Visitors to Pearl Harbor can take a narrated harbor tour but will not be able to step onto the USS Arizona Memorial until further structural repairs are made in connection with work done earlier this week to the shuttle boat loading ramp.
Repairs to the loading ramp were insufficient, said Jay Blount, spokesman for the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. The structural problem lies not with the loading ramp itself, but “where the loading ramp meets the brow of the memorial,” he said.
“Park staff and specialists have assessed the situation and are determining what needs to be done,” the National Park Service said in a news release. “Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”
The National Park Service suspended boat transportation to the USS Arizona Memorial on Monday and Tuesday, but it resumed Wednesday after repairs to the loading ramp were completed Tuesday.
About 1.9 million people visit the popular Hawaii tourist attraction annually, and “most visitors disembark at the memorial, which is part of our normal program,” said Rebecca Schwab, spokeswoman for the monument.
“Because the safety of our visitors is so important, we’re suspending the boat tour (to the memorial) and not docking at the memorial,” she said. The harbor tour will still be available.
The National Park Service said it will keep the public and Commercial Use Authorization holders informed of changes to visitor access and “make every effort to resume normal operations as soon as possible.”
All other amenities within the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center will not be affected. The free museums, shoreside exhibits, snack shop and Pacific Historic Parks Bookstore will remain open as usual. All partner sites will remain open. They include the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park and the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor.
However, ticket holders will still be able to take a narrated harbor tour in the area of the memorial but will not be able to disembark.
For updates, go to nps.gov/valr and facebook.com/ValorNPS
