Workers fixed patches over the two torpedo holes and pumped "West Virginia" dry, refloating her on 17 May 1942. She was then taken into Dry Dock No. 1 in Pearl Harbor on 9 June for an inspection; it had been initially believed that she had been hit by five torpedoes, but a sixth impact had been discovered during the patching, and this inspection revealed the seventh hit. The shipyard workers then began temporary repairs to make the ship seaworthy, and during this period they discovered the remains of 66 or 70 men who had been trapped below decks when she sank. Some of these had survived for several days in air bubbles with emergency rations and fresh water, but their oxygen and supplies ran out long before the ship was refloated. Three of them survived for sixteen days. After completing repairs, "West Virginia" got underway for the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington for a thorough reconstruction.