1,177 of the 1,500 men on board died in the attack. The U.S. Navy recovered only 229 bodies, declaring the rest of the servicemen "buried at sea." This disaster marked the greatest loss of life in U.S. naval history.
That loss transformed the Arizona from a crumpled wreck, signifying defeat, into a powerful symbol that spurred the nation into World War II. After the war, the Arizona was transformed yet again, this time into a memorial that serves as an underwater tomb, a sacred site that is unique to American culture.
