USS Arizona Memorial

The USS Arizona Memorial spans the sunken battleship USS Arizona, and you reach it on a Navy-operated shuttle boat from Pearl Harbor National Memorial. The ship is the final resting place for most of the crewmen who lost their lives aboard in the attack, and the National Park Service calls it a tomb for most of its crew. In the shrine room, a wall of Vermont marble bears the names of the Arizona's dead. The memorial honors all the military personnel who lost their lives in the Pearl Harbor attack, not just those of the Arizona. Architect Alfred Preis designed it, and the flag flies from a flagpole attached to the ship's severed mainmast. Drops of oil still leak from several sections of the deck, and they are considered the tears of the fallen. The program is free, but you reserve it online at Recreation.gov, which charges a small non-refundable fee per ticket, and first-come, first-served tickets are no longer handed out. Reservations open daily, both a day ahead and weeks ahead. The program includes a safety orientation, the boat ride, time on the memorial and the return to the visitor center, and the park film is separate. Arrive early and check in at the Ticket Validation Desk before your ticket time, because late arrivals may lose their seats to standby. Without a reservation you can sign up for standby on the tablets at the park, but on a busy day it may take hours to be called. There are no restrooms on the boats or the memorial, and strollers are not permitted on the Navy vessels or the memorial, so bring a baby carrier for a small child. The boats and the memorial are fully accessible to visitors in wheelchairs. Military visitors in uniform need Class B attire or better, and battle dress uniforms are not permitted on the memorial. Groupon and Go Oahu cards are not valid for the program.