Honors at Pearl Harbor: USS Carl Vinson Salutes the Arizona Memorial

On January 8, 2002, the massive aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) slipped gracefully through the inviting blue waters of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii—a floating city, bristling with the latest technological marvels of the United States Navy. Yet as she approached the heart of America’s most hallowed naval site, the mood aboard shifted. The crew, in crisp whites, assembled on deck in ranks; the ship’s whistle sounded mournfully. For, on that day, the Carl Vinson rendered honors as she passed the Arizona Memorial—an act of reverence connecting generations of sailors across war and peace, loss and legacy.

An Emblem of the Past Meets a Titan of the Present

Pearl Harbor is more than simply a naval base. It is an American shrine, forever marked by the events of December 7, 1941, when a surprise Japanese attack drew the United States into the Second World War. The most powerful symbol of that “date which will live in infamy” is the white marble and steel Arizona Memorial, spanning the sunken hull of USS Arizona (BB-39). Over 1,100 men remain entombed within its rusting steel—the single largest loss of life on that devastating morning.

USS Carl Vinson, by contrast, is the embodiment of postwar American naval power. Named for the “Father of the Two-Ocean Navy,” she was commissioned in 1982 and has participated in some of the headline events of the modern Navy, from the Cold War’s end through the 21st century’s new conflicts. At 1,092 feet long, Vinson can support 90 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters and carries a crew of over 5,000. Yet no technology, no size, no power, could diminish the humility necessary for the act ahead.

The Ceremony of Passing Honors

As is custom whenever a U.S. Navy warship passes the Arizona Memorial, the crew “mans the rails”—lining the edge of the flight deck in dress uniform, standing at silent, somber attention. The ship’s whistle is sounded in salute. The ship’s ensign is dipped, and many aboard, from the newest sailor to the captain, offer a personal salute or bow of the head.

On this January morning, helicopters and news cameras captured the poignant moment as the majestic carrier slowly drew abeam of the white memorial. From shore, tourists and veterans witnessed the massive ship’s crew—row on row—pausing in respect as the Vinson’s colors fluttered at half-mast.

As one former Arizona survivor later said, “You can feel the connection—every time a ship passes, they remember us, they remember the ones still here.”

Two Ships, One Bond

If Arizona represents “the beginning”—the shock and sacrifice that galvanized an entire generation—then Carl Vinson is her living legacy, the product of the Navy’s resolve that America would never again be caught unprepared.

For sailors on Vinson’s deck, many of whom were not yet born when World War II ended, the salute at Pearl Harbor is an education, a tradition, and a silent promise. Commanding officers often remind their crews: “We honor these men, not just for how they died, but for how they lived, how they fought, and how their example shapes who we are.”

A Time of War and Remembrance

January 2002 was a consequential moment in American history. Only months had passed since the September 11th attacks. USS Carl Vinson had just completed a historic combat deployment, launching some of the first strikes of Operation Enduring Freedom against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Afghanistan. Many aboard the carrier had experienced the reality of sudden war for the first time, their own service echoing the legacy of those who fought and perished at Pearl Harbor sixty years earlier.

Passing the Arizona Memorial, the sense of remembrance was sharp and deeply personal: the chain of courage, stretching from the oil-stained waters of 1941 to the uncertain battles ahead. On deck, even the youngest sailors stood a little taller.

Honors That Endure

The tradition of rendering honors at Pearl Harbor is powerful for its universality. Every Navy warship, from the smallest patrol boat to the mightiest carrier, pauses to acknowledge the sacrifice of those entombed in the harbor. The boats that ferry visitors to and from the Arizona Memorial quiet their engines and call for silence as they pass. Sometimes, older survivors or family members serve as guests of honor, saluting from the shoreline or the memorial itself.

For visitors, the sight of a modern carrier—bristling with aircraft and alive with thousands of sailors—saluting the silent hull beneath the memorial is profoundly moving. It speaks of service and sacrifice, of continuity and hope.

Teaching the Next Generation

In the days that follow such a ceremony, Navy officers aboard Vinson and other ships often gather their junior sailors to talk about Pearl Harbor’s meaning. They walk the decks where stories are told of Arizona’s doomed resistance, of men who still escape the burning wreck, of others who fought with handguns and rifles as the harbor burned around them.

It’s a living history lesson, ensuring that remembrance is not just an act, but an understanding.

A Lasting Legacy

The USS Arizona Memorial draws over a million visitors a year, most of whom walk silently through its shadowed hall and look down upon the oil droplets still leaking from her hull—“the black tears of the Arizona.” Each visitor, each ship that passes, adds to the chorus of memory.

USS Carl Vinson continues her service, conducting operations and humanitarian missions around the world. Yet every time she returns to Pearl Harbor, or when her crew remembers their own passage by the Arizona, the lesson endures: Honor the fallen. Learn from history. Serve with purpose.

Final Reflections

The act of a mighty warship, pausing to salute her sunken predecessor, is more than mere ceremony. It is the physical embodiment of gratitude and humility; a bridge connecting peace and war, past and future, sacrifice and service. For every sailor, and for every American, the sight of USS Carl Vinson rendering honors to the Arizona Memorial resonates—a silent salute that speaks volumes across the generations.

In that moment, Pearl Harbor is not just a place. It is a promise, kept anew, that those who serve will always remember, and always honor, those who came before.