Collections

The Collection

We’re very proud to have one of the most unique private collections of artifacts and documents from the U.S.S. Arizona and it’s crew. Below are just some of the interesting pieces of history related to the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the U.S.S. Arizona and WWII we keep in our collection.

U.S.S. Arizona Flat Hat

An original late 1930's U.S.S. Arizona navy blue flat hat. (aka: The Donald Duck hat) Around mid 1940, the US Navy stopped printing the ship names on the hat tally and issued a similar designed hat that read only US Navy. Eventually this flat hat was phased out in favor of the white “Dixie Cup” hats you see today. The hat above belonged to US Navy Coxswain Linton A. Newell from Portland Oregon, who served aboard the U.S.S. Arizona and was honorably discharged from the US Navy prior to December 7, 1941. These hats are rare and it’s an important piece of our U.S.S.. Arizona collection.

US Navy Good Conduct Medal -Named

On February 26, 1941, GM2c Robert Edwin Kline personally signed the document above to receive his Good Conduct Medal and accompanying pin for re-enlistment. Robert’s faint signature can just barely be seen above his typed name on the record card. At 21 years old, the decision to re-enlist in the Navy would seal Robert’s fate, and now he unknowingly had less than 10 months to live. The charred remains of the document he signed above was salvaged off of the U.S.S. Arizona just days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The original medal and pin was sent home.

U.S.S. Arizona Teak Decking

Pictured above is an authentic piece of the deck from the U.S.S. Arizona. Consisting of one piece of teak decking, it is encased by the caulking that helped keep the deck water tight. This piece was originally taken by a US Coast Guard member named Samuel Ellison of Bronson, TX who was present during the rescue efforts and the salvaging of the the ship in December of 1941. In 1983, before he passed away, the piece was given to a friend of Mr. Ellison named Mark Wolf Copeland of Thomasville, GA, a US Army Veteran. It remained in Mr. Copeland’s possession for nearly 38 years. In 2021, Kevin Kline acquired the piece from Mr. Copeland to be added to the collection. The piece measures approximately 14" long.

U.S.S. Arizona Line Crossing Book

This “Crossing The Line” ceremony book above was printed by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on Merchant Street in 1940 and a copy was given to each crew member aboard the U.S.S. Arizona that participated in the ceremony. The book is an extremely accurate and complete log of the entire days events from July 24, 1940. It includes dozens of pictures from the day, but also includes the entire script followed by the crew to play out the event, along with accurate descriptions of what took place. This would also mark the final crossing of the equator by the U.S.S. Arizona. The book also lists the entire roster of participants from the U.S.S. Arizona, including those that portrayed the cast of characters from King Neptune’s Court and Entourage, the complete roster of shellback officers, and a list of names of the entire crew of “pollywogs”.

1940 US Navy Ordinance Gloves

Oven Mitts? No Way! These authentic US Navy Gunners Mate gloves were used to handle hot ordinance. These original gloves from 1940, are made of all leather. However, many of these types of gloves worn throughout WW2 were insulated with asbestos, making the working environment even more dangerous as these gloves were commonly damaged and torn during training and battle, allowing asbestos to rain down on the sailors below deck. The above leather gloves are in great condition and show only minor burn marks and damage.

USS Arizona Broom Holder

The word is still out…. and we’re still doing the research on this USS Arizona tooled leather holder. The dog embossed on the leather’s center may be the hint we need to discover what this item was used for. Our friends at the University of Arizona Special Collections Division have a large collection of pictures with the mascot of the U.S.S. Arizona; a dog named At’Em. We hope we can connect this item with someone on board the Arizona and with At’Em the dog. When we received this piece into the collection, the whisk broom was attached. We’re unsure if the broom is original to the piece or was just added later.

U.S.S. Line Crossing Subpoena - Named

On July 24, 1940, the U.S.S. Arizona crossed the equator for the third and final time northeast of Jarvis Island in the south Pacific Ocean. Those sailors aboard the ship who had never crossed the equator before (referred to as Pollywogs) were served a summons and subpoena and required to attend a traditional line crossing ceremony called “The Domain of Neptune Rex”. The goal was to graduate from a “slimy pollywog” to becoming a trusted “Shellback”. This rite of passage for sailors around the world dates back over 400 years and the tradition still continues today. Hazing, along with embarrassing tasks and duties created camaraderie among the sailors and turned the slimy Pollywog into the honored Shellback. Above is the actual Subpoena and Summons issued to Seaman First Class Robert Kline on board the U.S.S. Arizona to attend the Line Crossing Ceremony on July 24, 1940.

Christening Medal & Invitation

The U.S.S. Arizona was launched and christened on June 19, 1915 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York. The tradition at a ship’s launching is to christen the bow with a bottle of champagne as the ship slips into the water for the first time. At the time of the ship’s christening, Arizona was a dry state, having passed a prohibition law in 1914. The day of the christening, there was much speculation about whether alcohol or water was to be used. The Navy left the decision up to the state’s governor who chose to christen the ship with two bottles- one containing the traditional champagne, the other containing water from the Roosevelt Dam. This pendant above is made from the brass cannon of the U.S.S.. Maine and is one that was given out to official attendees of the launch event that day. Also in the colelction is the official invitation by the US Navy to the launch ceremony.

U.S.S. Arizona Life Ring

This original 3 foot diameter life ring was removed from the U.S.S. Arizona and brought aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Reliance during the salvaging efforts by an unknown Coast Guard service member. This iconic piece of American history remained aboard the USCGC Reliance throughout the rest of WWII while the cutter served mostly off the coast of Alaska. The life ring was removed from the Reliance after the war and shipped home in a wooden crate by BR2 R.J. Brown. It hung in his garage in Temple Hills, MD for nearly 50 years. Upon his death it stayed with the family but moved to a town outside of Atlanta, GA. In December of 2022 the life ring was offered to Kevin Kline, the nephew of a sailor killed aboard the USS Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attack.

WWII Gold Star Family Pins

Pictured above: Still in their original boxes, are two of the five original Gold Star Pins known to still exist, that were issued to GM2c Robert Kline’s immediate family in 1949. Robert’s mother Lura, his sister Ruth and his brothers Eugene, Arthur Jr. and Jerry all were eligible to have received one. Robert’s father and brother Grant had passed away before this award was created. A Gold Star Lapel Button is issued to the direct family members of service members who died in World War I and World War II and subsequent armed hostilities in which the Armed Forces of the United States has been engaged. The Gold Star Lapel Button was established by Act of Congress in August 1947. This tradition of Gold Star families still exists today, so if you see someone wearing one of these pins, you should know they lost someone close to them in the service of our Country.