By Terry Munderloh

Edited and expanded by Kathy Krause

On Saturday morning, June 19, 1915, 17-year-old Esther Ross of Prescott and the Arizona entourage of dignitaries arrived at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York for the launching of the USS Arizona super dreadnaught. Esther was dressed in white from her kid shoes to an ostrich feather bedecked floppy hat. As the Arizona constituency entered the shipyard, rumor spread through the awaiting crowd of over 50,000, that sailors long had considered christening a ship with water a bad omen. It had not been done before…or since.

Esther was handed a large bouquet of red roses. "Just before christening the ship," Esther recalls, "a white butterfly came fluttering along and landed right on top of the bouquet. I was thrilled. You know, in Japan at a ship launching they turn loose bags of butterflies as a good luck omen."

The christening bottles, wreathed with red, white and blue ribbons, dangled at the end of ropes hanging from the ship’s bow. The thousands of spectators held their breath as the holding blocks were sawn off to release the ship. Suddenly and very slowly the Arizona began to move. At exactly 1:10 p.m. Esther drew back the ribbon-bound ropes, swung them with all her might and shouted, "I christen thee ARIZONA." The champagne bottle broke but the water bottle reportedly did not. A seafarer on deck at the end of the ropes quickly hauled up the cords. The USS Arizona stern struck the water and the blue jackets on deck of the ship shouted and waved. On shore there were cheers, bands played the national anthem and every siren in the yard bellowed loudly.

After the USS Arizona’s hull was launched, it was fitted with its final armaments and commissioned in October 1916 with the Atlantic Fleet. In 1924, the ship joined the Pacific Fleet. The ship was modernized in 1929, later moored at San Pedro where it was the location of Warner Brothers’, "Here Comes the Navy," in 1935. It was ultimately sent on its final voyage to Pearl Harbor naval base in July of 1941, just 5 months before its iconic demise on December 7th.

Esther had returned home to her social life in Prescott where Fort Whipple’s strict social order and etiquette of army life in that day extended into the little town of Prescott and Esther had her own personalized calling cards, even as a teenager.

After her marriage, Esther spent most of her adult life in California. Years later, she was quoted as saying about the christening, "I thought it would be all over when I got home, that it would be just an episode in my life and people would forget about my role. Instead, it has followed me throughout my life and has come up again and again."

In 1977, eighty-year-old Esther Ross Hoggan was again called upon to christen the 27-foot model of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. In December of that same year she was the honored dignitary at the dedication of one of the ship’s 10-ton anchors at the Wesley Bolin Plaza across from the Arizona State Capitol building in Phoenix. (Another anchor is on display at the entrance of the USS Arizona Visitor’s Center at Pearl Harbor.)

The USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor was dedicated in 1962 and welcomes over a million visitors a year. The ship’s hull lies directly under the memorial and is considered an active military cemetery where 1,102 sailors were entombed of the 1,177 sailors killed aboard the ship on December 7, 1941. It was the greatest loss of life on any U.S. warship in American history. There were only 334 survivors of the USS Arizona that day. Since the early 1980s the cremated remains of men who once served aboard the ship may choose to have their ashes entombed within the ship (placed by divers) or scattered on the water over the vessel. Many have chosen to rejoin their shipmates in this way.

The famous christening bottles, originally donated to the Sharlot Hall Museum by Esther’s mother, are curated at the University of Arizona in Tucson. In the Student Union Memorial Center there is a display of items related to the ship, including the bottle encasements with attached ropes and ribbons, a piece of the ship’s silver set, flags, uniforms, medallions and many other items. An original brass commissioning bell, forged with the name of the ship, hangs in the student union Clock Tower and rings seven times on the third Wednesday of every month at exactly 12:07 p.m. to honor achievements of the University of Arizona and its community. The bell is also rung on the Sunday before December 7th each year, as well as some other special events. Interestingly, the bell is rung when a U of A sports team wins a game….except if the game is against another Arizona team! (The other ship’s bell is located at the memorial visitor center at Pearl Harbor.)

At the Arizona State Capitol Museum in Phoenix, the ship’s 59-piece silver service, Arizona’s gift presented for the ship’s christening, is on display, including the huge punch bowl decorated with mermaids and saguaros. A bottle of champagne and two crystal wine glasses, donated in 1992 by Oree Weller, Chaplain of the USS Arizona Reunion Association are also on exhibit. The bottle of champagne will remain curated by that museum until only two survivors remain. When that day comes, the two survivors will pull the champagne’s cork and drink a toast to their departed comrades in arms. As of three weeks ago, there were 24 survivors remaining. None of the survivors are Arizona state residents. "Most are in their 90s now and we are rapidly losing them."

Most years, the Reunion Association meets with those survivors able to attend. In December, 2009, in Tucson, six survivors attended. This year the event will again be held in Tucson, but in December of 2011, survivors will have their reunion at Pearl Harbor. It will be the 70th anniversary of the sinking of the ship.

Esther Ross Hoggan died in California on August 12, 1979 at the age of 81.

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(po1006pb) Reuse only bypermission.

The christening of the USS Arizona by Esther Ross of Prescott as reported in the July 7, 1915 issue of The Shipping World magazine.

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(USS Arizona afire, NPS) Reuse only by permission.

The USS Arizona, December 7, 1941, afire at Pearl Harbor. The ship sank with 1,102 sailors entombed that day. An additional 75 crew members died and a mere 334 men survived the attack by the Japanese. The death toll on the USS Arizona was nearly half of all personnel killed at Pearl Harbor (1177 of 2402).

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(USS Arizona Memorial, NPS) Reuse only by permission.

USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated in 1962 at Pearl Harbor welcomes over a million visitors every year.