--- title: "This is what happened to the 9 battleships at Pearl Harbor" description: "The majority of the battleships damaged at Pearl Harbor were soon repaired and returned to service. Here is what happened to each of them." date: "2021-12-07" modified: "2022-12-06" authors: - name: "Miguel Ortiz" job_title: "Senior Contributor, Army Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/miguelortiz/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/featured/this-is-what-happened-to-the-9-battleships-at-pearl-harbor/" categories: - "History" - "Navy" - "Ships" - "Tactical" - "War History" - "World War II" --- # This is what happened to the 9 battleships at Pearl Harbor ![]() The Japanese surprise attack at Pearl Harbor was meant to deal a knockout blow to the American Pacific Fleet. For all the devastation and tragic loss of life on December 7, 1941, they failed to achieve this goal. The American aircraft carriers were not at Pearl Harbor and were spared from the attack. Naval aviation played a key role in the long-range combat of the Pacific and these carriers led the U.S. counteroffensive following Pearl Harbor. Moreover, the majority of the battleships damaged at Pearl Harbor were soon repaired and returned to service. ## Here is what happened to the 9 battleships at Pearl Harbor ### 1. [USS Arizona]() (BB-39) ![uss arizona one of the battleships at pearl harbor]() **The USS* Arizona *Memorial at Pearl Harbor (U.S. Navy)** The most famous ship from Pearl Harbor, *Arizona* was a total loss for the Navy. She was the second and last of the *Pennsylvania*-class super-dreadnought battleships and one of the most powerful ships in the Pacific Fleet. On December 7, *Arizona* was struck by multiple bombs causing fires to break out. At 8:06, one final bomb struck near Turret II and detonated the forward magazines. The resulting explosion ripped *Arizona* apart and destroyed much of the interior structure of the forward part of the ship. Fires raged aboard for the next two days and 1,177 of her crew perished. *Arizona* was declared temporarily out of service at Pearl Harbor on December 29. On December 1, 1942, she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register. The damage she sustained was so extensive that the Navy decided against raising and salvaging her. The ship's remaining superstructure was scrapped in 1942 and her main armament was salvaged over the next year and a half. The aft main gun turrets were repurposed as Army Coastal Artillery Corps Battery Arizona at Kahe Point on the west coast of Oahu. Both of *Arizona*'s forward turrets were left in place. However, the guns from Turret II were salvaged and installed USS *Nevada* (BB-36) in 1944. These guns shelled Japanese positions at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. *Arizona* remains sunk at Pearl Harbor with a white memorial to those who perished aboard sitting above her. ### 2. USS Oklahoma (BB-37) ![uss oklahoma]() **USS* Oklahoma *sits at anchor c. 1917 (U.S. Navy)** ![uss oklahoma]() **A salvaged USS* Oklahoma *(top) next to the much larger USS* Wisconsin *(bottom) at Pearl Harbor (U.S. Navy)** *Oklahoma* was another total loss for the Navy. On December 7, she was struck by three torpedoes, the third of which penetrated her hull. Fires broke out and *Oklahoma* began to capsize to port. Two more torpedoes struck the mighty battleship and she completed her roll onto her side in just 12 minutes. *Oklahoma*'s roll was stopped by her masts touching the bottom of the harbor. Her starboard side broke the water's surface with part of her keel exposed. 429 of her crew were killed or missing and assumed dead. By early 1942, the [Navy]() decided to salvage *Oklahoma* as she had rolled into the harbor's navigational channel and was a hazard. Salvaging began on July 15, 1942. After forcing water out of the ship, the righting operation began on March 8, 1943 and lasted until June 16. Human remains were removed from the ship before it was moved into drydock at Pearl Harbor on December 28. There, *Oklahoma* was stripped of her guns, machinery, superstructure, and remaining ammunition before she was decommissioned on September 1, 1944. On November 26, 1946, *Oklahoma* was sold to Moore Drydock Co. of Oakland, California for $46,127, or $654,267 in 2021. In May 1947, two tugboats towed the ship from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco Bay. However, on May 17, a storm sank *Oklahoma* in open water en route to San Francisco. The ship's final resting place remains unknown. ### 3. USS Utah (BB-31) ![uss utah]() **USS* Utah *during WWI (U.S. Navy)** ![uss utah]() **The USS* Utah *Memorial at Ford Island (U.S. Navy)** Technically, *Utah* was no longer a battleship on December 7. In 1931, she was demilitarized, converted into a target ship, and re-designated AG-16 in accordance with the London Naval Treaty which restricted the tonnage allotted for a nation's surface fleet. She was stripped of her primary and secondary weapons and fitted with radio controls. In June 1935, *Utah* was fitted with additional anti-aircraft guns to serve as a platform to train gunners. In fact, she had just completed a round of anti-aircraft gunnery training when she returned to Pearl Harbor just before December 7. During the attack, *Utah* was struck by two torpedoes and serious flooding caused the ship to list. At 8:12, the ship rolled completely onto her side. Fifty eight of her crew were killed. Like *Arizona*, *Utah* was declared temporarily out of service on December 29. After *Oklahoma* was righted, an attempt was made to right *Utah* as well. However, the attempt was unsuccessful and the ship was left in her rotated state. With no military value compared to the true battleships at Pearl Harbor, no further recovery efforts were made. *Utah* was decommissioned on September 5, 1944 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on November 13. She remains sunk at Pearl Harbor along with *Arizona*. A memorial extends from Ford Island next to the ship's rusted hull. ### 4. USS West Virginia (BB-48) ![uss west virginia]() **USS* West Virginia *is struck by a torpedo at Pearl Harbor (Imperial Japanese Navy—U.S. Navy)** ![uss west virginia]() **USS* West Virginia *at Puget Sound, Washington in July 1944 (U.S. Navy)** *West Virginia* was a *Colorado*-class dreadnought battleship commissioned on December 1, 1923. On December 7, she was struck on her port side by seven torpedoes and hit by two armor-piercing bombs. Secondary explosions of ammo stores and spilled gasoline from the ship's OS2U Kingfisher floatplane caused fires both on and below decks. Despite listing from the torpedo hits, prompt damage control saved *West Virginia* from capsizing. This allowed the ship to sink on an even keel as she filled with water. Fuel oil from nearby *Arizona* fed the flames aboard *West Virginia* that lasted until the next day. A total of 106 of her crew were killed. *West Virginia* was later pumped dry and refloated on May 17, 1942. The remains of her crew who died aboard were removed and temporary repairs were made to make the ship seaworthy. Afterwards, *West Virginia* departed for Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington for a thorough reconstruction. Limited drydock space and priority on the reconstructions of *California* and *Tennessee* meant that *West Virginia* was not complete until July 1944. She was fitted with air-search radar, fire-control radars, and an improved anti-aircraft weapons suite. *West Virginia* returned to Hawaii on September 3 where she joined Battleship Division 4. The ship fought at Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Although she missed much of the war during her reconstruction, *West Virginia* earned five battle stars during WWII. She helped ferry troops home from the Pacific before she as decommissioned on January 9, 1947 and assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet. *West Virginia* was struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on March 1, 1959 before she was sold for scrap. ### 5. USS California (BB-44) ![uss california]() **USS* California *sunk in shallow water at Pearl Harbor (U.S. Navy)** ![uss california]() **USS* California *after its reconstruction c. January 1944 (U.S. Navy)** *California* was the second of the two *Tennessee*-class battleships. On December 7, the ship had guns ready and immediately returned fire when the Japanese attacked as preparations were made to get underway. At 8:05, two torpedoes struck *California* and the ship began to flood. Water entered the fuel system and shut down the ship's electrical system, hindering damage control efforts. As the ship listed, she was hit by two bombs which caused fires to break out. *California* eventually settled on the harbor floor as she slowly filled with water over the next three days. 98 of her crew were killed. The ship was refloated on March 25, 1942, but suffered an accidental gas explosion that caused further flooding on April 5. Repairs had to be made before the ship could enter drydock on April 9. Further repairs were made and she departed for Puget Sound on October 10. There, permanent repairs