Pearl Harbor National Memorial

USS Utah Virtual Experience

National Memorial
1958
 
Park Size
21 acres
 
Annual Visitors
1.7 million
 
Park Fee
none
 
Superintendent
Tom Leatherman
 
Park Partner
Pacific Historic Parks
 
Location
Honolulu County, HI

Pearl Harbor National Memorial commemorates the December 7, 1941, attacks on a U.S. Navy fleet that resulted in the death of 2,403 Americans and the subsequent entry of the United States into World War II. Among the ships lost in the attack was the USS Utah. The wreckage of the ship remains where it sank, partially submerged in shallow water (pictured above), and a memorial commemorating those who were lost stands on the shoreline.

The ship is located on the opposite side of Ford Island from the park's main focus, the USS Arizona memorial, and is situated in an active military site, so limited numbers of visitors are only permitted on short bus tours. Furthermore, the ship's location in murky water makes it difficult to see.

In order to give visitors an opportunity to see the ship, understand its historical importance, and introduce new personal stories associated with the attack on Pearl Harbor, the park and its partner, Pacific Historic Parks, collaborated with CyArk to create an interactive virtual experience that can be accessed at the park's visitor center and online so that people around the world can better appreciate the important stories of Pearl Harbor.

The virtual experience was completed in December 2024 and is available here.
 
Project Cost: $60,000                                                                  Project Begun: 2024
     Pacific Historic Parks and the NPS: $35,000
     The Fund for People in Parks: $25,000

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