The surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941 forever altered the course of World War II and twentieth century history. In a little under two hours, the Imperial Japanese Navy sank or damaged 18 U.S. ships and destroyed 188 U.S. aircraft. 2,403 Americans were killed, including 68 civilians, and another 1,178 were wounded.
The attack shocked the nation and ended U.S. isolationism, drawing America into a war that would span four years and much of the globe. In the words of then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt, December 7th, 1941 was truly "a date which will live in infamy." Today, the Pearl Harbor National Memorial serves as a solemn reminder of this pivotal moment in history. It honors those who gave their lives, shares their stories, and preserves the memory and lessons of Pearl Harbor for generations to come.
Attack on Pearl Harbor: A Closer Look
In 1941, tensions were high between the U.S. and Japan amidst Japan‘s aggressive expansion across Asia and the Pacific. The U.S. sought to hinder Japan through embargoes on scrap metal, oil, and other resources. Negotiations to ease tensions stalled. Japan saw the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor as the main obstacle to its imperial ambitions.
On December 7th, the first wave of Japanese bombers reached Oahu at 7:48am local time. The U.S. military was caught completely off-guard. The incoming planes were initially mistaken for an arriving squadron of U.S. B-17 bombers. Within minutes, bombs and torpedoes rained down on the harbor, airfields, and the unsuspecting ships moored along Battleship Row.
The attack centered on the massive battleships, the pride of the U.S. Navy. The USS Arizona was completely destroyed when an armor-piercing bomb detonated in its forward ammunition magazine, killing 1,177 of its 1,512 crewmen. The USS Oklahoma capsized after being struck by multiple torpedoes, trapping hundreds in its overturned hull. The California, West Virginia, and Nevada also sank in the harbor.
Amid the chaos and devastation, there were countless acts of heroism. Doris "Dorie" Miller, a ships‘ cook on the USS West Virginia, manned an anti-aircraft gun and shot down several planes despite no formal training. He became the first African American awarded the Navy Cross. On the Nevada, a small crew managed to get the heavily damaged ship underway and beach it, preventing it from sinking and blocking the harbor entrance.
By 9:45am the attack was over, leaving behind a horrific scene of destruction and carnage. Black smoke billowed from the stricken ships. The once-pristine harbor waters were slick with burning oil and debris. The shocked survivors began the grim task of searching for the wounded and identifying the dead.
Aftermath and Impact
News of the attack quickly reached the mainland U.S., with many Americans hearing FDR‘s stirring "Day of Infamy" speech live on the radio. The outrage and desire to avenge Pearl Harbor was immediate and nearly universal. Support for entering the war, which had sharply divided the nation, swelled overnight. The full impact of the attack became a rallying cry and bond for the nation.
Congress approved FDR‘s declaration of war on Japan the next day, on December 8th, with only one dissenting vote. Germany and Italy, allied with Japan, then declared war on the U.S. on December 11th, bringing the U.S. fully into the global conflict. The U.S. would spend the next four years at war in Europe, North Africa, and across the Pacific.
At Pearl Harbor, salvage work began almost immediately. The navy and civilian crews worked around the clock to recover the dead, clear debris, and assess the damage. Eventually, all but three of the ships sunk or damaged were repaired and returned to service. The USS Arizona and the USS Utah were too heavily damaged and were left where they sank.
The attack also forever changed Hawaii. Martial law was declared and the islands became a critical staging ground for the Pacific war effort. Residents endured blackouts, curfews, and rationing. Pearl Harbor itself would be closed to the public for the next seven years.
Preserving the Memory
After the war, as the nation began to heal, there was a growing desire to create a permanent memorial at Pearl Harbor. In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the creation of a National Memorial to be built over the sunken remains of the USS Arizona.
Designed by Honolulu architect Alfred Preis, the USS Arizona Memorial was dedicated in 1962. Its iconic white structure spans the length of the sunken battleship. It includes an assembly room where ceremonies are held and an opening in the floor overlooking the ship‘s decks below the water. The names of those killed on the Arizona are engraved on a marble wall in the shrine room at the far end.
As of 2022, the National Park Service managed Pearl Harbor National Memorial includes:
- The USS Arizona Memorial
- The USS Utah Memorial on Ford Island
- The USS Oklahoma Memorial on Ford Island
- Six officer‘s bungalows on Ford Island
- The mooring quays along Battleship Row
- The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center
The visitor center, renovated and expanded in 2010, features extensive museum exhibits on the lead-up to the attack, the attack itself, and the aftermath. Galleries display personal memorabilia, historic photographs, artifacts raised from the harbor, and interactive digital exhibits. The center also shows a 23-minute documentary film with survivor interviews and historic footage compiled by the History Channel.
In 2008, the USS Oklahoma Memorial was dedicated on Ford Island to honor the 429 crewmen killed when the ship capsized. It features tall white marble posts representing each man. In 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency exhumed remains buried as "unknowns" in hopes of identifying them using modern DNA analysis. As of 2022, over 350 of these crewmen have been positively identified and returned to their families for burial.
Recent efforts have focused on collecting oral histories from the few remaining survivors, now in their late 90s and 100s. These irreplaceable firsthand accounts bring history to life and add vital details and human stories to the historical record. Only two survivors were able to attend the 80th anniversary commemoration in 2021.
Visiting the Memorial
The Pearl Harbor National Memorial is open seven days a week from 7am to 5pm. It‘s closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year‘s Day. Visiting the memorial, including the USS Arizona program, is free. Reserved tickets are required for the USS Arizona Memorial program, which includes the boat ride to the memorial and time at the memorial itself. These are released online in blocks 8 weeks in advance and often book up quickly. A limited number of same-day walk-up tickets are also available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The visitor center has a free cell phone audio tour and offers several guided tour options for a fee, including a comprehensive day-long tour and shorter focused tours. The Pearl Harbor Historic Sites partners also operate paid tours and experiences like the Battleship Missouri Memorial and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum on Ford Island.
Allow at least 3-4 hours to tour the visitor center and watch the documentary before taking the boat ride to the USS Arizona Memorial. The USS Arizona program itself is about 75 minutes including the boat ride. Most visitors spend a full day between the visitor center, memorials, and museums.
Honoring the Fallen
More than just a collection of memorials and museums, the Pearl Harbor National Memorial is a place of reverence, remembrance, and reflection. It‘s impossible to visit without being deeply moved by the sacrifice and loss memorialized here. Standing on the USS Arizona Memorial, looking down at the rusting remains of the massive ship and the shimmering oil droplets that still leak from its fuel tanks, the enormity of that day comes into somber focus.
For the U.S., Pearl Harbor was a defining moment that united the nation, cemented its resolve, and forever reshaped its place in the world. It marked the end of American isolationism and thrust the U.S. onto the global stage as a major world power. The shock and anger over the attack fueled America‘s full commitment to winning the war. The completeness of the Japanese surprise forever changed U.S. military readiness and led to a major expansion of military intelligence.
But perhaps most enduringly, Pearl Harbor lives on as a symbol of American grit, determination, and ultimate triumph over adversity. The ships lost in the attack and the men who died aboard them were the first casualties in what would become the deadliest war in human history. Visiting the USS Arizona and seeing the names of the fallen drives home the human cost and the debt owed to the Greatest Generation. As those veterans pass away and the war fades from living memory, places like the Pearl Harbor National Memorial grow ever more vital to ensuring their sacrifices and this pivotal piece of our shared history are never forgotten.
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