Lot # : 211 - Pearl Harbor USS Arizona BB-39 Ship's Wheel

Phenomenal piece of history. This is a Ship's Wheel from the Battleship USS Arizona. Recovered by Navy Diver Edward C Raymer. The Wheel is 24" in diameter. Do not miss this once in a lifetime opportunity. Scott Pawlowski of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial has identified it's authenticity. They have stated that the museum would love to have it in their personal collection if the next owner wishes to donate it. Edward Raymer recovered it while attempting to save the lives of crew members. Provenance: From the Hayes Otoupalik Collection Commander Edward C. Raymer was one of the divers who assisted with the salvage of the battleships at Pearl Harbor. He wrote a book titled "Descent into Darkness" describing his time as a diver during WWII. Commander Raymer started his navy career as an enlisted man and was a pioneer in designing, developing and using new underwater welding and cutting techniques that were needed to salvage the battle ships in Pearl Harbor. The technical details of the work and techniques developed by these men are still used today in underwater salvage and repair. He and his dive team risked their lives daily, descending into the black oily waters, to penetrate the ship wrecks making underwater repairs and patches so these great battleships could be raised and put back into service for their country. Coming within seconds of losing his life on several occasions doing this dangerous work, Commander Raymer continued to get back into the water time and time again to accomplish his missions. He and his fellow divers placed their lives second to the need of our Country on a daily basis. USS Arizona (BB-39) was the second and last of the Pennsylvania class of "super-dreadnought" battleships built for the United States Navy in the mid-1910s. Named in honor of the 48th state's recent admission into the union and commissioned in 1916, the ship remained stateside during World War I. Shortly after the end of the war, Arizona was one of a number of American ships that briefly escorted President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference. The ship was sent to Turkey in 1919 at the beginning of the Greco-Turkish War to represent American interests for several months. Several years later, she was transferred to the Pacific Fleet and remained there for the rest of her career. Aside from a comprehensive modernization in 1929–1931, Arizona was regularly used for training exercises between the wars, including the annual Fleet Problems (training exercises). When an earthquake struck Long Beach, California, on 10 March 1933, Arizona's crew provided aid to the survivors. In July 1934, the ship was featured in a James Cagney film, Here Comes the Navy, about the romantic troubles of a sailor. In April 1940, she and the rest of the Pacific Fleet were transferred from California to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as a deterrent to Japanese imperialism. On 7 December 1941, Arizona was hit by Japanese torpedo bombers that dropped armor-piercing bombs during the attack on Pearl Harbor. After one of their bombs detonated in a magazine, she exploded violently and sank, with the loss of 1,177 officers and crewmen. Unlike many of the other ships sunk or damaged that day, Arizona was irreparably damaged by the force of the magazine explosion, though the Navy removed parts of the ship for reuse. The wreck still lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor beneath the USS Arizona Memorial. Dedicated on 30 May 1962 to all those who died during the attack, the memorial straddles but does not touch the ship's hull. Included with this sale is a copy of Raymer's Book Decent into Darkness.