How Many Ships Sunk at Pearl Harbor and Which Are There Today?

AvatarByEric Dawson Boats & Cruises

Seven United States Navy ships sunk at Pearl Harbor during the December 7, 1941 attack, which is the direct answer to how many ships went down that morning: USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS California, USS West Virginia, USS Utah, the minelayer USS Oglala, and the floating drydock YFD-2. Only three of them, USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, and USS Utah, were permanent losses. The rest were raised and rebuilt. Visitors to Pearl Harbor today can tour memorials for several of these ships, plus the battleship USS Missouri and the submarine USS Bowfin.

How Many Ships Sunk at Pearl Harbor

Naval records put the toll at seven vessels sunk outright during the two-hour raid on the morning of December 7, 1941. Five of them were battleships: USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS California, USS West Virginia, and USS Utah. A minelayer, USS Oglala, and a floating drydock, YFD-2, went down at their moorings as well. Historians count these seven separately from the wider damage the attack caused across the rest of the harbor.

Twenty-one ships were sunk or damaged in total that day, a figure that includes the seven total sinkings plus significant damage to four more battleships, three cruisers, two destroyers, and several support vessels. That broader number explains why casual references to Pearl Harbor losses sometimes differ: some sources count every damaged hull, while others count only the ships that actually went under.

Some casual sources blur sunk and permanently lost into one category, since all seven ships went underwater but only three never returned to duty. The Navy’s own historical listings draw a sharper line between the two, and that Navy framing is the more authoritative one to follow here. This article uses sunk for anything that went under and total loss only for Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah.

Which Ships Were Total Losses

Three ships never returned to service after Pearl Harbor: USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, and USS Utah. Each is now a memorial, and each still holds the remains of crew members who died aboard.

USS Arizona (BB-39) took a catastrophic hit to its forward magazine and sank in minutes, killing 1,177 of the roughly 1,400 crew aboard. The Navy never raised the wreck. It rests where it sank, beneath the white memorial that spans the hull today, and the ship still counts more Pearl Harbor dead than any other vessel.

Multiple torpedo hits capsized USS Oklahoma (BB-37) within minutes, trapping many of the 429 sailors who died inside. Salvage crews righted the hull in 1943 and prepared it for the trip back to the mainland, but the ship sank again in 1947 while under tow to San Francisco and was never rebuilt. That second sinking is why Oklahoma counts as a total loss despite being raised once already.

USS Utah (AG-16), a former battleship then used as a target and training vessel, rolled over and sank after being struck by torpedoes meant for aircraft carriers moored nearby. Fifty-eight crew members died and remain aboard. The Navy stopped salvage efforts and left the wreck in place as a war grave, and it still lies on the north side of Ford Island today.

Which Ships Were Salvaged and Returned to Service

Three ships sank at Pearl Harbor but returned to the fleet after repair: USS California, USS West Virginia, and USS Oglala. All three fought again before the war ended.

USS California (BB-44) and USS West Virginia (BB-48) both settled to the harbor floor after multiple torpedo and bomb hits, then spent months in dry dock and shipyards on the mainland. Workers rebuilt California by January 1944 and West Virginia by July 1944, and both battleships returned to combat with modernized hulls, radar, and antiaircraft batteries. Neither ship kept its prewar profile, and the reconstruction left them closer in design to new-build battleships than to the vessels that sank in 1941.

Moored beside the cruiser USS Helena, USS Oglala (CM-4) rolled over after a torpedo meant for Helena struck nearby and flooding overwhelmed her hull. Salvage teams righted and repaired the ship, and the Navy recommissioned Oglala in February 1944 for service as a repair vessel. The floating drydock YFD-2 sank under a berthed destroyer during the attack and was likewise raised and returned to use.

How Many Sailors Were Lost on the Ships That Sank

Known crew losses total at least 1,664 sailors across the ships that sank, though full figures are not reported for every vessel.

