The USA is not my country and I have no personal connection (family or otherwise) to the ship but it has fascinated me since I was a kid. Of course the first thing I knew about it was it's final battle. I couldn't tear my eyes away from photos of the destruction. It made me sad. Didn't take long before I wanted to learn more about it. I think it had a pretty interesting history up to that point too. And it was a cool looking ship - one of my all time favourites to look at. Anyone else care to share their thoughts on this ship? Anyone with a personal connection? Seeing the memorial is high on my bucket list.
Only some general tourist advice. Check the times of opening and try and get there early, it's extremely popular. Oh and it's a military memorial site so proper decorum is required.
There is still oil bubbling up in small amounts every day from the ship. What is really sad is the United States Military Code Breakers had a very good idea that an attack on Pearl would happen. Fortunately the U.S. Carriers were out to sea. The Japanese Admiral who commanded the attack on Pearl and enacted the plan of Yamamoto upon hearing that the U.S. Aircraft Carriers were NOT in Pearl Harbor during the attack is rumored to have said..."We have just lost the war." AboveAlpha
I suppose whether he really said that or not, the quote goes to show the battleship was almost obsolete already then.
I had the honor of visiting the Memorial last year, and it is an amazing and emotional experience that I can personally recommend. Then, head over to Shorebirds on Waikiki beach and grill yourself a big old steak and watch the sun set.
By all means visit the Memorial before its corrodes away. That warm salt water is as corrosive as battery acid. While you're there, go through the Submarine Museum across the Loch and climb through the USS Bowfin. As late as the late 80s, they would take the Bowfin out and submerge her to periscope depth. I don't know if they still do this. I played some golf with the last COB of the Bowfin back in the late 80s. Talk about what wartime and a 6,000 ship Navy will do. He was a 19 year old Senior Chief in 1945. As you go in through the Makalapa Gate, note the tank farm up on the hill and ask yourself what a mess the Japanese could have made by dropping a few bombs on the tank farm. Pearl Harbor is a working naval base and the bubbleheads are VERY secretive, so there is not much else to see, At Hickam AFB there are a number of old "T" (temporary) buildings that still have the bullet holes. I stayed a night or two at the Royal Hawaiian just to soak up the history of the place. Have a drink at the same bar that Killer O'Kane and Mush Morton knocked 'em back. The Sunday afternoon bikini contest at the Shorebird next door should be on every guy's bucket list.
I've never seen the memorial. But, here's a story to give you something to think about. During the Vietnam War, the US Navy recommissioned the USS New Jersey and upgraded the other three in the class I was assigned to the Presidio of San Francisco in Headquarters of Sixth US Army. One afternoon, as I walked from my office across the parade ground to my barracks, one of the guys shouted for us to look down at the bay. From the mouth of the bay - to the west - came this massive, gray ships with huge guns sprouting all over the place. She was accompanied by a bunch of destroyers and frigates that looked like rowboats compared to her. I even remember a big nuke submarine leading the parade. As we stood there and gazed in wonder, another nuke sub appeared from the east, followed by two destroyers. And then came a behemoth, the biggest ship I'd ever seen. The two ships passed, the Jersey on the port side as was custom and, when she passed behind the Big E, she disappeared from sight. Can close my eyes 40+ years later and still see it. One other experience was watching the White Fleet on its annual trip, enter and depart from San Francisco Bay. I can't find images of it but it was made up of heavy cruisers, cruisers, destroyers and frigates sailing from San Diego to Seattle and back again. Awesome.
Not really, 2 of our 3 Pacific carriers were definitely in harms way. The USS Lexington was enroute to Midway. The USS Enterprise was sailing back to Hawaii with limited fighters from a mission to Wake. And the USS Saratoga was sailing off the coast of California, just finishing a 6 month upgrade in Washington. And in all the reviews of PURPLE and MAGIC traffic in the years since 1941 (as well as Japanese traffic records from their own archives), not one hint of Pearl Harbor being a target has ever been discovered. Oh, they knew an attack was coming, hence the efforts to build up forces in the Philippines, Wake and Midway. But no mention was ever made by the Japanese of Pearl Harbor.
Make a point to visit the Mighty Mo nearby and complete the cycle. I had a relative stand on the decks of Mo to see the instrument of surrender signed by all parties. There is a story (probably not true) that the Missouri memorial was placed in that specific position so the brave souls who passed on the Arizona will always feel safe under the guns of the Mighty Mo - - - Updated - - - regardless if he made that statement at that time, his opposition to his own plan was a matter of public record
Facing an imminent draft during the Korean war, my Uncle enlisted in the services. He spent the duration of the war managing the Walter J. Nagorski Golf Course at Fort Shafter, a 9-hole course on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. He has several photos of Pearl Harbor taken in this time period and I wish I had them to post... In 1950, Admiral Arthur Radford, Commander in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC), ordered that a flagpole be erected over the sunken battleship. The memorial itself was dedicated in 1962. I have seen it, and it's an important part of American history that any American should visit if they are able to do so. It's nice to know a Canadian (author of the OP) has an interest in this. It's important to point out the valuable contributions Canadians have made in defense of the freedoms we all sometimes take for granted.
I think you will find many people from a lot of countries appreciate what the memorial stands for. A place where 1100 men died in a matter of seconds, leaves a wound to hard to ignore
Thanks for that. We're all in this world together and anyone who lives with the freedom we enjoy should respect the price those who came before us (and the many who are living it now) have paid. For me it doesn't matter who - be it American, Canadian, British, whoever, I will pay my respect when I can. A major reason I intend to visit the Arizona one day before I die.
I visited the memorial as a teenager. At the time, I was a little annoyed that our tour group was mostly Japanese, cameras clicking away. As I got older I got over that though. If the tables had been turned, I would have done the same thing.
I was stationed at the other Presidio and on weekends we would drive up there to visit San Francisco and stayed at the guest quarters. I think the best view of the Golden Gate bridge is from what used to be the Burger King on post. Beautiful site!
My ship (USS Prairie, AD 15) attended Sea Fair '84 in Bremerton. I had to go to the bone yard, and see what I could see. The Missouri was there. I got to walk around on it all by my little self. Standing on that Quarter Deck where the surrender was signed, I couldn't help but cry. Looking at the guns and turrets, and then over the side at the armor belt, I mused at how desperate a time it was, when all mankind built the most devastating war machines that we were capable of. Across the water, at the next pier was the USS Chicago, and one of the smaller carriers that had nearly been lost in the battle of Midway. Later, at Long Beach, I was among those who did the final refitment of the Missouri. I wish I had photos, because it was under the 600 ton ship crane that we had captured from the Nazis. Later still, I was stationed at Pearl Harbor, first on the USS Jason, AR 8, servicing the surface fleet, and then on shore duty, working on the subs. Oh, I was a high pressure hull and pipe weldor, NEC 4955. One of the most sobering things a human being can see is the bow of the USS Utah, sticking up out of the water as you enter Pearl Harbor. Especially if you're a US Sailor, seeing it from the decks of a ship that was built in that time. I believe I saw the USS New Jersey entering Pearl for the last time in its' life. This was in late '86. After 8 years in the Navy, I left with much the same impression of the Navy as I have of this country. It's terribly sad to see how far our ethics and morals have eroded. Corruption is King. Our heritage though, and those few people I've known who are serious about carrying that on in the present day deserve my whole allegiance.
