Battleship Row

[1] When the United States Navy decided in 1919 to establish a major naval base in Pearl Harbor, the southeastern side of Ford Island was ceded from control of the Army Air Service at the behest of Secretary of War Newton D. Baker.

Due to its location in the center of the harbor, where the water was deepest and the potential for maneuvering greater than along the shores, this coast of Ford Island became the de facto mooring location for the Pacific Fleet's battleships and took on the nickname "Battleship Row".

Arizona suffered the most serious damage and loss of life, an explosion in a forward magazine breaking the hull in two.

Oklahoma was eventually refloated but not repaired, and capsized and sank while being towed back to the mainland for scrapping.

[1] Utah was in port at Pearl Harbor, but was not moored with the rest of the battleships, as she had since been converted to a target ship.

The formation of ships in Battleship Row (USS Vestal not shown)
Japanese planes attacking Battleship Row, as seen from the southwest. Ford Island is in the center of the picture, and Battleship Row is behind the island.
An aerial view of Battleship Row moorings on the southern side of Ford Island, three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In upper left is the sunken California , with smaller vessels clustered around her. Diagonally, from left center to lower right are: Maryland , lightly damaged, with the capsized Oklahoma outboard. A barge is alongside Oklahoma , supporting rescue efforts. [ 1 ] Tennessee , lightly damaged, with the sunken West Virginia outboard. Arizona , sunk, with her hull shattered by the explosion of the magazines below the two forward turrets. The dark oil streaks on the harbor surface originate from the sunken battleships.