The USS Arizona Memorial was built over the sunken wreckage of the USS Arizona and marks the resting place of most of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the Arizona  December 7, 1941 when Japanese Naval Forces bombed Pearl Harbor.  The memorial was built in 1962 and is visited by more than two million people annually making it the largest visitor destination in Hawaii.  The famous structure straddles the sunken hull of the battleship but does not touch it.

Following the end of World War II, the Arizona's wrecked superstructure was removed and efforts were begun to erect a memorial at the remaining submerged hull.  Meanwhile Admiral Arthur W. Radford attached a flag pole to the main mast in 1950 and began the tradition of hoisting and lowering the flag.  That same year a temporary memorial was built above the remaining portion of the deckhouse.

The Navy placed the first permanent memorial, a ten-foot-tall basalt stone and plaque over the mid-ship deckhouse in 1955.  In 1958 President Eisenhower approved the creation of a National Memorial and the government subsidized $200,000, with private funds financing the rest of the $500,000 budget.  In 1961 Elvis Presley performed a concert in Pearl Harbor and all proceeds benefited the construction of the Memorial.  His concert generated $54,678.73 - more than 10% of the amount needed to construct the monument.

The US Navy specified that the memorial be in the form of a bridge floating above the ship, accommodating 200 people.  The memorial was designed by Honolulu architect Alfred Preis.  It's 184 feet long with two peaks at each end, connected by a sag in the center.  It represents the height of American pride before the war, the sudden depression of a nation after the attack, and the rise of American power after the war.  There are 7 openings or "windows "on each side and at the top.  These symbolize the date of the attack.  There were critics of the design who initially called it a "squashed milk carton". 

Inside the Shrine at one end is a marble wall listing the names of all those killed on the Arizona.  (Any surviving crew member of the Arizona can elect to have their ashes interred within the wreck by US Navy divers).   The other end of the Shrine contains an opening in the floor which overlooks the sunken decks of the ship.  Visitors come here to pay their respects by tossing flowers into the water in honor of the fallen sailors.  In spite of the raging fires in 1941 and the ravages of time, some 500,000 gallons of oil are still slowly seeping out of the ship's submerged wreckage.  Nearly 70 years after its demise, the Arizona continues to spill up to 9 quarts into the harbor each day.

Every US Navy, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine vessel entering Peal Harbor participates in the tradition of "Manning the Rails".  Personnel serving on these ships stand at attention at the ship's guard rails and salute the USS Arizona Memorial in solemn fashion as their ship moves slowly into the port of Pearl Harbor.

Visitors begin the tour of the Memorial at the Visitors Center with a short historical presentation and then shuttle boats take then to and from Shrine.   There is no charge to visit the memorial.  Over 1300 free "walk up" tickets are given out each day and there is also ample free parking.  Dated/timed tickets can also be secured in advance and are recommended.  The visit to the Shrine is a moving and quite emotional experience.   If you can't shut your cell phone off, please don't go. 

The sunken remains of the battleship were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989