Jump to content

Pearl Harbor Life Ring from U.S.S. Arizona, All Original and Unrestored for sale


mdk0911
 Share

Recommended Posts

Found in a rubble pile in the 1970's....thirty years or so after the attack?

 

I'm skeptical of that story on a number of levels. If it had been exposed to the elements in Hawaii for that long it should show some fading, wear and tear, let alone if it had been blown off the side of the ship or been floating in the oil soaked waters after the attack.

 

If it is true to the time period, I suspect it was a decorative item for some Navy social function. It could even have been a wall hanger in a bar. Either that or it was purloined by a souvenir hunter (or drunken sailor) prior to the attack.

 

Even if it had ended up in a rubble pile, undamaged by the debris around it, is it credible that no one noticed it in 30 some years? Nostalgia and reverence for the USS Arizona goes all the way back to WWII and surely someone would have grabbed it.

 

As the saying goes, buy the item, not the story.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since this has my curiosity, I looked through a few of my references on the Arizona. I was wrong in the above post, couldn't find any life preserver's marked ARIZ. But I did find a few pics of different styles of markings from the early 30s to 1939.. None of which look like the one in the auction.

 

Early 30s

post-3508-0-97049400-1574534958_thumb.jpg

post-3508-0-75528800-1574534975_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My guess is that it is a prop from the "full size" scale model of the Arizona used in the Movie "Tora Tora Tora". I mean, a rubble pile in Hawaii in the 1970s? Think about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When looking at it for the first time, I noticed rather immediately that there was a brighter white hue around the lettering. I find this to be unusual and a bit suspicious. I also noticed that the lettering seems to be quite intact compared to the cracked white paint surrounding much of it. Im not an expert on vintage paint and how it ages, so perhaps my observations are actual normal from something purportedly to be an original vintage artifact. Any thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Arizona probably lost a number of Life Rings over the side between 1915 and 1941, for a number of reasons.

 

 

 

 

 

Wharf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted Today, 09:53 AM

The Arizona probably lost a number of Life Rings over the side between 1915 and 1941, for a number of reasons.

 

 

Gee, WM, that life ring looks a lot like the one my great-uncle saw fall over the side of Arizona while he was at his 5 inch gun in 1918. ;-) Life rings like flags (another purported Arizona flag coming up for auction) seem pretty dicey in the authentic department, considering they can sell for thousands of dollars. I'll stick to named and traceable medals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted Today, 09:53 AM

The Arizona probably lost a number of Life Rings over the side between 1915 and 1941, for a number of reasons.

 

 

Gee, WM, that life ring looks a lot like the one my great-uncle saw fall over the side of Arizona while he was at his 5 inch gun in 1918. ;-) Life rings like flags (another purported Arizona flag coming up for auction) seem pretty dicey in the authentic department, considering they can sell for thousands of dollars. I'll stick to named and traceable medals.

Yep AB, I'm Sticking with named medals too.

 

 

Wharf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wharf, named and verifiable medals or other artifacts to Arizona crewman, absolutely. Flags, life-rings, generic signage, clocks, boat hooks, lights, cowl vents, etc, with unofficial first, second or third-hand stories, erm, maybe not so much. Best regards, AB

post-18406-0-07190500-1574914955_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...