USS Arizona

The Arizona was launched at the Brooklyn Naval Yard on June 19, 1915. She was the second and last of the Pennsylvania class of "super-dreadnought" battleships. 

After briefly escorting President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference  in 1919, after the end of World War I, the Arizona was sent to Turkey at the start of the Greco-Turkish War to represent American interests.

During the 1920's, she was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. After being modernized in 1930, she was used for training exercises. 

In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had the Pacific fleet transferred from California to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Arizona was included. 

On December 7, 1941, 350 Japanese Zero torpedo-bombers were launched from six aircraft carriers to stage a surprise attack on the American naval base.

Shortly after the attack began, the Arizona's air raid alarm went off and the ship went to general quarters. At 8:00 A.M., 10 torpedo-bombers attacked the Arizona. She was hit by four bombs. One had struck the upper deck of the bow, penetrating a magazine hold. The detonation had caused a cataclysmic explosion, destroying much of the interior structure and the forward turrets and conning tower to collapse 25-30 ft. downward.

The bombing had killed 11,77 of the 15,12 crewman aboard, which had approximately half of those lost during the raid. 

The attack had left over 2,000 sailors dead along with 218 soldiers and airmen. 1,178 were wounded. Eighteen ships were sunk or run aground, including five battleships. 188 of the 402 aircraft were destroyed or damaged. The Japanese had lost 29 planes. 

The following day, President Roosevelt declared war against Imperial Japan. 

The wreck of the Arizona was not salvaged after the attack. 

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy  designated the wreck as a national shrine and a memorial was built across the sunken remains. With it included a list of names of those who were lost inscribed on a marble wall. To this day, oil continues to seep from the wreck into the harbor.