and a modernization effort lasted from October 20, 1942 until January 31, 1944. *California* was given a wider hull, new fire control systems, and updated anti-aircraft guns. On May 5, she put to sea to join the Marianas campaign in the central Pacific. She fought through the Central Pacific campaigns, Philippines campaign, and the Battles of Leyte and Lingayen Gulf. *California* was decommissioned on February 14, 1947 and was struck from the Naval Vessel Registry over a decade later on March 1, 1959. She was sold for scrap on July 10. ### 6. USS Nevada (BB-36) ![uss nevada one of the battleships at pearl harbor]() **USS* Nevada *beached at Hospital Point (U.S. Navy)** ![uss nevada one of the battleships at pearl harbor]() **USS* Nevada *shells Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945 (U.S. Navy)** Launched in 1914, *Nevada* was the lead ship of her class. On December 7, the ship's band was playing "Morning Colors" when the Japanese attack began. Not moored alongside another ship, *Nevada* was able to maneuver while other battleships were trapped. Although she was torpedoed, damage control counter-flooded the ship to prevent listing and *Nevada* got underway at 8:40. As she attempted to escape the harbor, the battleship became a prime target for Japanese bombers. *Nevada* was struck by six bombs which set fires across the ship. As *Nevada* began to flood, she made for shore and beached off Hospital Point at 10:30. 60 of her crew were killed. On February 12, 1942, *Nevada* was refloated and temporary repairs were made before she sailed for Puget Sound. Repairs and a modernization overhaul were complete in October 1942. *Nevada* sailed for Alaska to provide fire support for the capture of Attu from May 11-18, 1943. In June, *Nevada* sailed to Norfolk for further modernization. Afterwards, she began Atlantic convoy duty until she sailed for the UK in preparation for D-Day. During the Normnady invasion, *Nevada* shelled German positions on the Cherbourg Peninsula with extreme precision, sometimes just 600 yards in front of friendly positions. She was the only battleship present at both Pearl Harbor and D-Day. *Nevada* then provided fire support for Operation Dragoon, the amphibious landings at Toloun in southern France, before sailing for New York. There, she was refitted with guns from *Arizona* and sailed for the Pacific. *Nevada* provided fire support at Iwo Jima and Okinawa before the war ended. She was later used in the Bikini Atoll atomic experiments in 1946 and was sunk as a target ship in 1948. Her wreck was discovered 65 nautical miles southwest of Pearl Harbor on May 11, 2020. ### 7. USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) ![uss pennsylvania one of the battleships at pearl harbor]() **USS* Pennsylvania *(background) after the attack on Pearl Harbor (U.S. Navy)** ![uss pennsylvania one of the battleships at pearl harbor]() **USS* Pennsylvania *(foreground) leads a convoy into Lingayen Gulf c. 1945 (U.S. Navy)** *Pennsylvania* was the lead ship in her class of super-dreadnought battleships. On December 7, she was in drydock undergoing a refit next to two destroyers. Japanese planes attempted to torpedo the side of the drydock to flood it but failed. *Pennsylvania* was hit by one bomb as well as debris from one of the destroyers. In total, 15 of her crew were killed with another 14 missing presumed dead. *Pennsylvania* was only lightly damaged compared to the other battleships at Pearl Harbor and put to sea on December 12. She arrived in San Francisco for repairs on December 29 and was fully operational on January 12, 1942. *Pennsylvania* put to sea during the Battle of Midway but did not see combat. However, she did fight during the Aleutian Islands campaign, the Battle of Makin, the Marshall Islands campaign, the Marianas campaign, and the Philippines campaign. On August 12, 1945, a Japanese torpedo bomber penetrated the Allied defensive screen at Buckner Bay in Okinawa and launched its torpedo at *Pennsylvania*. The torpedo struck the ship's aft and caused serious damage. Flooding was contained, but 20 men were killed. *Pennsylvania* was the last major U.S. warship damaged during WWII. After the war, she took part in the Bikini Atoll atomic tests before she was decommissioned on August 29, 1946. Various radiological and structural studies were conducted on her until she was scuttled off Kwajalein on February 10, 1948. Interestingly, *Pennsylvania* was not struck from the Naval Vessel Registry until February 19. ### 8. USS Tennessee (BB-43) ![uss tennessee one of the battleships