USS Arizona Memorial - Ten Things to Know (U.S. National Park Service)

Unaware of the approaching Japanese flotilla, the U.S. Navy (185-plus U.S. ships) was moored in small groups throughout Pearl Harbor in defense of possible sabotage attempts.
The Japanese attack on the island of Oahu, December 7, 1941, acted as a catalyst propelling America into World War II. On December 8, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. In return, on December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, making it a world war.
The majority of the U.S. Pacific Fleet was moved to Pearl Harbor in 1940 as peace negotiations began faltering with Japan.
The USS Arizona sank in nine minutes and burned for over two days.
The USS Arizona is no longer a commissioned naval ship. She was stricken from the official register of U.S. naval vessels on December 1, 1942.
There were 1.4 million gallons of fuel on the USS Arizona when she sank. Over 60 years later, approximately two quarts a day still surfaces from the ship. Pearl Harbor Survivors refer to the oil droplets as “black tears.”
On the USS Arizona 1,177 service members perished, making it the greatest loss of life on any U.S. warship in American history.
The bond between USS Arizona shipmates went beyond being comrades; there were 37 sets of brothers assigned to the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941.
Unlike the battlefields of Gettysburg and Antietam, the story of Pearl Harbor is still alive in the memories of those who witnessed the attack. The Pearl Harbor Survivors who volunteer at the memorial tell their story to the public; they truly are living history.
The majority of the USS Arizona’s crew members went down with the ship; however, 337 service members survived. Today, interments for deceased USS Arizona survivors are conducted on the ship. Over 20 interment have been conducted on the USS Arizona.