18.06.13 Fixing Pearl Harbor

Problem At Pearl Harbor

You can’t step foot onto the memorial honoring one of the most significant sites in American military history. And no one knows when you will be able to again.

Why?

USS Arizona

• US Navy battleship bombed during first few minutes of attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941.
• All 1177 Americans onboard died; almost half of the total killed during entire attack.
• The USS Arizona memorial lays perpendicular on the surface across the sunken ship.
• More than 4,000 people visit the memorial every single day.

What You Should Know:

• USS Arizona Memorial closed indefinitely.
• Memorial itself is fine; the dock to walk onto the memorial is not.
• Officials discovered cracks in the concrete pier that holds the dock; it’s been shifting over the years.
• Repairing the shift of 3 feet is not an easy fix.

Why This Matters

“It’s not like you dig a big anchor into the ground. You’ve got an archaeological site right next to it that’s got the remains of over 900 men and the possibility of unexploded ordnance.”



Jacqueline Ashwell, National Park Service, Superintendent of World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, Pearl Harbor.

We don’t know how long the repairs will take or what they will cost. Guests will take a 15-min boat ride around the memorial to pay their respects until a solution is found.