Visiting USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor: a humbling, haunting and touching experience
Bombing of the Pearl Harbor
No trip to
island of Oahu, Hawaii is complete without a visit to the historic Pearl Harbor
and USS Arizona Memorial also known as WWII Valor in The Pacific National
Monument.
The Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor forever changed Japan, United states and the face of
World War II. It united America with a purpose that led to bombing of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, crushing Japan and helped defeat Germany in WWII with military,
scientific and industrial might. It is rightly said that “Pearl Harbor was the
catalyst that made the United States a superpower -- and eventually did the
same for Japan.”
An artist illustration of Attack on Pearl Harbor
The route and bombing territory by Japanese Bomber on December 7th
A recap of
History
On Dec 7th,
1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor by Aircraft and midget submarines of the
Imperial Japanese Navy under the command of Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. It was a
surprise attack on United States Naval base.
It was a
preventive action by Japan to keep US forces at bay from interfering with its
Military action they were planning in Southeast Asia against overseas
territories of UK, USA and Netherlands.
That day the
Japanese forces did not stop after bombing Pearl Harbor but carried on multiple
attacks on U.S.-held Philippines, Guam and Wake Island and on the British
Empire in Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
The first
attack was on Ford islands at 7:48 a.m. Hawaiian Time. The second attack was at
8.30 AM on Pearl Harbor by 170 aircrafts consisting of fighters, level and dive
bombers, and torpedo bombers). They were all launched from six aircraft carriers.
Their main target was US fleet line up in Bay.
8
battleships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were sunk or badly damaged - including
the U.S.S. Arizona. The other battleships hit that day are USS Oklahoma, USS
West Virginia USS California, USS Nevada USS Pennsylvania, USS Maryland USS
Tennessee. Out of these, Except U.S.S. Arizona and USS Oklahoma, all are raised, repaired and rejoined
the fleet. USS Arizona and Oklahoma still lies at the bottom of the bay.
The
battleship Arizona was hit with an armor-piercing bomb which penetrated the
forward ammunition compartment, blowing the ship apart and sinking it within
seconds, killing 1,177 crew members.
The overall
death toll was 2,467 people: 2,403 American citizens—2,335 members of the U.S.
military and 68 civilians—and 64 members of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
The attack
has major repercussions, within hours of the attack, America attitude towards
war changed. President Roosevelt's said
in his National address to nation on December 9th, 1941 “We are now in this
war. We are all in it – all the way.”
Visiting
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
is located on South Coast of Oahu, about 12 miles (20 km) west of Waikiki and
downtown Honolulu. It can be reached by City Bus service at an economical cost
of $2.50 each way.
You can
visit Pearl Harbor as a part of packaged tour or you can visit it on your own.
Several
packaged tours are available to see Pearl Harbor which includes simple
round trip shuttle service from Waikiki or combining it with other attractions
on the island. It is possible to customize the tour according to your choice.
Some of the famous tour packages are: Private Transfer Pearl Harbor USS Arizona
Complete Honolulu City Tour, Honolulu Double Decker Sightseeing Tour Including
Pearl Harbor, Oahu Day Trip to Pearl Harbor from the Big Island and Circle
Island with Pearl Harbor Tour.
When
planning to visit the Pearl Harbor on your own, you have several options
available. You can purchase a Pearl Harbor Pass. The pass costs $89 for adults,
and it includes shuttle transport between Waikiki and Pearl Harbor. It’s valid
for 30 days, but you could likely see everything in one day.
The Pearl
Harbor Pass includes entry to the USS Missouri Battleship, the USS Bowfin
Submarine, a USS Arizona Memorial and Pearl Harbor Shuttle.
Also
included with this pass is the chance to visit one of 4 other top tourist
destinations, including:
Pacific
Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor
Bernice
Pauahi Bishop Museum
Iolani
Palace
Maita’i
Catamaran
If you are
more adventurous and want to relive the history of the day of infamy, you can
experience history from the seat of an authentic World War II airplane and
retrace the route flown by Japanese air crafts by booking Admiral’s Warbird
Adventure flight tour by Pearl Harbor Warbirds.
75min program for USS Arizona Memorial, including an
introduction, documentary, boat ride, and time to explore.
Tickets for the USS Arizona memorial
USS Arizona Memorial Narrated Tour
The second
option is USS Arizona Memorial Narrated Tour (cost $7.50) This reservation
includes a free, timed USS Arizona Memorial program ticket and an audio headset
for the narrated tour. The award-winning narrated tour is the perfect
complement for the USS Arizona Memorial program, because it's like having a
park ranger guide your family throughout your entire tour. The narrated tour is
recommended for all visitors looking for a more enriching Pearl Harbor
experience.
Passport to Pearl Harbor
The third
option is Passport to Pearl Harbor (cost adult $65.00, children $35.00) This
reservation includes a free, timed USS Arizona Memorial program ticket. In
addition, the Passport covers the cost of admission to all of our partner
sites: USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, the Battleship Missouri Memorial,
and the Pacific Aviation Museum. The Passport also includes the USS Arizona
narrated tour.
If you
purchase the Passport, please plan to be here for the whole day. It takes 6-8
hours to make the most of your ticket and see all of the sites. Recommended
check-in time is between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM.
Please keep
aside 75 minutes for the whole USS Arizona memorial Program. When visiting the
memorial, you are guest of US Navy and National Park services. It begins with a
23 minutes documentary about the attack on Pearl harbor flowed by a boat ride
to the memorial.
