Arizona Memorial Closed Temporarily Due to Damaged Dock

Date: May 27, 2015
Contact: Abby Wines, 808-422-3311

HONOLULU –This morning, May 27, the USS Arizona Memorial dock was struck while a tug boat was assisting the USNS Mercy in Pearl Harbor. Initial visual assessments show that the dock was moved about 10 feet toward the Memorial. A small area of concrete was damaged where the dock's ramp joined the Memorial. The dock's ramps and railings were also damaged.

Due to safety concerns, visitors are not being allowed to disembark at the USS Arizona
Memorial. Instead, visitors are able to board the Navy's white boats and travel to Battleship Row to view the USS Arizona Memorial from a distance.

An assessment is underway to determine the extent of damage and how long the repair period will take. The National Park Service anticipates that it will be several days until visitor access to the USS Arizona Memorial can be safely resumed. This afternoon National Park Service and Navy divers will do an underwater assessment of the dock, Memorial, and the sunken remains of the USS Arizona.

Superintendent Paul DePrey stated, "We deeply regret the impact this will have on visitors' experience, but we want to make sure that everyone has a safe visit. We will work closely with the Navy to resume access to the Memorial as soon as safety allows."

The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites partners (the Battleship Missouri Memorial, Pacific Aviation Museum, and the USS Bowfin Submarine) all remain open. Over 5,000 people visit the Pearl Harbor Historic sites daily. Of these, 4,350 can take the boat to view the USS Arizona Memorial on a normal day.