The original model of the USS Arizona that stood for nearly 40 years inside the Arizona Memorial Visitors Center at Pearl Harbor was unveiled Friday at its new home in the lobby of the Fleet Reserve Association in Virginia.

The Fleet Reserve Association has its own museum on the third floor of its headquarters in Alexandria, Va.'s Old Town. But the model of the Arizona now stands in a place of honor in the group's lobby, along with a caste of the "homecoming statue" of a sailor, his wife and child, said FRA spokeswoman Jessica Andrews.

"There are now two main things showcased in our lobby," Andrews said. "We put it (the Arizona model) in the lobby because of its significance. We also have a spotlight on them so when cars drive by on the street at night they can see the statues highlighted."

The Arizona model was replaced in the visitors center last December by a more accurate one. So the original was shipped to Virginia because FRA members from the Pearl Harbor Branch 46 decided to raise the money for its construction back in 1966, Andrews said.

"We're very proud of it," Andrews said. "It's so special to us because we were involved in raising the money and our shipmates were involved in Pearl Harbor."

FRA National President Jerry L. Sweeney unveiled the model Friday.

"We are honored FRA was chosen to receive the model, which represents the brave shipmates who lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941," Sweeney said in a news release. "The dedicated shipmates from FRA branches in Hawai'i many years ago made this model a reality and we're humbled to now have it here."

The FRA is a Congressionally chartered, nonprofit organization that represents the interests of the Sea Service community before the U.S. Congress. The association's membership is comprised of current and former enlisted members of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

FRA was chartered as the Fleet Reserve Association in 1924.

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.