The marble shrine room wall at the USS Arizona Memorial inscribed with the names of 1,177 sailors and Marines killed in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack will be undergoing replacement over two months, possibly starting in early September, officials said.
Located at one end of the memorial, the room will be closed off but will still be visible with most of the work being done after hours, said National Park Service spokeswoman Amanda Carona.
The rest of the memorial will remain open, officials said.
The original wall was replaced in 1984, but it has become stained and eroded in spots from salt water, prompting the replacement, said Pacific Historic Parks, a nonprofit cooperating association at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, which includes the Arizona Memorial.
"Viewing the shrine room wall is one of the most impactful experiences in Pearl Harbor," Paul DePrey, superintendent for the national monument, said in a news release. "It is the collective headstone to the USS Arizona crew who sacrificed their lives for their country. Keeping the wall in good condition is elemental to what we must do as stewards of the memorial."
According to the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites website, the Arizona Memorial is the most frequently visited tourist attraction in the state.
Carona said 1.8 million people visited the memorial in fiscal 2013. The memorial had 111,964 visitors in June, she said.
About 15 minutes into the 1941 attack, a Japanese high-level bomber dropped a 1,760-pound projectile that penetrated the forward deck of the Arizona, according to the park service.
The explosion ignited aviation fuel stores and the powder magazines for the Arizona’s 14-inch guns, instantly separating most of the bow from the ship and lifting the 33,000-ton vessel out of the water.
The explosion and subsequent fires killed 1,177 sailors and Marines.
The shrine wall replacement represents the second phase of a three-part restoration that began in 2012. Pacific Historic Parks has been leading the restoration effort, working with public and private entities to raise $750,000 to complete the repairs.
The AMVETS National Service Foundation has pledged to raise the funds to replace the shrine room wall, and since the 1950s has raised more than $450,000 for the memorial, Pacific Historic Parks said.
"We are honored to once again help restore and preserve the memorial," said John Mitchell Jr., national commander of AMVETS.
A total of 138 white marble panels mined from Vermont will replace the current wall. The entire wall will be taken down, its backing structure will be checked and the new panels will be installed, Carona said.
The new wall is expected to be dedicated on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
