USS Arizona tours are popular among tourists wanting to learn about Pearl Harbor and the events that ensued December 7, 1941. The USS Arizona is one of the most visited and revered memorials in the USA. Annually, about a million people go on USS Arizona Memorial tours. On December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter planes and bombers attacked various military sites on the island of Oahu. 33 Japanese warships and auxiliary craft left Japan on November 26, 1941. By December 27, they were 230 miles north of Oahu. They attacked just before 8:00 am that morning. A total of 2, 390 Americans were killed, almost half of them trapped and entombed in the USS Arizona, as it sank. The USS Arizona was left exactly where it sank with the 1102 lives encased within. Oil still rises up after fifty years, coloring the water different hues, as the sunlight reflects off of it. There is a marble wall engraved with the names of all those who died on the USS Arizona. In addition, The USS Utah, and the USS Oklahoma were also attacked that morning. Recently, the USS Arizona Memorial Center has been renamed “World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument at Pearl Harbor” to include the memorials for not just the USS ARIZONA but also the USS UTAH, the USS OKLAHOMA and other ships lost that day.

The Arizona Memorial is 184 feet long and is built over the mid-section of The Arizona. It is made up of three sections, the entry room, the assembly room, and a central area. The shrine room is a very candid and moving place with all the names of those that perished engraved on a marble wall. There is a scale model of a torpedo bomber in the new “Attack” museum. This mural absorbs the visitors depicting the Oklahoma under attack as the bomber unloads its arsenal. A CGI simulation of the Japanese carriers is also part of the display and includes real-live footage of the USS Arizona magazine explosion. The other new museum is “Road to War.” It covers the cultural history going on at the time in both America and Japan and how cultural attitudes had a significant effect people’s motivations toward engaging in war.

The visitor center at the Memorial is open between 7:00 am and 5:00pm. It is open seven days a week excluding New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. There are tours that start at 7:45am until 3:00pm.USS Arizona tours are popular among first-time tourists to Hawaii. We will transport you to the center where you can indulge in the history at your leisure. You then have the choice of going to other monuments around the area and learning about more obscure events and in-depth information. The valuable learning experience and education that you receive from this tour will inevitably change your life forever. The Arizona Memorial tour is an inherent part of American culture that should not be missed and it is perfect for the whole family.