When he enlisted in the navy in August 1920, Arthur Severin Rasmussen said he was born Feb. 8, 1902 in Brooklyn, New York. That appears to be a fib, probably because he was actually 16 and not old enough to join the Navy.

An index of New York birth certificates says he was born Feb. 8, 1904 to Danish immigrants Rasmus Rasmussen and Augusta M. Rasmussen. That date matches his age in the 1910 and 1920 Census. 

The son was a carpenter’s mate and petty officer first class on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

A Navy list of survivors said he was married to a woman named Helen Altha Rasmussen and that she lived in San Diego. Augusta was listed as living in Huntington, Long Island.

Tattoos are a long Navy tradition, and Mr. Rasmussen embraced it with gusto. His depicted a woman’s head and a horse’s head, two birds, a bouquet and a rose, a dancing girl, a flag and ship. He also sported the words “sailor’s grave,” “O Boy” and “Across the Atlantic.”

Sources: New York birth index; Navy enlistment records; Census; U.S. Veterans Administration. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.