The USS Arizona (BB-39) was named after the 48th state of the United States, Arizona. The name was selected in accordance with the tradition of naming battleships after states. The ship was launched on June 19, 1916, and commissioned on October 17, 1916. She was the lead ship of her class of six battleships. The USS Arizona was sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and remains a memorial to the sailors who lost their lives that day.