May 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy on Friday announced its plans for a preservation project coordinated with the National Park Service for Pearl Harbor's USS Arizona that includes the removal of its aging mooring platforms.
The USS Arizona, a Pennsylvania-class battleship commissioned in 1916, suffered a direct hit from Japanese forces in December 1941 while stationed at Hawaii's Pearl Harbor. It sank within minutes, killing 1,177 of the 1,512 crewmen aboard.
The ship is considered a war grave and remains the resting place of around 900 of the sailors and Marines who died during the attack. While the ship will always remain underwater and undisturbed, work is needed to ensure the site -- which now includes a national memorial -- is preserved and to prevent further environmental damage.
After the attack, in 1942, mooring platforms were attached to the sunken ship to help with salvage operations of the ship's weapons and equipment to aid in the war effort after the U.S. joined World War II.
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