USS Arizona (BB-39) was launched on June 19, 1915, and commissioned on October 17, 1916. On Sunday, December 7, 1941, at 7:55 a.m., the first wave of Japanese military aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor. USS Arizona sustained multiple bomb hits, including one that penetrated several decks and exploded in the powder magazine and ammunition areas, ripping through the forward part of the ship and touching off fierce fires. At about 8:10 a.m., fifteen minutes after the assault began, six battleships, including USS Arizona, were sunk. The attack on Pearl Harbor claimed more than 2,400 lives, and twenty-one ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were sunk or damaged. The blast that destroyed USS Arizona sent her to the bottom of the harbor, entombing 1,177 officers and crewmembers, including 73 Marines, the heaviest loss of life on any one ship in the history of the U.S. Navy. Although USS Arizona is no longer in commission, flags are raised daily at the USS Arizona Memorial, and legislation passed during the administrations of Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy designated the remains a national shrine. Historical artifacts salvaged from USS Arizona and the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor include rusted metal pieces from part of the potato locker in the ship's galley and steel rings cut from the USS Arizona Memorial flagpole; they honor those who gave their lives in defense of the nation and stand in tribute to the crew of USS Arizona and to all past, present, and future veterans.