USS Arizona Memorial

"December 7th 1941, A date which will live in infamy, The United States was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." Almost 24 hours before this famous speech was made by then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, The United States Navy suffered one of the most horrific and blindsided attacks in history.  One of the worst casualties was the USS Arizona, which went down in less than 15 minutes. To this day 1,177 sailors and marines are still entombed in the rusting, yet still magnificent battleship. When people go to Hawaii, more often than not they are making a journey to see the final resting place of this once proud battleship.  To many pearl harbor veterans, a trip to this memorial has become an annual sacred pilgrimage. There are two parts to the memorial. One part shows all the events of that horrific Sunday morning: the pre-attack events, the attack itself, and the aftermath. The second part of the memorial is the ship itself. On a personal note, I would highly suggest visiting the first part first so that you might have a greater understanding of the events that led to the USS Arizona's destruction and, as you will see here, her final resting place.

As you journey into the Museum, you will find the Peace Time Area (my title, not the museum's). This "Peace Time Area" is where you will step back into a time period prior to the Japanese attack.  In this time period, Germany and Japan are at war, while we remain neutral.  However, we were still keeping our eyes on the two powers. Here you can try your hand at decoding secret messages; it was much harder than the interactive exhibit allows it to be. Also, during this time, Radar was just being introduced, still with a lot of flaws. It is also explained here why the Japanese decided to attack the United States.  Because we had stopped all shipment of oil to the Japanese in response to their invasion of Manchuria, they thought they could attack our fleet and destroy it in punishment for our curtailing their oil supplies.  Yes, there was a time when America supplied the world with oil instead of how it is today.  Therefore, on November 26, 1941, the Japanese fleet, consisting of six aircraft carriers, departed Japan in what would be a successful surprise attack.  However, at the conclusion of the attack, it is unsubstantially reported that Admiral Yamamoto appraised the value of the mission by saying, "I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping Giant and fill him with a terrible resolve".

As you Venture into the aftermath of the attack, you will come across probably one of the most spine chilling objects....an exploded torpedo recovered by divers in the early 2000's. The Torpedo was still armed at the time of discovery and had to be detonated. Also in the last part of this tour, are survivor tales.  One of the most inspiring was African American Sailor Doris Miller, whose bravery on the USS West Virginia earned him the Navy Cross, one of the highest honors awarded in the Navy. Sadly, however, Doris Miller was later Killed in Action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. His actions at Pearl Harbor were portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr., in the movie, "Pearl Harbor". As you make your way out of the museum, you will then hitch a ride to the ship after seeing a short film on the USS Arizona.  As you get closer to the memorial, you might notice that the mood on the boat becomes more somber, and when you climb aboard the actual memorial, the only thing you can hear, are the waves crashing on the ship.  It is a solemn place filled with the whispers of those still entombed. One thing you might notice is that oil to this day still leaks from the ship. They say that the oil is the tears of the Arizona as she weeps for those she could not save.

As you leave the ship, perhaps you will come away with a greater appreciation for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to defeat the tyranny that was running rampant across the Pacific. The USS Arizona still lies where she sank, as both a memorial and a reminder of the true cost of war. May the memories of those we lost on this valiant ship remain with us.  As General Patton once said, "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived".

Entertainment: 4
Educational: 5
Price:4
Cafe: N/A
Gift Shop: 4
Overall 4

Additional Information

Address
1 Arizona Memorial Rd. Honolulu HI, 96818

Hours of Operations
Sun-Sat: 7 AM - 5 PM
Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.
Boats to the Arizona run 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Prices
Varies Depending on combination prices. See link below for more information

For More Information visit: http://www.pearlharborhistoricsites.org/pearl-harbor/