Individuals and group vacations in Honolulu are fun by
themselves with so many beautiful natural and cultural insights
to gain into the scenic landscape that makes up Hawaii. But, for
those with an interest in American and World History, especially
US holidaymakers with a patriotic zeal, the Arizona Memorial,
located on Ford Island, Honolulu, is a must-visit.
The Arizona Memorial is not only an important landmark in
Honolulu for its distinctive location and architecture, but also
significant as a unique war
memorial that was raised in honor of the many brave men and
women who died during World War II. It is a regarded as one of
the finest commemorative pieces of contemporary war memorial
buildings. For tourists visiting Honolulu, a trip in to see this
final resting place for the USS Arizona is as much a visit
filled with historical significance as the visit merits
nationalistic feelings of valor and courage of soldiers who gave
up their lives in the fight for freedom.
Pearl Harbor’s ‘Battleship Row’ houses the Arizona Memorial,
which measures 184-foot in length and gleams white against the
natural sunlight and ocean waves surrounding it, honoring 2,390
persons that died here on December 7, 1941 when Japan attacked
Pearl Harbor. This list of honorees includes 1,177 heroes who
are entombed here still.
Though initially this war memorial was originally only a modest
flagpole linked to one of the broken main masts of the
battleship and had a simple plaque commemorating the dead, a
grander architecturally improved tribute was ordered by Admiral
Arthur Radford (the then C-in-C of Pacific Fleet) in ’50. This
new, enhanced and modern war memorial design gained the approval
of President Eisenhower 8 years later and took 3 years to build;
it was thus completed and erected in 1961. The dedication
ceremony was held the following year; thereafter the memorial
was opened to the public.
The Arizona Memorial has 3 main sections, namely the entry point
and space for visitor assembly integrated together, a main
ceremonial area and general observation space, and a shrine room
with a marble wall contained within this final resting place
that has the names of the venerated dead engraved upon it.
The memorial is operated by the NPS (Hawaii’s National Parks
Service) and the park area to it is kept open from 7:30 in the
morning to 5:00 in the evening daily, with national holidays
like New Year, Christmas and Thanksgiving being the exceptions
when the park is closed.
There is no admission fee charged for entering the Arizona
Memorial though visitors who wish to avail the Navy shuttle
service are advised to get to the boats shuttle point early for
tickets, as there are usually huge crowds and the service
operates only between 8 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon. If
you choose to drive down on your own from Waikiki, there is lots
of free parking space available at the Arizona Memorial besides
For the lucky few visitors to the Arizona Memorial, there are
first-information reports and oral histories re-told by
survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack who visit from time to
time, enhancing its real history significance. Oh yes, do
remember the dress code for visiting the memorial is shirt and
shoes; there is a snack bar, souvenir shop and rest room on the
site too, taking care of basic visitor needs.
With nearly one and a half million people visiting it, the
Arizona Memorial is undoubtedly among Hawaii’s most popular
tourist attractions. Hope you ticked it on your must-visit list
for Honolulu’s best sites by now!
