The audio tour of Pearl Harbor, narrated by actress Jamie Lee Curtis, instructs visitors to the USS Arizona Memorial not to throw coins into the water because they could harm the environment. But there’s no discussion of the environmental fallout from the half‑gallon of oil that has leaked from the USS Arizona every day since 1941.
A federal report found the type of oil leaking from the memorial is particularly toxic, and environmentalists are concerned about its effects on marine life living in the harbor. Yet, there’s no plan to stop the leak. Honolulu Civil Beat
During the 1941 attack all eight American battleships in the harbor were hit with torpedoes, spilling thousands of gallons of oil into the ocean. The USS Arizona had just been topped off with oil the day before, and the subsequent fire burned for two days after the attack. “It was an environmental disaster here,” said Daniel Martinez, historian with the National Park Service at Pearl Harbor.
It’s believed between 14,000 and 64,000 gallons of oil have leaked from the USS Arizona since the attack, and the National Park Service estimates it could continue to leak for 500 years. Oil is also leaking from the USS Utah, a smaller battleship sunk during the attack, but the Navy and National Park Service don’t know how much is leaking every day or how much oil remains on the ship. Honolulu Civil Beat
Environmental Impacts
“People talk about how beautiful it is to see the oil glisten on the top of the water and how it reminds them of the lives lost,” said Maxx Phillips, environmental attorney and Hawaii director for the Center for Biological Diversity. “All it does is make me think about the lives lost… everything from our bacteria all the way up the food chain to our sharks.” Honolulu Civil Beat
Coral has grown on the ship, and seahorses and sea turtles swim alongside it. A young hammerhead shark recently made the wreckage its home, as did a black‑tipped reef shark. The Navy and NPS point to these signs of biodiversity as evidence that “the leaking oil is not a significant concern.” But Phillips argues that more life in the harbor equates to more exposure to toxins. “Scientists are all clear that exposing corals to even a small amount of oil over time can be just as harmful as a large oil spill,” she said. Honolulu Civil Beat
According to Lydia Robertson, a Navy public affairs official, the Navy, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and NOAA have conducted studies about the USS Arizona and USS Utah and are aware of the oil’s environmental impact. However, Katie Bojakowski, a National Park ranger and shipwreck expert, said she wasn’t aware of any studies focused on the long‑term environmental consequences. NOAA’s Brady Phillips echoed this, and the Navy and USFWS did not respond to Civil Beat’s requests to review any such studies. Honolulu Civil Beat
A 2008 Department of Defense report found the oil leaking from the USS Arizona was especially harmful, noting its long‑term persistence in the environment and the increased exposure to toxic components. The report recommended more research to inform management decisions addressing the leak’s actual environmental impact. It’s pointed out that even small, chronic doses of oil can impair the respiratory, immune, and hormonal systems of sea turtles, sharks, and sea birds. “The entire reef ecosystem suffers—not just from big spills but from smaller doses over extended periods,” said Phillips. Honolulu Civil Beat
Why Hasn’t It Been Cleaned Up?
“If Arizona were any other ship in any other harbor, the oil may already have been removed,” noted the 2008 DOD report. Technology exists—and has been used on wrecks in much deeper or harder‑to‑reach environments—to remove oil. Still, the USS Arizona isn’t typical—it’s an active military grave. More than 900 of the 1,177 servicemen who died aboard remain entombed there, and over 40 survivors chose to have their urns placed on the ship. The oil, called “the black tears of the Arizona” by some, has symbolic weight. Martinez said, “At this moment you’re smelling and seeing the oil that’s been leaking since December 7, 1941… it’s almost like a time machine.” Honolulu Civil Beat
Much oil is trapped in hull structures and fuel tanks lodged deep in harbor mud, making extraction difficult and costly. Bojakowski said there’s uncertainty whether the oil in those tanks helps maintain structural integrity. Robertson said removal could harm artifacts on board, disturb bodies, or urns. In contrast, other battleships damaged during the attack were salvaged. Parts of the Arizona were even removed in the 1960s. Honolulu Civil Beat
Rudy Socha, a Marine Corps veteran and founder of Wounded Nature—Working Veterans, believes oil could be removed safely without disturbing the graves: “What they need to do is actually remove the petroleum products,” he said. His nonprofit has experience removing abandoned boats leaking fuel and harmful pollutants. Honolulu Civil Beat
