Over 1,000 officers and crewmen lost their lives when Arizona sank during the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, and those who survived were given an opportunity to be reunited with their fallen comrades after their own deaths, in a touching tribute to their service. In 1940, the battleship and the rest of the Pacific Fleet were transferred from California to Pearl Harbor, to serve as deterrents to Japanese imperialism. The USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated on May 30, 1962, was erected to honor all those who died during the Japanese attack.