Hawaii Adventures #3: Pearl Harbor

On Thursday Grover and his son-in-laws Kurt and Shayne took a day trip to Pearl Harbor on Oahu. The plane left the Maui airport at 06:25 hours which meant we had to leave the condo before 5 o'clock. We arrived at the Honolulu airport and rented a car and drove over to the USS Arizona Memorial. Grover has been to Pearl Harbor but this was the first trip for Kurt and Shayne. For those not familiar with the history of Pearl Harbor the Arizona was one of the ships that was sunk by the Japanese on December 7, 1941.

The above two pictures show the wall at the memorial containing the names of the 1,177 sailors and marines who died on the USS Arizona and whose bodies are still on the ship just below the surface at the memorial.

The two old sailors in the white uniforms were at the memorial after a ceremony on the USS Missouri the day before. Both are Pearl Harbor survivors. The fellow on the right lives in Vancouver, Washington just a few miles from were we live.

We went over to the USS Bowfin site and toured a World War II class submarine. The Bowfin was launched on December 7, 1942, one year to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This submarine served in the Pacific and was responsible for sinking quite a few Japanese ships.

Our next stop was the USS Missouri. On the deck of the Missouri was where the Japanese surrender was signed on September 2, 1945. Kurt's uncle served on the Missouri and was present when the surrender was signed. Grover's father served on a destroyer in the Pacific during the war also.

The Missouri is positioned with the bow pointed towards the Arizona Memorial which shows the beginning and end of American participation in World War II. The Missouri guards the last resting place of sailors who died at the beginning of the war.

The look from the bridge of the Missouri looking towards the USS Arizona Memorial.

The USS Missouri saw service in World War II, The Korean War and the first Gulf War. This ship is huge and was the last battleship built by the United States. It is on permanent display in Pearl Harbor and currently belongs to a non-profit that oversees its preservation.

Kurt and Shayne on the deck of the USS Missouri.

We then headed over to the Pacific Aviation Museum to look at airplanes. The museum is small but contains airplanes used in World War II. The museum is located on the airfield directly adjacent to the USS Arizona Memorial and where many aircraft were destroyed in the Japanese attack.

The airplane above was a Boeing Stearman airplane that was flown by President George Bush Sr during his training in Minnesota in 1943. Many of you may not be aware Bush was shot down in the Pacific and rescued by a submarine near a Japanese held island where several other soldiers were executed by the Japanese.

Above is a fighter like one used in the Pacific Theatre of Operations.

The last picture is of a Mitchell B-25 bomber much like the one used by Doolittle's Raiders who bombed Tokyo within a few months of Pearl Harbor. If you have a chance look into the history of this daring raid and see how the US was able to strike back so quickly.

Our trip to Pearl Harbor ended at about 18:00 hours when we landed back on Maui. It was a full day but we were glad we went. The whole area is full history and is a great place to reflect on the sacrifices of our forefathers.