Every five years, the survivors of the U.S.S. Arizona are invited to a reunion at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The list grows shorter with the years. About a dozen arrived for the 1996 reunion, and there are fears--probably unfounded--that it could be the last one.

At left, the Arizona's anchor, now located in the entryway of the museum across from the ship's final resting place.

Fewer than 100 crew of the battleship Arizona, sunk in the Japanese attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, are still alive. In the attack 55 years ago, at approximately 8:10 a.m., a 1,760-pound bomb slammed through her deck and ignited her forward magazine. In less than nine minutes, she sank with 1,177 of her crew. In all, the Japanese attack destroyed 165 US aircraft, sank 21 warships, and killed 2,338 military personnel and civilians.

At right, the Arizona Memorial (the saddle-shaped white structure on the right side of the photo) as it appears from the museum. The only way to reach the Memorial is via boat (seen returning in the left foreground), with tickets obtained on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Contrary to popular opinion, the Arizona is no longer in commmission. As a special tribute to the ship and her lost crew, a flag flies from a flagpole attached to the broken mainmast. A 184-foot saddle-shaped memorial spans the sunken battleship. Rusting rims, which used to support the gun turrets, poke above the water, and the outlines of the hull can be seen just below the surface of the water. Although difficult to believe, oil continues to drip from the ship's fuel tanks, leaving a sheen in one spot.

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