Pearl Harbor

On Wednesday we got up early and had a quick Egg Mcmuffin before grabbing our rental car and driving in to Pearl Harbor. We arrived about 6:45, and the gates opened at 7:00; however there was already a huge line of a few hundred people waiting to get in. The gates opened and everyone continued into the line for the USS Arizona Memorial tickets. I'm glad we were there early, and we got tickets for the 8:00 tour.

This was our first day with the Go Oahu Card which we bought in advance and gives you free access to a bunch of attractions on Oahu. We used it for a free ticket to the USS Missouri, a battleship museum ship moored on battlship row, and for a free audio tour of the main museums and USS Arizona Memorial. There were a couple of museums focused on different aspects of the Pearl Harbor attack, and we had time to go through the Attack Museum prior to the USS Arizona introduction video and boarding the boat to get across to the memorial.

I found it very somber and interesting. And was happy to see the great deal of respect given at the site.

We were on the memorial for about 15 minutes before getting on the boat back to the mainland. From there we took the shuttle bus across to Ford Island and boarded the USS Missouri battleship.

There was a half hour tour that was really well presented. The tour guide was knowledgeable and we'll spoken and quite enhanced the experience.

It was great to see the surrender deck where the World War II Japanese surrender was signed, and the retrofits for the Gulf War service; however, one of the most interesting and moving pieces was the Kamikaze story from the Battle of Okinawa. A young Japanese Kamikaze pilot hit the starboard side just aft of the middle of the ship spilling aviation fuel and starting a big fire. Luckily no one aboard the Missouri was hurt. During the cleanup they found a body which must have been the pilot of the Kamikaze. The crew wanted to just sweep his body overboard as he was an enemy. However the captain wanted to provide his crew a reaching opportunity about compassion, and gave the unpopular command to store his body for a proper burial at sea. He had given his life for his country just as any of the Missouri crew would do, and he would have a funeral at sea just the same. There wasn't a Japanese flag aboard, so some of the crew cut up some red signal flags and sewed it on a white bed-sheets so the pilot's coffin could be draped with the flag of his country. The following day after the fighting he was given a proper burial, the chaplain said a prayer, taps was played, and there was a gun salute prior to committing his body to the deep. In the 90s after some research in the records it was found who the pilot was, and his family was contacted with this story. They came to the USS Missouri and exchanged gifts with the US Navy. Their gift was a family picture when the pilot was a young boy, and in it he is holding a toy airplane.

We continued on the self guided tour through the mess and living quarters and it was interesting to see how the officers and crew lived and worked. And got up for a great view from the bridge.

After the USS Missouri, we took the bus to the Pacific Aviation Museum. They had a couple nice dioramas and aircraft in their main hanger. Their second hanger had a bunch of other planes, but nothing too extraordinary.

We took the shuttle bus back to our car and had some supermarket poké for lunch before dropping off our car at the airport and taking the city bus, called The Bus, back to the hotel. 

In the evening we went out to Marukame Udon, a local favourite. The lineup was about 40 minutes long but the food was amazing, and very reasonably priced.