Death of USS Arizona Survivor Donald Stratton-- Part 2: "Ball of Flame That Went 500 to 600 Feet Into the Air"

Most  of the men who survived the attack on Peal Harbor from the USS Arizona were on shore that day or they would have been numbered among the dead.

An armor-piercing bomb hit the Arizona near Turret #2 in the front of the ship.  It cut right through and ignited the magazines in the forward section of the ship.  This was the killer blow.

Within seconds, "There was a ball of flame that went about 500 to 600 feet into the air, and it just engulfed the whole foremast up there where we were and the whole bow of the ship," Stratton recalled.

The explosion cleaved the battleship in half, rained metal down upon Ford Island  and unleashed fires which raged for two days aboard what was left of the Arizona.

"As soon as I came to my senses, I tried to hide under some equipment to keep away from the blaze, but I still got burned.  The fire came right into the director," where he was stationed.

Stratton was torched from his thighs to his ankles, across his back, arms and left torso, plus his face.  He was burned bald on his head and the flames had chewed through part of an ear.    More than three of every five inches of his skin had been scorched.

And, his ordeal wasn't over.

Next.  --GreGen