Pearl Harbor Visitor Center
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| Pearl Harbor Visitor Center | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pearl Harbor Visitor Center |
| Caption | Entrance to the Visitor Center and USS Arizona Memorial ferry docks |
| Location | Ford Island, Oahu, Hawaii |
| Established | 1962 |
| Managed by | National Park Service, Pearl Harbor National Memorial |
| Type | Visitor center, museum complex |
Pearl Harbor Visitor Center The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center serves as the primary interpretive complex for the Pearl Harbor National Memorial on Oahu, Hawaii. It functions as the gateway for visits to the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, Battleship Missouri Memorial, and nearby historic sites such as Ford Island and Battleship Row. The site interprets the Attack on Pearl Harbor (7 December 1941) in the broader contexts of World War II, the Pacific War, and 20th-century diplomacy.
Overview
The Visitor Center offers orientation, ticketing, exhibits, and ferry embarkation for the USS Arizona Memorial; it operates within a network of historic places including the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, USS Oklahoma Memorial, USS Utah Memorial, and the Pearl Harbor National Memorial complex administered by the National Park Service and partner organizations such as the U.S. Navy, Friends of the USS Utah Memorial, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum Foundation. The center connects narratives that include the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway, the Doolittle Raid, and the Guadalcanal Campaign, linking to personalities and institutions like Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, General Walter C. Short, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Emperor Hirohito. Interpretive programming references treaties and events such as the Tripartite Pact, the Washington Naval Treaty, and the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere to situate the attack within international history.
History and Development
The development of the Visitor Center traces back to early commemorations at the USS Arizona Memorial created through the efforts of the U.S. Congress, the National Park Service, and veterans' groups including the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Construction milestones involved coordination among the U.S. Navy, the Department of the Interior, and local bodies like the City and County of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii historic preservation offices. The site’s evolution reflects changing approaches to memory after events such as the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63) in 1945, the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and the establishment of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial by proclamation and congressional action. Renovations and expansions have responded to visitor numbers related to anniversaries such as the 50th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor and centennial commemorations tied to figures like Chester W. Nimitz.
Exhibits and Memorials
Permanent and rotating exhibits at the center interpret artifacts and stories tied to the Attack on Pearl Harbor, including recovered items associated with the USS Arizona (BB-39), photographs of Pearl Harbor aerial reconnaissance, oral histories from survivors like Dorie Miller and archival collections from institutions such as the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the Hawaii State Archives. The complex foregrounds linked memorials: the USS Arizona Memorial (conceived with input from Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison-era historians), the USS Bowfin (SS-287), and the Battleship Missouri Memorial where the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed. Exhibits engage topics connected to the Navajo Code Talkers, Manhattan Project-era logistics in the Pacific, and the role of units like the 332nd Fighter Group and 1st Marine Division in subsequent Pacific campaigns. Interpretive labels cite photographs from photographers such as LIFE Magazine correspondents and artifacts conserved through partnerships with the Smithsonian Institution and the National WWII Museum.
Visitor Services and Facilities
Services at the Visitor Center include timed-ticket distribution for the USS Arizona Memorial program managed by the U.S. Navy and the National Park Service, museum admission for the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, guided tours by licensed guides affiliated with organizations like the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites tour operators, and retail outlets stocking publications from presses such as Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press on topics including World War II and Pacific history. Onsite facilities include accessibility services coordinated with the Americans with Disabilities Act, event spaces used by veterans’ organizations such as the American Legion and Disabled American Veterans, and conservation labs employing standards from the American Institute for Conservation.
Education and Outreach
Educational programs align with curricular standards referenced by the Department of Education (Hawaii) and draw on partnerships with academic institutions including the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, the University of Southern California War History program, and the United States Naval Academy for research and internships. Outreach includes oral history projects preserved in collaboration with the Veterans History Project, lecture series featuring scholars from institutions like Yale University, Harvard University, and Stanford University, and teacher workshops linked to lesson plans about the Attack on Pearl Harbor, internment of Japanese Americans, and wartime diplomacy involving actors such as Isoroku Yamamoto and Cordell Hull.
Access, Transportation, and Hours
The Visitor Center is located on Ford Island/Battleship Row approach routes accessible from Honolulu International Airport (Daniel K. Inouye International Airport) via arterial roads and shuttle services operated by private providers and public transit agencies like TheBus (Honolulu). Parking, security screening coordinated with the U.S. Navy, and ferry embarkation for the USS Arizona Memorial follow protocols developed with agencies including the Transportation Security Administration and local law enforcement such as the Honolulu Police Department. Operating hours and ticketing policies vary seasonally and for commemorative events such as the annual Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremonies attended by dignitaries including the President of the United States and senior military leaders.