Hawaii - Pearl Harbour - Arizona Memorial

Our bus driver then drove us to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center where we had time to explore the museum displays and also view the memorials to those who perished when Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941.

Anchor of the USS Arizona

A major memorial is the display of the names of all those who died, including civilians, during the attack on Pearl Harbour. Names of crew are listed under the names of ships that were destroyed.

Nearby display boards help to tell the story as to what happened on 7 December.

Acknowledgement is also made of the Pearl Harbour survivors who were greatly affected by events on that day.

Museum displays also help tell the Pearl Harbour story.

We had been given vouchers for lunch - a hot dog. I haven't eaten a hot dog in years so decided to go with the alternative which was soup - another big culinary choice. The potato soup was small chunks of potato in a thick cheese sauce with salty crackers. This holiday appears to be a  good way to go on a diet! Still we weren't visiting Pearl Harbour for the food.

The next stop was the theatre where, after a long lecture as we waited outside about being respectful to the memorial we were later to visit, we were eventually allowed in to view film from new-reels of the events leading up to the attack as well as the devastation that occurred.

After boarding a launch we were taken out to the Arizona Memorial which is erected over the remains of the ship. On the way we passed other memorials indicated where other ships had been sunk.

It is a moving experience visiting this memorial. At the far end of the memorial is a room where the names of all those who died when the USS Arizona sank are listed.

Part of the Memorial Wall viewed through the doorway

 When looking over the sides of the memorial the remains of the ship can be seen in the water.

Small amounts of oil continue to seep from the ship.

After visiting Pearl Harbour our driver drove us up a mountain to view the National Cemetery of the Pacific known as the Punchbowl. Remembrance ceremonies are often held at his site.

At the end of the day we all had a greater understanding of the events of Pearl Harbour and the tragic loss of life that occurred on 7 December 1941. One horrifying aspect was that a large number of those who died were only teenagers. Our driver also provided information about other aspects of Hawaiian history. All in all it was an interesting and thought provoking day.