Things to do nearUSS Arizona Memorial

The USS Arizona Memorial marks one of the most consequential moments in American history. On the morning of December 7, 1941, a surprise aerial attack on Pearl Harbor drew the United States into World War II. The USS Arizona sank in under nine minutes after a bomb detonated its forward ammunition magazine, and the loss of life aboard a single ship was staggering. The memorial, dedicated in 1962, was designed by Alfred Preis and sits directly above the submerged wreck, which remains a designated war grave.

Visitors begin their experience at the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites Visitor Center, where a 23-minute documentary film provides essential context before the boat ride to the structure itself. Inside the open-air memorial, the Shrine Room displays a marble wall engraved with the names of every sailor and Marine killed aboard the Arizona. On clear days you can look down through the water and see the outline of the hull below.

The surrounding Pearl Harbor National Memorial encompasses several other sites worth exploring on the same visit, including the USS Missouri, where Japan formally surrendered in 1945, just a short distance away on Ford Island.

Few places in the United States carry this kind of weight, and the USS Arizona Memorial delivers it with quiet dignity that stays with visitors long after they leave.