USS Arizona (BB-39), From Keel Laying to Pearl Harbor Memorial
by David Doyle
In 2016, Schiffer Publications expanded its popular “Legends of Warfare” series with the launching (pun intended) of its “Legends of Naval Warfare” sub-series, which has rapidly grown to currently over thirty titles (over a dozen of which reside on the naval/nautical shelves of my library), all in a uniform 9 x 9” hardcover format. The vast majority of them have been written by renowned meticulous researcher and prolific author David Doyle, an acknowledged authority on military aircraft, armored fighting vehicles, and now warships.
The story of the ship’s tragic loss is well known and indeed has become an inseparable part of America’s culture from World War II, and rightly so. That should not be not at all surprising. Over the now nearly eighty years since the end of that war there have been a fair number of publications, ranging from monographs of not much more than a dozen pages to hardbound, lavishly illustrated treatises of several hundred pages that have documented the ship’s history in lesser or greater detail. It seems only logical that Schiffer would eventually include it in its list of “Legends of Naval Warfare” titles, and now it has.
This is not the first book on the Arizona by David Doyle either. His earlier book, published by Squadron/Signal Publications in 2011 is still readily available in softcover at a competitive price. There is a great deal of commonality between the two books, particularly in the extensive use of historical photographs and the information in their captions. As both books are primarily photographic histories, this should come as no surprise. After all, there are only so many authentic historical photos available. What is a pleasant surprise is just how many of them Doyle has managed to unearth and include, as overall, they give the viewer a very real sense of not only how the ship’s appearance evolved over its 25-year career (at the time of its loss at Pearl Harbor it was considered over-age and scheduled for decommissioning and replacement) but we get more than just a glimpse of what life was like for the crew of what was considered to be a frontline U.S. Navy battleship in the interwar period.
If that had not been the case, it would be difficult to reconcile the Navy’s cooperation with the production of the 1934 motion picture Here Comes The Navy starring James Cagney, Pat O’Brien, and Gloria Stuart (also of Titanic fame), many portions of which were shot abord the ship with crew members as “extras.” Previously, just after completing its extensive “modernization”—in reality a virtual rebuilding in compliance with the limitations of the Washington Naval Arms Limitation Treaty (1922)—Arizona had served as a supplemental presidential “yacht” as President Herbert Hoover elected to ride along on the ship’s post-modernization ten-day shakedown trials to the Caribbean in March, 1931.
And speaking of the photos, though they are nearly all the same in the two books, the earlier book presents them all in true black and white, or as near to that as the original would allow to be copied, while this new Schiffer book presents the historical photos with a slight sepia tone that gives them an “antiquey” cast. In comparison with the photos in the earlier book, many of them also appear to be somewhat darker, which makes discerning some details as described in the captions more difficult to recognize, but this is a small criticism. Where the two books differ is in the use of color photography. This new Schiffer book concludes with six pages of impressive color photographs of the Arizona memorial, various artifacts, and ceremonies commemorating the ship and its crew that are not included in the earlier book.
Other amplifying illustrations typically found in the “Legends of Naval Warfare” series include fine b/w as well as color line drawings of the ship’s overall appearance at differing points in its career as well as important detail changes made along the way. Color illustrations depicting the various color schemes the ship and its assigned aircraft wore and at what times they were in use are also included. These will be especially appreciated by modelers.
Paper quality, binding, overall photographic reproduction, and cover boards are in keeping with Schiffer’s established standards in all respects. As such, they represent virtually unbelievable bargains at their truly modest prices in these inflationary times.
As far as shortcomings are concerned, both books lack a bibliography and index, so neither has the advantage as the more useful reference tool. Difficulty in discerning details in a few dark photos are previously mentioned. Nevertheless, this new volume is a fine and worthy addition to the “Legends of Naval Warfare” sub-series. If you already have the earlier book, you needn’t be in any hurry to acquire this one, as there isn’t much in it you don’t already have. But if you don’t already have Doyle’s earlier Arizona book, then by all means take advantage of the bargain pricing on this one and add it to your library, especially if you seek to add to your “Legends of Naval Warfare” collection.
Copyright 2025, Mark Dwyer (speedreaders.info)
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