Aside from the Arizona and Missouri, there are plenty of other activities to build up your appetite at the National Park. Since you can’t bring bags at all, you are limited to the concession stands. Thankfully they were pretty good and not overly expensive. Big hot dogs with unlimited cheese, chili and condiments were a pretty good deal. Schäfer loved his!

But hot dogs don’t hold a candle to operating anti-aircraft guns. He is all boy!

Nearby they had some periscopes set up, one at Schäfer’s level.

View from the periscope with the USS Bowfin, USS Arizona memorial and USS Missouri.

“Look at the big spinner!”

Schäfer and I went on the USS Bowfin, a submarine used during WWII

The doors inside were quite small.

Schäfer loved working the rudder planes. “Down 10 degrees!”

Everything was brass plated (less conductive) and gleaming.

The bunks were shared by shifts of crewmembers.

Schäfer smiling in the engine room. The submarine was powered by electric motors and when on the surface, these diesel motors charged the batteries.

The aft torpedo room.

In the submarine museum our little swimmer wanted a picture by the diving suit.

Following the submarine museum we went to the Pacific Aviation Museum back by the Missouri. It was very well done and explained some of the other stories from Pearl Harbor and WWII.

Including the story of the fleet of bombers that took off from US aircraft carriers to strike at the heart of Tokyo, sending a message that the US will not back down and that Japan was not as invincible as it believed.

The entire hanger was packed with aircraft.

Sianna enjoys some flying near a B-23.

“Zoom!”

At the end of the day, we were thankful to visit the National Park and bring our kids to a site that represents who we are as Americans. A nation that will not stand for tyranny. A people who cherish freedom.

On December 7, 1941 a squadron of Japanese naval aircraft conducted an attack on US military bases in Hawaii, including the Naval Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor. Two waves of aircraft attacked resulting in the destruction of a number of ships and the loss of 2,402 military personnel. The attack was completely unexpected, especially in light of the fact that Japan was in negotiations with the US at the time. President Roosevelt called December 7th a “date which will live in infamy.”

The USS Arizona is one of the battleships that was sunk that morning. A high altitude aircraft released a bomb which ignited the forward ammunition magazine, resulting in a tremendous explosion, sinking the ship and killing 1177 crewmen on board.

In 1962 a memorial was built arching over the remains of the USS Arizona. The memorial is only accessible via boat which leaves from the front visitor center.

It can accommodate up to 200 people. The atmosphere was somber, allowing for a reflection of the loss of that day, so far removed from my generation.

From inside you can look down upon the fuselage. It still leaks nearly a quart of oil a day into the harbor. Called the “Tears of the Arizona”, survivors say it will continue to leak until the last survivor has passed.

A wall commemorates those who lost their lives on the ship that day.

In front of the wall is a listing of survivors who have subsequently died and have chosen to have their remains buried with their colleagues below.

A somber experience, but a good reminder of the price of freedom.

If you come to Honolulu, one of the top sites to visit is Pearl Harbor. We visited and it did not disappoint.

Our friend Lance kindly gave us a ride to Pearl. Otherwise it would have been another two hour added onto travel. After walking in we got our free tickets to the Arizona Memorial. Since our tickets were slotted for 11am and we had a couple hours, we took the park bus to start off at the USS Missouri.

Many people are familiar with the USS Missouri as the boat featured in the classic film, Under Siege. Film inaccuracies aside, the USS Missouri is impressive.

Very impressive. Just how big is the Missouri? If you could stand the ship on end, it would be 332 feet taller than the Washington Monument.

Two of the main barrels combined weigh more than a 747 airliner. Filled with people.

When these guns fired the concussion was enough to cause a headache hundreds of yards away from the blast. This is a shock-and-awe boat if ever there was one.

Not to be forgotten, this is the ship where WWII was ended. Japan surrendered to the Allies upon its very decks.

The Missouri is moored close to the USS Arizona Memorial. (Though to get to the Arizona you need to leave from the side where you got the tickets.)

Schäfer enjoyed climbing all over the ship. Note that the doors weren’t made for tall people.

This is the captain’s deck quarters.

It’s a family boat.

“What does this do?”

The library

One of the kitchens

Standing in the Truman line…no service today!

Bunks

Fire control for the Tomahawk missiles that were added to the ship during the Persian Gulf war.

The last engagement map. It was continually updated by crew members from behind…who had to write backwards.

Massive! Depending on the shell used, the main guns will shoot 23 miles and will blow a hole in the ground the size of a tennis court.

Schäfer in a navigator’s chair

“Full speed ahead!”

One of these shells weighs more than 2700lbs! That’s as heavy as a Volkswagen!

Sianna was getting tired by the end of the tour!

The Mighty Missouri was decommissioned shortly after the Gulf War. The aircraft carrier made battleships obsolete. However, the Might Missouri still stands ready to testify as a symbol of peace, not necessarily of war. A reminder that man pulls the trigger, but has the responsibility to seek peace as much as possible and be willing to fight for freedom when necessary.

We are America. We seek peace at all times and fight for freedom wherever it is not found. We’ll even launch VW vans at you from 23 miles away if necessary.

More Interesting Facts*

Designing the Missouri took 175 tons of blueprint paper. The ship was built in three years and required over 3 million man-days to complete the job.

For comparison’s sake, the Missouri is 279 feet longer and 11 feet wider than the USS Arizona. The Mighty Mo is also 5 feet longer and 18 feet wider than the RMS Titanic.

The nine 16-inch guns are the Mighty Mo’s trademark feature. Each gun barrel is to  approximately 67 feet long, weighs an incredible 116 tons, and can fire a 2,700-pound shell 23 miles in 50 seconds — with pinpoint accuracy.

The Missouri was the last U.S. battleship to be launched and the last to be decommissioned. She was also the most formidable. In addition to her massive firepower capabilities, she possessed thick steel armor plating that protected the hull (13.5 inches), the gun turrets (17 inches in front; 13 inches on the sides), the citadel (17 inches), and the conning tower sides (17.3 inches).

This morning, we woke up early in order to take 2 buses to get to church. We were visiting a church that was recommended by a friend. When Hubs asked if I wanted to go all the way to Kailua to attend church, I had to quote the famous Darrin Mechling, “A church alive is

[Continue reading Relaxation and Rememberance]