The casemates and secondary aft were where almost all of the Arizona’s Marines would be during the Pearl Harbor attack. The equipment in secondary aft electronically transmitted the target’s position to each casemate and it was up to the gun’s crew to sight the gun based on the information provided. While one set of Marines would be busy at work inside their casemates, another group, led by Captain Shapely, would be directing the secondary battery fire from a position called “secondary aft.” This fire control center was located high up in the ship’s mainmast, in the maintop, and accessible via exterior ladders on the structure’s tripod legs. Internal competition was promoted to encourage performance and loaders who weren’t up to snuff were given less demanding positions. When not doing live fire drills, they would use a working model of a gun’s breech block to practice the timing of the loading process. The guns had a maximum range of eight miles and a well-trained gun crew could fire eight to nine rounds per minute.Īrizona’s Marine gunners would conduct drills frequently, sometimes for hours on end, as there was intense pride in having the most efficient gun crews. Each projectile weighed 50 lbs and was loaded with a single 25 lb powder charge to propel it-both were inserted into the breech by hand. The Marine Detachment quarters were located directly adjacent to these casemates to ensure that most of the gun crews would only be a few steps away from their battle stations in the event of an emergency.Įach gun would be overseen by a gun captain, either a Marine noncommissioned officer or a US Navy petty officer, with 11 men serving as projectile and powder handlers and gun trainers. While the wide casemate openings allowed the guns to train side to side in a wide arc, they could only elevate a maximum of 20 degrees, rendering them useless for anti-aircraft purposes. Shapely stated in a June 1941 report that “during the period 1 July, to 31 December, 1940, the Marine Detachment manned six 5-inch 51-caliber guns.” These were used to fire broadside attacks against enemy targets and even defensively against incoming torpedoes.Įach of the five-inch guns were inside casemates, enclosed gun rooms, on the Upper Deck of the Arizona just aft of Turret II. Duty CallsĪt general quarters, or battle stations, the primary responsibility of the Arizona’s Marines was the operation and direction of fire of the ship’s secondary batteries. Russell enlisted in the US Marine Corps while my grandfather ended up in the US Army Air Corps. Like a couple of typical Cajun boys, they would go out drinking and running wild until they both joined the military. He was the cousin of my grandfather, Joseph Ray Clay, Sr. His parents were Simon Durio, police chief of Sunset, Louisiana, and Alcidie Marie Durio. One of the Marines serving under Shapely was Private First Class Russell Durio, who was born Main Arnaudville, Louisiana. They fulfilled a variety of responsibilities during routine operations, including serving as orderlies for the ship’s officers, sentries at the brig and gangway, and watch standers at various locations. In total, the detachment numbered five officers, 18 non-commissioned officers, and 64 enlisted Marines. ![]() He was soft-spoken and economical in his use of words, but he got the message across.” ![]() Unlike the stereotypical Marine in command, Shapely was not the gruff type. He knew our records and our personalities and treated us with respect. Private Russell McCurdy described Shapely as “a superb leader that took a genuine interest in the men of the detachment. He was due for promotion and his time with this detachment was coming to an end. Under his command, the Arizona’s Marine Detachment fielded successful athletic teams in swimming, baseball, boxing, basketball, golf, bowling, and whaleboat racing. A 1927 graduate of the US Naval Academy, Shapley was a standout athlete who encouraged competition and team sports. In December 1941, the USS Arizona’s 87-man Marine Detachment had been under the command of 38 year old Captain Alan Shapely for a year. By the winter of 1941, she was the flagship of Battleship Division 1 and was home ported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii under the command of Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh with Rear Admiral Isaac C. After the modernization was completed, she had a crew complement of 1,731 sailors and Marines-including 92 officers and 1,639 enlisted personnel.
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