USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center

The USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center in Honolulu Oahu, Hawaii is a reminder of one of the worst days the United States survived. The USS Arizona was sunk in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked during World War II. The impact of this day and the devastation from it will always remain an important part of Hawaiian history. The Memorial Visitor Center offers photographs, memorabilia, and a historical account of that horrific day.

The USS Arizona Memorial marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors killed on December 7, 1941. The memorial was established on May 30, 1962. The ship resides in Pearl Harbor. More than a million people visit the memorial each year. The actual ship is accessible by boat in which the boat will cross over the middle of the sunken hull without touching it. The Visitor Center opened in 1980 as a way to show more history about that day in addition to the boat trip over the sunken USS Arizona. One of the exhibits is the 19,585 pound anchor of the Arizona.

2011 marks the 70th anniversary of that fateful day. There will be a special celebration on December 7th, 2011.