The National Park Service is resuming the normal day-prior reservation system for USS Arizona Memorial boat tours.
On Friday, Pacific Historic Parks announced that the NPS would resume the system and regular tours, which were put on hold as the Navy worked to remove World War II-era salvage platforms that were threatening the ship. Since July, tours had been limited and advance reservations suspended to allow removal work to proceed safely.
The Navy installed the two mooring platforms in 1942 to support efforts to salvage the battleship’s ammunition and armament for re-use to support the ongoing war effort. After more than 80 years since the original salvage, the platforms remained attached to the ship. But during a routine inspection on Oct. 26, 2023, park rangers reported one of the platforms had partially collapsed.
After deliberating, officials decided they would need to remove the aging platforms to prevent damage to the memorial, to the sunken USS Arizona and to surrounding reefs and ecosystems.
“This is a welcome move to provide further visitor access to one of our nation’s most revered war graves,” said Aileen Utterdyke, president and CEO of Pacific Historic Parks. “Thanks to donor and partner support, the Arizona Memorial has remained open during the now 31-day government shutdown.”
Pacific Historic Parks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Hawaii’s World War II history, recently announced it would take over online updates, announcements and events at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial from the NPS until the shutdown ends.
The USS Arizona Memorial was built in 1962 and is accessible only by boat. It rests above the sunken remains of the battleship without touching it. Since 1980, the National Park Service has managed the memorial but Navy sailors operate the boats that take visitors to the memorial.
Of the 2,390 Americans killed in the Japanese Imperial Navy’s surprise attack on Oahu, 1,177 were members of Arizona’s crew. Today the Arizona is not merely a historical tourist attraction, it’s regarded as an active cemetery that serves as the final resting place for more than 900 sailors and Marines whose remains were trapped within the ship when it sank.
Several survivors later chose to have their remains interred at the Arizona with their fallen comrades. The last survivor of the USS Arizona was Lou Conter, who died last year at the age of 102.
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Book a tour
Day-prior advance reservation to tour the USS Arizona Memorial can be made at recreation.gov.
Source: The Garden Island
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