SAN DIEGO -- Fourteen World War II veterans of the Battle of Midway attended a ceremony in San Diego Saturday, marking the 66th anniversary of the clash that was the turning point in the war in the Pacific.

Relatives of 27 deceased Midway veterans attended the ceremony, held on the flight deck of the USS Midway. Adm. Robert Willard, commander of the Navy's U.S. Pacific Fleet, was the keynote speaker.

The naval battle took place June 4-7, 1942 on and around Midway Atoll, six months after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

It was a decisive victory for the U.S. Navy, which sank four Japanese aircraft carriers and a cruiser, while losing only one of its aircraft carriers and a destroyer.

The battle permanently weakened the Japanese Navy and is viewed as the most important Naval engagement in the Pacific during World War II. More than 3,000 Japanese died, compared to only about 300 Americans.