USS Arizona Memorial
The Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii is
the final resting place for 1102 sailors that died on that fateful
day in December, 1941, on the morning of the 7th, when Japanese
fighter planes surprised them with a dawn attack. This attack would
be the impetus that brought the United States into World War II and
was dedicated in 1962. Over one million people visit this site each
year to commemorate that tragic event and can only be reached by
boat. You will cross the middle of the ship that is sunk under the
water, and not be able to touch it, but the visitor center has all
the best information about the ship that would become a National
Historic Landmark on May 5, 1989. Every vessel that enters the
harbor, whether US Navy, Coast Guard or Merchant Marine takes part
in an old tradition of "manning the rails", where the ship's
personnel will stand at attention along the guard rails of their
ship and salute the USS Arizona Memorial as their ship slowly comes
into port. Lately, more foreign military ships have begun taking
part in this time honored tradition of manning the rails.
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