HISTORY
Colour Scheme,
December 7, 1941
From her last docking in June, 1941, the
USS Arizona was likely painted according to the scheme referred to as Measure 1. All surfaces from the waterline on
up to the upper edge of the smokestack,
including the decks but not the wooden
components of them, would have been in
Dark Grey (5-D). Above the upper edge of
the smokestack, all surfaces would have
been Light Grey (5-L). The exhaust portion of the smokestack was in black, as
was the waterline. Turret No.s 1, 2 and 4
had their roofs painted red. For No.s 1 and
2, this conformed to identification requirements outlined in Battleship Division 1
guidelines, and in the case of Turret No.4,
the red roof identified the USS Arizona as
the Divisional Flagship. Below the waterline, the hull was painted in a protective
red coating called Antifouling Red Norfolk 65-A. Wooden decks were in weather
resistant natural teak wood, though the
question remains as to whether or not Grey (5-D) would be replaced by Sea Blue
this was the case at the time of her ul- (5-S) on vertical surfaces from the watertimate demise.
line to a level in line with the top of the
smokestack. The Dark Grey would have
After a collision between the Arizona been preserved on all decks and horizonand the USS Oklahoma on October 22, tal surfaces. The rest of the colours would
1941 outside of Pearl, both vessels had have adhered to Measure 1.
to undergo repairs in dry dock. The Arizona was the more heavily damaged of In the interest of completeness and to adthe two, and was in Dry Dock No.1 from dress further speculation put forth, the inOctober 27, and the repairs took almost terface (demarcation) visible in photogratwo weeks to complete. The repairs were phs in line with the top of the smokestack
to include a complete repaint, and some would have also satisfied the camouflage
sources claim the use of Sea Blue (5-S). scheme Measure 2A. It differed from MeaThe last known photographs showing the sure 1 with the use of Ocean Grey (5-O)
USS Arizona in dry dock on November 8 on vertical surfaces from the level of the
clearly show the front superstructure, in- main deck to the top of the smokestack.
cluding the bridge and forward mast, with In the case of the use of this scheme, the
a visible colour interface (I’d rather use dark Grey (5-D) would also have extended
“demarcation”) at the level of the top of to the wooden sections of the deck. The
the smokestack. These are supported by question of the painting of these wooden
pictures of the wreck, specifically of the surfaces, and the horizontal surfaces as
intact main mast. If the original camou- a whole including all decks, need to be
flage scheme remained unaltered, then considered when looking into the use of
this scheme could have followed specs Measure 11 as well. Here, perhaps even
outlined by Measure 11, where the Dark Deck Blue (20-B) may be relevant. So, the
(Vladimír Šulc)
Killed commanders
Rear Admiral Isaac Campbell Kidd
(March 26, 1884 – December 7, 1941)
During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Rear Admiral Kidd
was the Commander of Battleship Division
One and the Chief of Staff and Aide to the
Commander, Battleship Battle Force. At his
first knowledge of the attack, he rushed to
the bridge of USS Arizona, his flagship, and,
following the citation for the Medal of Honor
award, „courageously discharged his duties
as Senior Officer Present Afloat until Arizona blew up from a magazine explosion and a
direct bomb hit on the bridge which resulted
in the loss of his life.“ The highest ranking
casualty at Pearl Harbor, he became the
first U.S. Navy flag officer killed in action in
World War II as well as the first killed in ac- on April 23, 1943. The second ship named
tion against any foreign enemy.
after him, USS Kidd (DDG-993), lead ship of
four Kidd-class destroyers, was commissiKidd‘s body was never recovered and to this oned on March 27, 1981. An Arleigh Burkeday he is considered missing in action. U.S. -class guided missile destroyer, USS Kidd
Navy salvage divers located his Naval Aca- (DDG-100), was then the third ship named
demy ring fused to a bulkhead on Arizona‘s after him and was commissioned on June
bridge. A trunk containing his personal me- 9, 2007.
morabilia was found in the wreck and sent
to his widow. Rediscovered in the attic by His son, Isaac Campbell Kidd Jr. (August
his children, both the trunk and its contents 14, 1919 – June 27, 1999), was an four-star
are now displayed in the museum at the admiral of the US Navy who served as the
USS Arizona Memorial.
Supreme Allied Commander of NATO‘s Atlantic Fleet, and also as commander in chief
He was a posthumous recipient of his nati- of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet from 1975 to 1978.
on‘s highest military honor, the Medal of Honor. A Fletcher-class destroyer, USS Kidd
(DD-661), was commissioned in his honor
Captain Isaac C. Kidd, USN, photographed on
board USS Argonne (AS-10), circa 1931. He was
then serving as Chief of Staff to the Commander,
Base Force, U.S. Fleet, Rear Admiral Henry H.
Hough, USN (photo: U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command).
26
INFO Eduard
Captain Isaac C. Kidd, USN, Commanding
Officer, USS Arizona (BB-39) photographed on the deck of his ship, circa 1939.
Captain Kidd has inscribed the original
print: To my able gunnery officer and friend
Commander Abercrombie. Sincerely, Isaac Campbell Kidd. Lieutenant Commander
Laurence A. Abercrombie was assigned to
Arizona during the latter part of Kidd‘s tour
as her Commanding Officer (photo: Dona- Citation awarded posthumously to Rear Admition of Richard C. Beggarly, Jr., June 2000. ral Isaac C. Kidd (photo: U.S. Naval History and
U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command). Heritage Command).
April 2022