USS Arizona accounts for the largest share at 1,177 dead, followed by USS Oklahoma at 429 and USS Utah at 58. Records for USS California, USS West Virginia, and USS Oglala do not break out crew deaths specifically tied to the sinkings, since crew moved between duties during the extended salvage and rebuilding process. Readers looking for ship-by-ship totals for the entire attack, not just the ships that sank, should consult the National Park Service or the Naval History and Heritage Command directly.

Pearl Harbor Ships at a Glance

The table below lines up all seven ships that sank at Pearl Harbor alongside their designation, fate, and crew losses where records report them.

Ship Designation Sank Total Loss Status Crew Lost
USS Arizona BB-39, battleship Yes Yes Not salvaged, memorial 1,177
USS Oklahoma BB-37, battleship Yes Yes Raised, sank again in 1947 429
USS Utah AG-16, former battleship Yes Yes Salvage stopped, war grave 58
USS California BB-44, battleship Yes No Rebuilt by January 1944 Not reported
USS West Virginia BB-48, battleship Yes No Rebuilt by July 1944 Not reported
USS Oglala CM-4, minelayer Yes No Recommissioned February 1944 Not reported
YFD-2 Floating drydock Yes No Salvaged and returned to use Not reported

What Ships Are at Pearl Harbor Today

Six sites make up the ship history a visitor can actually see at Pearl Harbor now: the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Oklahoma Memorial, the USS Utah Memorial, USS Missouri, the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

The USS Arizona Memorial sits directly over the sunken battleship and remains the most visited site, drawing about 1.4 million people a year. Ford Island holds the other two: the USS Oklahoma Memorial near where the battleship capsized, and the USS Utah Memorial on the island’s north shore.

USS Missouri, the battleship on whose deck Japan signed its surrender in 1945, is moored on Ford Island and open for self-guided and guided tours. A short walk from the main visitor center, USS Bowfin, a World War II submarine, sits in a park and can be toured inside and out. The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, across the harbor on Ford Island, focuses on the air campaign that opened the attack rather than the ships in the water.

The Pearl Harbor National Memorial Visitor Center anchors all of these stops and charges no admission. It opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. seven days a week, and its two on-site museums are included in the free admission. As of September 2026, the visitor center is wheelchair accessible throughout, according to the National Park Service.

What It Costs to Visit the Ship Memorials Today

Admission to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Visitor Center and the USS Arizona Memorial is free, and the only required payment across the sunken-ship sites is a $1.00 Recreation.gov fee for the Ford Island Bus Tour that reaches USS Oklahoma and USS Utah.

USS Missouri and USS Bowfin charge separate admission that is not part of the free National Park Service ticket, and neither the sources gathered for this guide nor the National Park Service list a current rate for either stop. Confirm pricing directly with the Battleship Missouri Memorial and the Bowfin museum before a visit, since museum admission tends to change more often than federal park fees.

How to Visit the USS Memorials at Pearl Harbor

Each of the three sunken-ship memorials has its own access rules, and only the USS Arizona Memorial allows a booking without an escorted bus tour. The other two require a seat on the National Park Service’s Ford Island Bus Tour.

Visiting the USS Arizona Memorial

Access to the USS Arizona Memorial starts with a free timed ticket booked through Recreation.gov, and walk-up standby tickets are limited and not guaranteed. The visitor center opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. every day, and the boat ride out to the memorial runs on a fixed Navy schedule. Arrive early: security screening takes time, and tickets for the day can run out well before closing.

  1. Step 1: Go to Recreation.gov and search for the USS Arizona Memorial Program.
  2. Step 2: Pick a date and select an available tour time slot.
  3. Step 3: Complete the free reservation and save the confirmation.
  4. Step 4: Arrive at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Visitor Center at least one hour before the reserved time to clear security.

