A ship whose name is written in history, the story of the USS Arizona is well known worldwide. On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked the US Pacific Fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. All 8 battleships sustained damage or were sunk that day. The most severe loss being the Arizona. The ship was hit with a modified 16" shell. The bomb pierced her decks, penetrated to one of the forward magazines and set off over a million pounds of powder and munitions. The Arizona sank to the bottom taking with her 1,177 souls accounting for almost half the total casualties that day. The Arizona was left in place and serves as a permanent tomb for those who lost their lives on her that day. Today, there is a memorial which straddles the wreck. The American flag will always fly over the ship. Approximately 9 quarts of oil leak from the ship each day. The memorial is Hawaii's most popular tourist attraction with over 1 million visitors annually.