Blog, history, USS Arizona Memorial
The USS Arizona Memorial Tour & Tickets
Today, the USS Arizona Memorial, operated by the National Park Service witness thousands of visitors per month year. The destruction of the USS Arizona battleship and the immense loss of life associated with her sinking came to symbolize the reason that U.S. was fighting in WWII in the months and years following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Visitors to Pearl Harbor don’t actually enter the working areas of the base, but instead visit the landmarks and memorials that have been erected in the decades since the attack.
In fact, this site is one of the Hawaii’s top tourist destinations, with millions of people visiting each and every year to soak in a bit of history and pay their respects at the USS Arizona Memorial. The memorial, located above the sunken battleship, was opened in 1962 and stands in memory of those killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941.
You can also visit the USS Battleship Missouri (the Mighty Mo) and see remains of a Japanese A6M2 Zero that was part of the Pearl Harbor attack. The surprise attack by Japanese aircraft on U.S. Navy and Army facilities in Hawaii launched a divided and unprepared U.S. into World War II.