Visiting the USS Oklahoma Memorial

The USS Oklahoma Memorial is reachable only through the NPS-run Ford Island Bus Tour, since the memorial sits on active Navy property. Tours run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m., carry a maximum of 25 participants, and require a $1.00 reservation fee on Recreation.gov. Seats fill quickly, so booking a week or more ahead is worth the effort during peak season.

Visiting the USS Utah Memorial

Closed to the public except on the same Ford Island Bus Tour used for the Oklahoma memorial, the USS Utah Memorial sits on the north side of Ford Island. That round trip runs about 90 minutes and passes both memorials along with other historic sites on the island. Fifty-eight crew members remain aboard the wreck, so the Navy and Park Service treat the stop as a war grave rather than a typical tour stop.

If I were planning one visit, I would reserve the USS Arizona boat tour first and treat the Ford Island Bus Tour as the added priority if my schedule allowed it. Arizona is the central memorial and is straightforward to reach from the visitor center, while the bus tour is the only stated route to the Oklahoma and Utah memorials. Its limited schedule and 25-person cap make it the part of the day I would lock in early, especially because Utah cannot otherwise be visited by the public.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many Ships Were Sunk at Pearl Harbor?

Seven United States Navy ships sank during the attack on December 7, 1941: USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS California, USS West Virginia, USS Utah, USS Oglala, and the floating drydock YFD-2. Only three of them, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah, never returned to service.

Which Pearl Harbor Ships Can You Still Visit Today?

Visitors can see the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Oklahoma Memorial, and the USS Utah Memorial, plus the battleship USS Missouri and the submarine USS Bowfin. The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum rounds out the sites tied directly to the 1941 attack. Access varies: Arizona allows same-day booking, while Oklahoma and Utah require the Ford Island Bus Tour.

Was the USS Arizona Ever Raised?

No, the Navy left USS Arizona where it sank and never attempted a full salvage. Divers removed guns, ammunition, and some equipment in the years after the attack, but the hull itself remains on the harbor floor. The memorial now spans the wreck without touching it.

How Many Sailors Died on the USS Arizona?

USS Arizona lost 1,177 of its roughly 1,400 crew members, more than any other ship at Pearl Harbor. That single loss accounts for close to half of all the sailors and Marines killed in the attack. Many of the remains were never recovered and stay inside the wreck today.

Can You Visit the USS Utah Memorial?

Yes, but only as part of the Ford Island Bus Tour operated by the National Park Service, since the memorial sits on active Navy land. The tour costs a $1.00 Recreation.gov reservation fee and runs about 90 minutes round trip. Independent or walk-up access is not allowed.

What Do the Letters and Numbers After Each Ship’s Name Mean?

The letters are the Navy’s hull classification symbol, and the number is that ship’s position within the class. BB stands for battleship, CM for minelayer, and AG for auxiliary, so USS Arizona (BB-39) was the 39th battleship in the series. USS Utah’s AG-16 designation reflects its reassignment from battleship to target and training ship before the attack.

Pearl Harbor’s ship losses come down to two numbers worth remembering: seven vessels sank, and three of them stayed sunk for good. The rest of the fleet, along with the memorials, museums, and tour ships that now sit where the attack happened, gives visitors a way to see both the damage and the recovery in a single visit.

What This Page Does Not Publish

  • I do not estimate ship-by-ship death totals where the historical record does not assign them clearly.
  • I do not examine why the Utah salvage effort ended or trace the decision in detail.
  • I do not track daily operating status for Missouri or Bowfin beyond their place in the visitor story.

References

Author Profile

Eric Dawson
Eric Dawson
I'm Eric Dawson, the writer behind The Money Watch. I live in the Columbus, Ohio area and I write about the ordinary questions that turn out to be complicated: computers, shopping, food, travel, parking, small businesses, fees, rules and products. Every article starts with the official page, the maker or the agency, then the sources that check it, and I say plainly where they disagree and what I would do. More about how I work is on the About page.