arizona: I'm confused on why the USS Arizona battleship was more important than the other battleships. Please answer this question if you know the answer.Thxs!|||Its not that it was more important, its what happened to it. Over half the total casulties of that day were sustained in the sinking of the USS Arizona, claiming 1,177 lives. A high level bomber, or ''kate'', hit the front ammunition magazine with a modified 40mm explosive shell, it tore apart the front of the ship. its aquired more 'fame' for those reasons. The majority of the bodies were never removed and it is now a protected war grave, still on the floor of pearl harbor. There is a walkover visitor platform over the ship in pearl now, so people can visit and pay their respects.|||Minor error. the ship was hit by a 400mm or roughly 16" not a 40mm. Report Abuse |||It really wasn't. Prior to it being destroyed on 12/7/1941 it helped form part of the battle-fleet, but was not the most powerful in the US Navy. That actually belonged to a group called the 'big five', the California, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland and Colorado. The Arizona gained significance when it was destroyed by a bomb hit during the attack.|||It was sunk in Pearl Harbor with the loss of 1,177 lives. More than 900 bodies remain in the sunken hull. The ship has been turned into: The Battleship Arizona Memorial, remaining exactly where it was sunk on December 7, 1941. It serves as a way of not forgetting that "day of infamy" (F.D.R.).