Take a boat tour to the USS Arizona Memorial, where the tragic events that led up to this dark day in American history are brought vividly to life.
The surprise attack by the Japanese navy against the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 – described by President Roosevelt as “a date which will live in infamy” – marked one of the major turning points in American fortunes in the Second World War. The loss of life was catastrophic, with more than 1,000 fatalities from the bombing of the battleship USS Arizona alone. Now visitors can pay their respects to the dead and discover more about the events of that tragic day on a boat tour to the site of the sunken wreck.The visit starts on the mainland, where the visitor centre includes two exhibitions, “Road to War” and “Attack”, describing the political and military background to the bombardment. A 23-minute documentary film helps to set the historical scene, while photographs and personal artefacts belonging to some of the sailors lend the stories a human poignancy.The second part of your visit starts with a short shuttle boat ride to the eye-catching memorial a little way offshore. Here you can disembark and peer down through the deep water to the rusting hull of the USS Arizona, the final resting place of thousands of young American servicemen. Many people are moved to throw flowers into the opening as an act of tribute. Finally, you can pause before the shrine itself, which lists the names of all those who lost their lives in the attack.The whole tour takes around 75 minutes and tickets are free from the visitor centre, although, as spaces are limited, it pays to arrive early or alternatively reserve tickets online in advance for a nominal booking fee. The memorial is open every day except Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year. Visitors are expected to behave with respect at all times, but such is the emotional impact of this moving memorial that it would be hard to imagine any other response.
