In lieu of USS Arizona Memorial programs, visitors will be taken on a 30-minute narrated harbor tour of Battleship Row and the area around the USS Arizona Memorial.”
Boarding the memorial was suspended on May 6 after one of the vessel operators noticed a crack in the supporting structure for the visitor loading ramp. The National Park now offers extended harbor tours as a replacement for not being able to disembark at the memorial. See more of the harbor now as a special incentive for visitors to continue to visit the memorial and pay their respects.
The Pearl Harbor official visitors website is noting the historic site’s change of plans until further notice.
The memorial marks the final resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the USS Arizona battleship during the surprise attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The attack was the opening salvo in the United States’ involvement in World War II.
Tourists were initially allowed to disembark at the memorial after crews completed interim repairs. But the cracks reappeared hours later, indicating a more serious issue.
“There is a brow or an edge where the visitor ramp meets the memorial, and at that point, there’s been some fissures located on the exterior,” said Jay Blount, a spokesman for the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. “After further investigation on the interior, it was determined that the structure is not supporting the loading ramp the way that we need.”
Engineers are working to figure out possible long-term solutions.
“The amount of time needed to implement the repairs is unknown, but the (National Park Service) will continue to provide information to the public as our team of specialists works together to restore access as soon as possible,” memorial staff said Friday in a news release.
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