Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Oahu
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pearl Harbor, home to the 184-foot memorial which straddles the sunken hull of the battleship USS Arizona and honours those who died in the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. At approximately 8:10 am, on the 7th December 1941, the 31,400-ton USS Arizona exploded, having been hit by a 1,760-pound armour-piercing bomb that sliced through her deck and ignited her forward ammunition magazine. "On board Arizona, the ship's air raid alarm went
off about 07:55 am and the ship went to general quarters soon thereafter.
Insofar as it could be determined soon after the attack, the ship sustained
eight bomb hits; one hit on the forecastle, glancing off the face plate
of Turret II and penetrating the deck to explode in the black powder
magazine, which in turn set off adjacent smokeless powder magazines. A cataclysmic explosion ripped through the forward part
of the ship, touching off fierce fires that burned for two days; debris
showered down on Ford Island in the vicinity. The blast that destroyed
Arizona and sank her at her berth alongside of Ford Island consumed
the lives of 1,103 of the 1,400 on board at the time - over half of
the casualties suffered by the entire US fleet on the "Day of Infamy."
(Source United States Navy archives)
The newest addition to the Pearl Harbour memorial site
is the 45,000 ton USS Missouri which received its official memorial
dedication at Pearl Harbour in January 1999. Moored in the harbour alongside
Ford Island, a new bridge connects Ford Island to Kamehameha Highway.
Visitors can climb aboard the 887-foot battleship from bow to stern,
or mount the flying bridge which offers a panoramic view of the harbour.
Other areas of interest aboard the Missouri are the ship's Tomahawk Missile Launching System, last used in the Persian Gulf war and her trademark nine 16 inch, big guns, capable of firing a one ton projectile, with pin point accuracy, over 23 miles. Access is also available to the wardroom, officer's quarters, armory, plus a mini-theatre provides a reflective look at the ship's half-century of service spanning three wars. The USS Missouri is a 45,000-ton Iowa class battleship
built by the New York Navy Yard, and commissioned on 11 June 1944. The
Missouri supported the Iwo Jima invasion, the Ryukyus campaign and raids
on Japan's home islands. She was the site of the 2 September 1945 Japanese
surrender ceremony that ended World War II.
Following the end of hostilities, The Missouri returned to the United States, participating in a great naval review at New York in October 1945. In March 1946, she went to the Mediterranean on a diplomatic mission. Through the rest of the 1940s and into 1950, the battleship operated extensively in the Atlantic area. USS Missouri was the only U.S. battleship on active duty in June 1950, when the Korean War began, and made two combat deployments to the Western Pacific. Following that action, and several training cruises to Europe, she decommissioned in February 1955. The Missouri was recommissioned in May 1986. Her final years were very active, including a world cruise and a combat role in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. She was decommissioned for the last time in March 1992. Visitors can tour the 887-foot battleship including the flying bridge with its panoramic views of Pearl Harbour, the ship's Tomahawk Missile Launching System and her massive nine big guns, the armory, and the officer quarters. There is a theatre which shows the ship's 50 plus years of service spanning three wars. (Source United States Navy National Archive). USS Bowfin (Submarine Museum and Park) arrived at her new home in Pearl Harbour in 1979, she was launched on Dec. 7, 1942 and was nicknamed the "Pearl Harbour Avenger". During its service, it sank 44 enemy ships during nine tours of duty. Bowfin's four World War II commanding officers believed that she sank 179,646 tons (34 large vessels, plus 10 more under 500 tons) and damaged 33,934 tons (five large vessels plus two smaller ones) for a total of 213,580 tons sunk or damaged. USS Bowfin remains a legend, for among these 188 submarines, Bowfin ranks 17th in tonnage and 15th in number of ships sunk. Fifty-two of 288 combat submarines (almost one out of five) and 3,505 out of 14,750 WWII U.S. submariners (almost one out of four) began their "eternal patrols" before Japan surrendered. The Bowfin provides a rare opportunity for the public to board a vintage submarine from the Second World War and explore the adjacent Submarine Museum where a comprehensive collection of artifacts traces the history of submersibles from the first daring attempt to use one in warfare in 1776 up to present day nuclear subs. |
