The resting place of more than 900 sailors and Marines who died during the Pearl Harbor attack, the USS Arizona is now a haven for underwater life.
The USS Arizona rests at Pearl Harbor: Over 80 years later the sunken ship has become an artificial reef with corals, invertebrates and algae colonizing the hull
On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona was hit. That day 1,177 crewmen on board lost their lives. Many of the bodies couldn’t be reached and it is believed that over 900 bodies remain in the USS Arizona, their final resting place.
The tragedy at Pearl Harbor forced the U.S. to enter World War II and the heroes from that deadly surprise attack can still be remembered at the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii.
The USS Arizona is not only a memorial site, it’s also an artificial reef teeming with life
Although diving is restricted to the general public, some authorized divers are allowed to visit the the site underwater. The ship is not only an abandoned vessel, it is the sacred war grave to more than 900 sailors who lost their lives on Dec. 7, 1941.
Those scientists, archaeologists and historians who have been authorized to dive at the site have shared what they have seen growing on and around the USS Arizona. Corals, sponges invertebrates, and algae are now growing on the ship’s hull. After more than 80 years underwater, the vessel has become a haven for marine life.
Jessica Keller, archeologist for the NPS Submerged Resources Center, reports that, despite the reduced visibility, she was able to see seahorses, nudibranchs, and other sea life, “such as sponges, coral, algae, fish, and spotted eagle rays.”
Keller describes the beauty she found underwater, but also warns that the USS Arizona is estimated to hold over half a million gallons of oil that could become a serious environmental hazard as the stern of the ship continues to deteriorate over time.
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