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800-lb Piece of the USS Arizona Headed to the Texas Panhandle War Memorial

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Tony Maples Photography

 

An 800-pound piece of the USS Arizona battleship, which sank in Hawaii during the bombing of Pearl Harbor, is on its way to Amarillo, Texas. It will be displayed at the Texas Panhandle War Memorial. The rusted steel plate and a part of the ship’s wooden deck were removed by the U.S. Navy when the memorial over the sunken ship was constructed decades ago – a part of the 112 components that have been displayed at museums as well as other exhibits throughout the U.S.

Randall County Judge Ernie Houdashell coordinated the donation for display. UPS Inc. (which is donating its services for the project) stated on Thursday, June 21, that this piece of the Arizona was being loaded onto a plane in Hawaii to make its flight to California. The parcel service will then transport it by truck from there to Texas. Meeting the truck in Lubbock on June 30, a police escort together with a veterans’ motorcycle club will be accompanying the piece to the memorial. “It’s going to come into Amarillo with lights flashing,” Houdashell explained.

800-lb Piece of the USS Arizona Headed to the Texas Panhandle War Memorial

Photo: Facebook/Amanda Marlowe

The Arizona sustained 1,177 casualties, many of which were entombed in the ship. To honor these lost lives, the steep plate and deck piece will be treated with reverence. Houdashell noted that as a part of a burial site, that will be ensured. The Texas Panhandle War Memorial is dedicated to those who lost their lives at battle from the Panhandle’s 26 counties. They plan on unveiling this new display during the recognition of the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7. “It is a really big deal. This is actually a national relic. It’s a very sacred piece of America,” Houdashell noted.