On the morning of December 7, 1941, all was quiet at Pearl Habor and the sun was shining. The Arizona had just returned from fleet maneuvers and had been fortified in line with the other battleships along the coast of Ford Island. Most of the crew was just at breakfast. Cannon fire and the noise of bombs broke the silence, and as the sailors hurried on deck they realized that their ship was under fire. In a terribly awful moment, the Arizona was hit on the port side by a torpedo, "amidships" by a large bomb, and on the foredeck by an armor-piercing bomb. 1,100 sailors lost their lives. To commemorate the men of the Arizona, a simple plaque was placed above the ship and a flagpole was erected.
