USS Arizona Memorial - Pearl Harbor, HI
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94RedRover
N 21° 21.898 W 157° 57.002
4Q E 608859 N 2362904
The USS Arizona Memorial Museum commemorates the bravery and honor of those who served and the thousands who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is the final resting place of many of the ship's crew, and is an active veteran's cemetery.
Waymark Code: WM5QME
Location: Hawaii, United States
Date Posted: 02/03/2009
Views: 34
December 7, 1941...the Imperial Japanese Navy, under the command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, launched a surprise attack on the American military installation at Pearl Harbor, bringing the united States into World War II. The first wave of 183 planes launched at 6:09 a.m. on December 7. American ships and military installationsincluding the airfields at Ford Island, were hit at 7:55 a.m.
A second wave of 180 planes launched at 8:30 a.m., attacking the fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. An armor piercing bomb hit the battleship USS Arizona, penetrating the forward ammunition compartment. The ship blew up and sunk within seconds. Overall, nine ships of the U.S. fleet were sunk and twenty-one ships were severely damaged.
The overall death toll reached 2,350 and 1,178 injured. Of the military personnel lost at Pearl Harbor, 1,177 were from the USS Arizona.
The USS Arizona Memorial is a 184-foot-long structure spanning the mid-portion of the sunken USS Arizona, the final resting place for many of the ship's 1,177 crewman still entombed in it's hull. The names of those killed are engraved in the marble wall in the shrine room. Survivors of the USS Arizona can be, and are being entombed in the memorial, resting in peace with their shipmates.
"5. How are the bodies of the USS Arizona survivors buried on the ship?
Crewmembers who were assigned to the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941, have the right to have their cremated remains interred inside the barbette of gun turret four by National Park Service divers. If you were a crewmember before that infamous day, you have the right to have your ashes scattered over the ship. In both cases, the common thread is that these men were at one time in their navy careers assigned to the USS Arizona. This policy is strictly enforced by the USS Arizona Reunion and Survivor Association. (In addition, any Pearl Harbor survivor can have their ashes scattered over the place in the harbor where their ship was located during the attack). On April 12, 1982, the ashes of retired Navy Chief Petty Officer Stanley M. Teslow were interred, becoming the first USS Arizona survivor to return to his ship. By mid 2006, 28 surviving crewmembers have rejoined their shipmates in simple and private ceremonies, complete with a two-bell ceremony from the Fleet Reserve Association; a rifle salute from the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps; and a benediction with the echo of Taps being played across the harbor. The services are conducted inside the memorial and consist of an invocation, funeral ceremony, and a flag presentation to the family. Following the ceremony, the urn is carried from the memorial to the dock area and presented to divers, who swim the urn into the open barbette of gun turret number four and proceed to a large open “slot” that measures approximately 6" x 5'. The urn is placed into this slot and slides into the ship."
--- from National Park Service FAQs page.
The first recognition of the Arizona as a memorial to those killed at Pearl Harbor, was in 1950, when Admiral Arthur Radford, Commander in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC), had a flagpole erected from the sunken ship to fly proudly above the water. A commemorative plaque was placed at the base of the flagpole, and the flag flies proudly every day as a tribute to the ship's lost crew. The USS Arizona is no longer in commission.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the creation of the Memorial in 1958. Construction was completed in 1961 and the memorial was dedicated in 1962.
**Some photos provided are from National Park Service
Date cemetery was established: 1943
Visiting hours:
The memorial is open seven days a week 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1.
Website pertaining to the cemetery: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Please submit a photo(s) taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background, and old vacation photos are accepted. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit.
We would also like to hear about any of your deceased family members who may be laid to rest in the cemetery.