Remains of Arizona Crew Exhumed in Honolulu
Eight unidentified USS Arizona service members were disinterred at a Honolulu cemetery as part of a project to identify 86 unknown graves.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Military
Eight caskets containing remains of unidentified USS Arizona crew members were disinterred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific on Sunday. The exhumations are the first of 86 caskets planned for the cemetery.
Why it matters
The Pentagon requires a high probability of DNA identification before disinterring groups of unknown service members, and the effort aims to return names to sailors and Marines killed at Pearl Harbor. The project also reflects the role of families and private groups in supplying DNA samples.
The Defense Department's first exhumation of Arizona unknowns covered 8 of 86 caskets, measured against the 1,177 crew members killed in the 1941 attack. Identification results for these remains have not yet been released.
The players
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
The Defense Department agency responsible for recovering and identifying U.S. service members who remain missing or unaccounted for from past conflicts.
Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory
A Defense Department laboratory in Delaware that performs DNA testing to identify remains of service members.
Operation 85
An organization founded in 2023 by Kevin Kline that helps the Defense Department obtain DNA samples from relatives of USS Arizona crew members.
Lou Conter
The last surviving crew member of the USS Arizona, who died April 1, 2024, at age 102.
The details
Arizona's forward magazine exploded after Japanese aircraft attacked with armor-piercing bombs, sinking the ship in less than 10 minutes on December 7, 1941. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency transferred the remains to its forensic lab at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory in Delaware will perform DNA testing.
Timeline
December 7, 1941: Japanese attack sinks the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor.
2023: Kevin Kline founds Operation 85 to help obtain DNA samples from relatives.
Earlier in 2026: Pentagon DNA identification threshold is met for the exhumations.
Sunday, November 1, 2026: Eight unknown caskets are exhumed at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
December 7, 2026: More than 700 family members are expected at a ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
Historical Context
The USS Arizona sank during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, and many of its crew were never identified because their remains were too badly burned for identification at the time. DNA technology now makes identification possible for remains entombed in the ship and buried as unknowns at the Punchbowl.
Families of Arizona crew members may be able to provide DNA samples through Operation 85 to help identify relatives. The identification process could eventually return names to sailors and Marines whose remains have been unknown since 1941.
The takeaway
The first exhumations show that identification of Pearl Harbor dead is moving forward as DNA technology meets Pentagon standards. Families who contribute samples may see the work reach their own relatives.
What happens next
A family ceremony is planned for December 7 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, where more than 700 relatives are expected to attend.
Further reading
For more on military recovery efforts, see Military coverage of identification projects.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Stars and Stripes.