at pearl harbor]() **USS* Tennessee *(left) next to the sunken* West Virginia *(U.S. Navy)** ![uss tennessee one of the battleships at pearl harbor]() **USS* Tennessee *supports the landings at Okinawa (U.S. Navy)** *Tennssee* was the lead ship of her class of dreadnought battleship. On December 7, her crew began fighting back just five minutes after the attack started. Although she was ordered to get underway, *Tenneesse* was blocked in by the other battleships around her that were heavily damage including *Arizona* and *Oklahoma*. The explosion that ripped apart *Arizona* showered *Tennessee* with burning oil. Along with oil leaking from *West Virginia*, *Tennessee* was quickly engulfed in flames. During the attack, she was hit by two bombs, neither of which caused serious damage compared to the ships around her. Five of her crew were killed. Although *Tennessee* was only lightly damaged, she remained trapped where she was moored by sunken battleships. She was finally towed out on December 16 and received repairs at Pearl Harbor before sailing for Mare Island Naval Shipyard on December 20. *Tennessee* received new hull plating and electrical wiring as well as new primary and secondary guns. She returned to service in February 1942 but was sent to Puget Sound to be modernized alongside *California* in August. The overhaul took nearly a year and she sailed to join the Aleutian Islands campaign on May 22, 1943. *Tennessee* went on to fight across the Pacific from the Gilbert and Marshall Islands all the way to the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Over the course of the war, she fired 9,347 14-inch shells from her main battery, 46,341 5-inch shells from her secondary guns, and more than 100,000 rounds from her anti-aircraft batteries. Nearly 30 years old, the battleship was assigned to the reserve fleet in 1946 and decommissioned on February 14, 1947. On March 1, 1959, she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register and sold for scrap on July 10. ### 9. USS Maryland (BB-46) ![USS Maryland one of the battleships at pearl harbor]() **USS* Maryland *alongside the capsized Oklahoma as* West Virginia *burns in the background (U.S. Navy)** ![USS Maryland one of the battleships at pearl harbor]() **USS* Maryland *returns to Pearl Harbor to repair torpedo damage sustained at Saipan c. July 1944 (U.S. Navy)** *Maryland* was the flagship of the fleet and was moored inboard of *Oklahoma* on December 7. This shielded her from torpedo attack and allowed the crew to bring all of her anti-aircraft batteries into action. *Maryland*'s crew was augmented by survivors from *Oklahoma* who abandoned their sinking ship and eagerly supported *Maryland*'s anti-aircraft defenses. Two bombs penetrated the ship's deck and caused flooding, but did not endanger the ship. *Maryland* continued to return fire as her crew sent out firefighting and rescue parties to nearby ships. Four of crew were killed during the attack. After Pearl Harbor, the Japanese erroneously reported that *Maryland* had been sunk. In fact, the damaged ship sailed into Puget Sound just behind *Tennessee* on December 30 for repairs. She was repaired, overhauled, and fitted with new guns before returning to service on February 26, 1942. She stood guard over the west coast during the Battle of Midway. Afterwards, *Maryland* patrolled the Fijian Islands with *Colorado*, which had been undergoing an overhaul at Puget Sound on December 7. The two battleships went on to patrol around New Hebrides, Espiritu Santo, and Aore Island. *Maryland* provided fire support during the Battles of Tarawa, Kwajalein, Saipan, Leyte Gulf, and Okinawa. After the war, she ferried over 8,000 troops back to the states. The ship was transferred to the reserve fleet on July 16, 1946 and was decommissioned on April 3, 1947. *Maryland* was sold for scrap on July 8, 1959. ## Author Miguel Ortiz is a Senior Contributor for We Are The Mighty covering primarily military news and history with an emphasis on weapons technology. He is a former active duty Army officer and remains a member of the Army IRR. After commissioning through San Diego State University Army ROTC, Miguel served with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. He has written for We Are The Mighty since 2020, drawing from his passion for the military community and history. Miguel’s work has also been seen on Business Insider and The Blast. He remains an avid shooter, competing in local USPSA matches. Miguel’s other hobbies are traveling and watch collecting. ### Author social links [LinkedIn]()