The USS
Arizona Memorial is built over the sunken wreckage of the USS Arizona, the
final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen killed on December 7, 1941
when Japanese Naval Forces bombed Pearl Harbor. The memorial is part of World
War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument.
As rightly
quoted by one visitor “No person should visit Hawaii and miss this experience.
If you learn nothing else, you learn the price of war.”
Open Daily
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Reminiscing the Past
Oil continues to leak even after 75 years
Looking at the History
Searching the name of a loved one
Boat ride to the Memorial
The Pearl
Harbor Visitor Center also includes two museums that tell the story of the
attack on Pearl Harbor and World War II.
The first is
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park. It is located near the USS Bowfin
Submarine. The submarine is nicknamed the "Pearl Harbor Avenger," and
have completed nine successful patrols before eventually arriving at her final,
peacetime berth in the waters of Pearl Harbor. Visitors can tour the inside of
the submarine and look into the close quarters and get a snapshot about a day
in the life of naval officer.
Inside the USS Bowfun Submarine
Located
within walking distance from the submarine, the Bowfin Submarine Museum boasts
a 10,000-square-foot interior featuring over 4,000 submarine-related artifacts,
from recruiting posters to battle flags, and one-of-a-kind exhibits including a
cutaway Poseidon missile with its inner workings on full display.
Open Daily
7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Strolling
through the park grounds, visitors will discover an authentic Japanese Kaiten,
or manned, Torpedo, as well as the intact conning tower and periscope of the
USS Parche, a contemporary of the Bowfin's and one of the most decorated World War
II-era subs in the Pacific Fleet.
Japanese Kaiten,
Missiles
Harpoon Missile
The other is
Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor. It is located at the Ford Island and
visitors arrive via shuttle from the Pearl Harbor. It was first opened to the
public in 2006 and in 2010, it was ranked among the top 10 aviation-related
attractions in the country by TripAdvisor.
Pacific Aviation Museum
The tour
begins with a 12 minute movie about events of
7th December, than the visitors can see authentic World War
II-era planes, including an actual Japanese Zero and a Stearman N2S-3 once
piloted by former American President George H. W. Bush.
Visitors
young and old can hop inside the cockpit of the Museum's popular interactive
flight simulator and experience the thrill of virtual fights.
Most recent
addition to the Museum includes a Cobra attack helicopter, a Soviet-designed
MiG-15 and "MiG Alley Exhibit," an F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, P-40
Warhawk, "Flying Tigers" Exhibit, and more.
There is
also a Gift shop located near the USS Bowfin. You can find books, photos,
T-shirts and other memorabilia, all realted to Pearl Harbor. Proceeds from the
purchase provide critical funding to national and state parks in the Pacific.
Hawaii Pearl Harbor Number Plate
coffee mugs at the gift shop
Books
The fourth
attraction is Battleship Missouri Memorial. It stands like a peaceful, silent
guard watching over the Arizona Memorial and Pearl harbor. It weighs over
58,000 tons and measuring just under 900 feet from bow to stern. It is
nicknamed ‘Mighty Mo’ and Japanese surrender on the deck of the mammoth ship,
brought the Second World War to an end.
Narrated
tours can be enjoyed in many languages.
Battleship Missouri Memorial
Parking
Parking at
the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is free. Lots are located in front of the main
entrance. Please do not leave valuables in your vehicle.
No Bag
Policy
No purses,
handbags, backpacks, camera bags, diaper bags, or other items that offer
concealment are allowed in the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center or on the USS
Arizona Memorial tour. Bag storage is available outside the main gate.
Allowable
items include wallets, cameras, cellular phones, and bottled water.
The 75th
anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks was commemorated at the Museum, in
Hawaii, and around the country on 7th December 2016. The theme of commemoration
was ‘Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future.’ Many events, receptions,
memorials, keynote speakers, film screenings, concerts, live performances, and
other important moments were planned through November 2 to December 11, 2016.
US Navy preparing for the 75 commemoration day . Getty images
Honoring the Survivors
President
Barack Obama marked the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
on Wednesday by honoring those who gave their lives that day. He also undertook a historic visit to the USS
Arizona Memorial later in December with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Pearl Harbor
Historic Sites are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year's Day.
A Navy Ship at Pearl Harbor
Anchor of USS Arizona
Information of US Navy men on each of the battleship on December 7th, 1941
An artist illustration of USS Arizona, Diamond Head in the background
Thanks, I have put a photo of our tickets to Arizona Memorial,which has the date we visited pearl harbor. So, we will never forget the day and the memories it has created .
What great photos and memories. I lived on O'ahu, but never went to Pearl Harbor. I wish I had. My husband is from O'ahu, so for him it was nothing of importance to revisit. I guess it's like me being from California, and Disneyland and Hollywood isn't that important for me. You take for granted the things that are around you all the time. I will have to go check out Pearl Harbor next time he and I visit family.
Many things new for me but felt good after reading
ReplyDeleteThanks, Glad that your knowledge was enriched.
DeleteRelived this day again after reading your write up. Excellent capture and so very informational to anyone who has not visited yet.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I have put a photo of our tickets to Arizona Memorial,which has the date we visited pearl harbor. So, we will never forget the day and the memories it has created .
DeleteWhat great photos and memories. I lived on O'ahu, but never went to Pearl Harbor. I wish I had. My husband is from O'ahu, so for him it was nothing of importance to revisit. I guess it's like me being from California, and Disneyland and Hollywood isn't that important for me. You take for granted the things that are around you all the time. I will have to go check out Pearl Harbor next time he and I visit family.
ReplyDelete