U.S. National ArchivesThe USS Arizona sank after it was struck by a Japanese bomb during the attack on Pearl Harbor, killing 1,177 crewmen.On Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. At least 2,403 people died that day and nearly half of them were crew members aboard the USS Arizona.Just minutes into the bombardment, the USS Arizona was struck by an armor-piercing shell that detonated in or near the battleships magazine, sparking a chain reaction that caused the vessel to violently explode.Those who survived the initial blast were left with an impossible decision: Stay aboard the sinking ship or jump into the water below, which was ablaze due to the oil pouring out of the crumpled hull.The USS Arizona lost 1,177 men that day almost 80 percent of its crew. The battleship remains in Pearl Harbor today with more than 900 bodies still inside as a sobering testament to that day which will live in infamy.The USS Arizona Before World War IIThe USS Arizona was commissioned in 1916 as a U.S. Navy battleship. The 608-foot vessel was equipped with four 14-inch guns, 22 five-inch guns, four three-inch guns, and two torpedo tubes. It was one of the most powerful ships in Americas fleet, but it didnt see battle during World War I.Although the U.S. declared war on Germany just three days after the Arizona was officially completed, the ship remained along the East Coast during the conflict. It wasnt until the armistice was declared in November 2018 that the Arizona traveled to Europe, escorting President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference.Library of CongressThe USS Arizona returning to New York Harbor from its sea trials on Christmas Day 1916.Between the two World Wars, the battleship was mostly used for training purposes, though it was deployed a few times to help ease tensions in the Mediterranean and aid relief efforts after an earthquake in California as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.In mid-1940, the Pacific Fleet was moved from California to Hawaii as tensions rose after the outbreak of World War II. The following year, in October 1941, the USS Arizona was struck by the USS Oklahoma in foggy conditions. The Arizona had been scheduled to return to Washington for an overhaul in November, but due to the damage, it instead remained docked in Pearl Harbor to await repairs. A repair ship called the USS Vestal arrived on Dec. 6, 1941. The very next morning, disaster struck.The Devastating Attack That Destroyed The BattleshipJust before 8 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese planes appeared in the skies above Pearl Harbor. The first bomb struck the nearby seaplane base on Ford Island. As reported by WPSD-TV, USS Arizona survivor James Vessels recounted that moment during a 1975 interview.When this bomb went off, Vessels said, we couldnt figure what was happening. About that time we looked up, and here came a torpedo plane down through the harbor and had this big rising Sun painted on the side of it.U.S. NavyAn aerial view of the Pearl Harbor Naval Base in October 1941. The USS Arizona can be seen in the upper right.Just a few minutes after the attack began, the USS Arizona was struck by an armor-piercing shell and violently exploded.They know now that it went through the main deck and penetrated the floors and then blew up the magazine, said Vessels, and thats in some of the videos you see where the ship raises up and settles back down.Indeed, the Arizona was briefly blown out of the water. The explosion essentially split the ship in two, and it sank quickly to the bottom of the harbor. The destruction was so devastating that experts still arent sure exactly what happened.As Vessels said, one theory is that the bomb detonated directly inside one of the ships main armament magazines. But its also possible that it struck black powder that was being temporarily stored outside of a magazine, starting a chain reaction that caused the battleships oil to ignite. As the ship sank, the oil leaked into the ocean, lighting the surface on fire. According to the National Park Service, survivor Lauren Bruner later said, At that point, the only possibility to evacuate the ship was to dive into the water, which was 80 feet below and was fully engulfed in flame. That was not an option for survival.U.S. NavyA massive explosion destroyed the USS Arizona just minutes into the attack on Pearl Harbor.As reported by the Naval History and Heritage Command, Corporal B. C. Nightingale of the U.S. Marine Corps later wrote, The bodies of the dead were thick, and badly burned men were heading for the quarterdeck, only to fall apparently dead or badly wounded Charred bodies were everywhere.Of the 1,512 men aboard the USS Arizona that day, 1,177 died nearly 80 percent of the crew. The fatalities from the Arizona also accounted for almost half of the 2,403 deaths from the entire attack on Pearl Harbor. The survivors would never forget what they witnessed.The USS Arizona Memorial At Pearl HarborThe USS Arizona continued to burn for two days after the attack, with the bodies of the fallen crewmen still inside. Meanwhile, America officially entered World War II. The U.S. declared war on Japan on Dec. 8, and Germany declared war on the U.S. three days later. U.S. NavyThe submerged remnants of the USS Arizona in the immediate aftermath of the attack.Back in Pearl Harbor, the military attempted to carry out search and rescue efforts, but they quickly realized it was fruitless. While survivors were pulled from several other damaged ships, like the USS West Virginia, it was clear that nobody was still alive inside the blazing inferno of the Arizona. Even the corpses that were visible were burned beyond recognition. Among the dead were dozens of brothers who had been serving on the ship. On the day of the attack, 37 sets of brothers were assigned to the Arizona. Only one full sibling set survived, as one of the men happened to be at flight school in San Diego on Dec. 7. The only father-and-son pair on the vessel was also killed.U.S. NavyBillowing smoke and burning oil on the surface of the water killed many crewmen who survived the initial explosion.Officials ultimately decided to leave the bodies of around 900 deceased men interred inside the ship. They were declared buried at sea, and over the decades, dozens of survivors from the Arizona have chosen to have their ashes placed among the remains of their comrades upon their deaths.The USS Arizona was one of three ships deemed a total loss along with the USS Oklahoma and USS Utah after the attack on Pearl Harbor. However, pieces of it were salvaged, such as the guns from one of the turrets that were later used during the Battle of Iwo Jima.However, after the military took what it could from the Arizona, the vessel simply sat in its watery grave until a memorial was built above the sunken battleship in 1962. It was designed by Alfred Preis, an Austrian-born architect who had spent three months in an internment camp in Hawaii following the attack on Pearl Harbor.U.S. NavyThe USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.The sunken ship now serves as a visible reminder of the devastating events of Dec. 7, 1941. And its destruction is still evident in the water surrounding the site. The hull continues to leak several quarts of oil each day, 85 years after it met its tragic fate.After reading about the USS Arizona, learn about Doris Miller, the Navy sailor who became a hero at Pearl Harbor. Then, go inside nine of the deadliest days in American history.The post The USS <em>Arizona</em>, The Battleship That Lost Nearly 80 Percent Of Its Crew During The Attack On Pearl Harbor appeared first on All That's Interesting.