> -------------- Original message --------------
>
> > Don't forget about tomorrow Ladies and Gents. It's a day very near to my
> heart.
> >
> > One of my sailors today I asked her--and she makes me feel old...
> > 18yrs old if she is a day, not a moment older--I asked her what was
> > significant about tomorrow. She had no idea. I can say it is sad
> > that someone in this day in age can give you a complete rundown of
> > every season of "Friends" but doesn't know what December 7th is,
> > however I cannot FATHOM (wink wink) the concept of someone serving
> > their country in the NAVY and not know about Pearl Harbor.
> >
> > So my young sailor is going to give her shipmates a 20 minute oration
> > on the significance of tomorrow. I am not that mean, but the Chief
> > Petty Officer that also heard her say she didn't know what it meant,
> > IS that mean.
> >
> > I have some very heartwrenching photos of the day of the attack if
> > anyone would like to see them. If it's one or two I can email them
> > but if it alot I will throw them up on photobucket or something.
> >
> > Chris
> >
> >
> > --
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> >
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85 Scirocco 16v (conversion) Burgundy
87 Scirocco 16v Tornado Red
04 R32 Reflex Silver