USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor is back open to visitors.
The moving memorial, which consists of a platform over the sunken ship with the names of those killed in the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor on a wall, had been closed for a dock repair. Visiting the site is free with tickets for the shuttle boat can available at the Pacific Historic Parks Audio Tour Desk at the visitor center. Tickets are given on a first-come, first-served basis and that includes a movie which you can watch about the ship and the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is open 362 days a year from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Movie/boat tours to the USS Arizona Memorial run from 7:30 a.m. -3 p.m., leaving every 15 minutes on US Navy shuttles.
Almost two million people visit the USS Arizona each year. It opened in 1962 and honors the 1,177 crewmen who died on the battleship. The remains of 900 sailors and Marines who could not escape the sinking ship are entombed in its sunken hull. Almost 2 million people visit the memorial each year. Standing on the platform over the Arizona is a moving experience. You can look down in the shallow water and see the gun turrets and hull (the guns have been removed). Drops of oil rise to the surface, which some people say represents the sailors’ tears. It is silent as people respect the sunken grave site.
It is operated by Pacific Historic Parks, and also paid tours are also available on the USS Arizona Tours website.
The USS Arizona Memorial is located at 11 Arizona Memorial Place. The phone number is (808) 954-8759. The e-mail is: info@pacifichistoricparks.org.
There are shuttles (not free; price varies) from hotels all around Waikiki Beach.
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