Visits to USS Arizona Memorial suspended after crash

HONOLULU — Tours on the USS Arizona Memorial have been suspended indefinitely after a vessel struck and damaged the structure’s dock, the U.S. National Park Service said.

Instead, boats were taking visitors to a spot in Pearl Harbor near the memorial where they can view it from a distance, spokeswoman Abby Wines said.

“At this point, it’s not safe for visitors or anyone to land there and disembark at the memorial,” Wines said.

The crash occurred when the hospital ship USNS Mercy and a civilian tugboat contracted by the U.S. Navy were manoeuvring in the harbour. Either the tugboat or the Mercy hit the dock, Wines said. The navy and the Park Ser- vice said in a statement the incident was being investigated.

A ramp and handrails connecting the dock to the memorial were mangled, Wines said. Park Service and Navy divers were assessing the damage.

It was unclear how long tours on the memorial will be suspended, Wines said. The underwater assessments will provide a bet- ter idea, but the current situation is expected to continue for at least a few days. The Pearl Harbor Visitors Center is still open.

The USS Arizona Memorial was built to remember the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the Arizona when Japanese planes bombed the battleship during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.