US Navy to Remove Historic USS Arizona Salvage Platforms Due to Structural Decay

Starting today, the U.S. Navy will initiate the removal of two aging mooring structures, referred to as the USS Arizona salvage platforms, originally attached to the sunken hull of the USS Arizona during salvage operations in World War II. These platforms have been a part of Pearl Harbor for over eighty years and were utilized by crews salvaging materials after the attack on December 7, 1941.

A recent announcement from the Navy indicates that containment buoys and anchors will be set up around the USS Arizona Memorial to ensure safety and facilitate the complete dismantling of the USS Arizona salvage platforms.

“The Navy has opted to remove the historic USS Arizona salvage platforms to mitigate potential risks to the USS Arizona, its memorial, and the surrounding environment,” the Navy stated in a press release on Thursday.

The platforms were originally constructed to facilitate access to the Arizona wreckage, which lies just beneath the surface of Pearl Harbor. They served as docking points for ferries and other vessels during the early 1940s, enabling workers to remove salvageable components that could support the war effort.

Concerns about the platforms’ stability surfaced in October 2023, when staff at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial observed that the smaller platform had noticeably tilted. Subsequent inspections by Navy and National Park Service divers revealed structural weakening in both platforms and warranted further action.

“After a year of focused planning and analysis, the installation of this mooring system is a necessary precaution to ensure environmental protection ahead of removing the platforms later this year,” the Navy stated in the same release. The work is also part of a broader emergency response strategy tied to the platform removal.

While the decision to remove the platforms reflects safety and environmental priorities, it was not the preferred outcome for all stakeholders. Representatives of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial had previously hoped for restoration rather than demolition.

“Our mission at the National Park Service is not just Dec. 7, 1941,” said memorial spokesperson David Kilton in an interview with Stars and Stripes in November 2023. “It’s the lead-up to the attacks, the actual attack and the aftermath, continuing all the way to peace and reconciliation — a story still playing out today.”

Kilton emphasized that the platforms themselves are part of that historical narrative.

The Navy acknowledged this sentiment in its statement, noting that the removal “will symbolize the completion of a salvage operation that began more than 80 years ago, involving the efforts of the U.S. Navy’s diving and salvage force, and thousands of contractors and shipyard workers drawn from the people of Hawaii and many different local communities.”

The USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated in 1962, honors the 1,177 sailors and Marines who lost their lives aboard the battleship during the Pearl Harbor attack. The remains of more than 900 crew members are still entombed in the sunken vessel, which serves as both a national landmark and a war grave. The site attracts nearly two million visitors annually.

The platform removal project will be carried out in accordance with applicable federal and state guidelines. Navy officials emphasized that the operation will be conducted in close coordination with the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and local authorities to ensure that the sanctity of the site is fully upheld.

“All efforts will be coordinated with the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and local officials to ensure the platform removal fully respects the ship’s historic importance to the nation and its sacred status as a war grave,” the Navy release concluded.

Source of quotes and original reporting: Wyatt Olson, Stars and Stripes

Photos: Kathleen Gorby, US Navy