

Doing the tour is highly recommended if you're visiting Pearl Harbor. You must book the boat and tour to USS Arizona Memorial in advance. The "Attack" exhibit showcases the details of what happened on December 7, 1941.Īfter you're done visiting the museum, head outside to begin the USS Arizona Memorial Tour. The "Road to War" exhibit chronicles the years leading up to World War II, with a thorough focus on Hawaii specific experiences. From replicas to news footage and letters, so much thoughtful detail went into creating the exhibits. We spent almost an hour going through every part of the museum. The two exhibits are called: "Road to War" and "Attack".Įven if you know the general history of Pearl Harbor, these incredible exhibits are a treasure trove of history.
#PEARL HARBOR MEMORIAL PLUS#
Pearl Harbor National Memorial consists of a large outdoor area plus a museum/exhibit gallery. You do not need to book a visit to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in advance. Pearl Harbor National Memorial: Museum and Grounds Let's take a look at them in more detail: Approaching the USS Arizona Memorial by boat while visiting Pearl Harbor.
#PEARL HARBOR MEMORIAL FULL#
There are other paid things that you can tour (like the USS Bowfin and USS Missouri Memorial), but the above two are the most popular and will give you a full experience.

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The Pearl Harbor National Memorial consists of several different parts, but there are two parts that most visitors like to do: Approaching the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor is a 30 minute drive from downtown Honolulu (more or less, depending on traffic!) There are many ways to get here, but driving is the easiest. It's always a good opportunity for us to learn more about Hawaii's history.I always feel like I learn something new with each visit. We tour the grounds and museum then take the boat ride out to USS Arizona Memorial. It's also a key part of our history and well worth a visit whether it is your first time or tenth time to the island.Īs locals, we often take visiting friends and family to Pearl Harbor Memorial. Pearl Harbor is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Hawaii. Here are all the tips and everything you need to know before your visit. Their sacrifice, and that of the other men lost at Pearl Harbor, is now permanently memorialized by the USS Arizona Memorial, erected over her sunken hull in the berth it has occupied since shortly after 8 AM on 7 December 1941.A visit to Pearl Harbor National Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial is a must-do when you're in Hawaii.

Kidd, Commander Battleship Division One, and the ship's Commanding Officer, Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh. Over 1100 of her crew were killed, including Rear Admiral Isaac C. She burned for more than two days and was subsequently the subject of only partial salvage. This tipped her foremast forward, giving the wreck its distinctive appearance.īlazing furiously, Arizona quickly settled to the bottom of Pearl Harbor, a total loss. Her sides were blown out and the turrets, conning tower, and much of the superstructure dropped several feet into her wrecked hull. In any case, the battleship was utterly devastated from in front of her first turret back into her machinery spaces. Many qualified authorities have blamed powder storage outside of the magazines as the cause, but this is conjectural and probably will always remain so. The massive explosion that followed has never been fully explained, since the bomb apparently did not pierce Arizona's armored deck, which protected her magazines. Some of these caused damage to her after and midships areas, but their effects were minor compared with what resulted from one that penetrated beside her forward turrets. However, this appears not to have been the case, and the destruction of the ship was entirely the work of Japanese horizontal bombers, which struck her with several bombs. Early reports claimed that she had been hit by one torpedo in the first part of the action. USS Arizona (BB-39) was moored inboard of the repair ship Vestal (AR-4) when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor.
