The surprise air raid on Pearl Harbor decimated the U.S Fleet, sinking 12 destroyers and damaging another 9. More than 400 aircraft were also damaged or destroyed. In all, 2400 military personnel and civilians lost their lives in the attack. Another 1100 were wounded. It was the start of the U.S. involvement in WWII.
An aerial bomb that struck the forward section of the USS Arizona ignited the forward magazine causing an explosion that sunk the battleship in nine minutes. 1.4 million gallons of fuel was on the USS Arizona when she sank. Over 60 years later, approximately nine quarts still surfaces from the ship each day. You can see it floating at the bottom of the photo. Some Pearl Harbor survivors have referred to the oil droplets as "Black Tears.”
A portion of the ship is visible on the surface of the water; behind it is the dock for the visitor's launch.
