Trip to HawaiiMarch 3-9, 2020 |
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| Pearl Harbor National Memorial Site | ||
| Our visit to Pearl Harbor was very sobering. It is soooo hard to understand and appreciate that among the horrific events of that day including more than 1100 men of the USS Arizona died in a matter of 15 seconds, and that most of their remains are still entombed within the hulk of the wreckage resting there on the sea bottom.
We drove to Pearl Harbor. No charge to park or to take the 10 minute water shuttle to the USS Arizona Memorial (though there was a two hour wait), and no charges at the Memorial. If the US aircraft carriers were there on that Day of Infamy, or if the Japanese attack had included the nearby huge US fuel storage farm, or if the Japanese attack had included the nearby US ship repair facilities; most agree that the war in the Pacific would have been extended by at least two years with the commensurate costs in American lives. While waiting for our shuttle to the Arizona we toured the USS Bowfin, a submarine that saw WW II service in the Pacific. Can you grasp the fact that 22% of our submarine force was lost - now on “eternal patrol” - the highest percentage losses of any service in the Pacific? The Bowfin tour was at cost, but included earphones that were linked to one’s self-guided tour. Nice! We also toured the free WW II In-the-Pacific museum on the site which was very good. And, because of time, we had to pass on the tour of the USS Missouri battleship. Overall a memorable visit. Parking was an issue and one needs to be aware that purses and pack backs need to be left in one’s car or placed in a $5 locker. There were decent places on the site to catch snacks and also nice store places to purchase memorabilia. Joyce bought two nice refrigerator magnets there. Don’t visit Honolulu without visiting Pearl Harbor! |
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