If you come to Honolulu, one of the top sites to visit is Pearl Harbor.
It does not disappoint.
Our friend Lance kindly gave us a ride to Pearl Harbor. (Otherwise it would have added one hour of bus travel into our day.)
Pearl Harbor consists of four attractions: the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Missouri, the USS Bowfin and the Pacific Aviation Museum.
After walking in we got our free tickets to the Arizona Memorial. Since our tickets were slotted for 11am, we had a couple of hours so we took the park shuttle over to the USS Missouri.
Along the way, we met some Pearl Harbor survivors who come each day to share their story and give an autograph or two.
Newspapers and books are available for the survivors to sign.
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 Volkswagen 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).
it’s always good to see what new adventure you guys have been up to! you’re taking us places we’d probably never go otherwise! thanks for the free ride! so grateful for you… miss & love you all!
We went here when we were on the Big Island… we were there for a week and it would have been silly of us to not fly over to Pearl Harbour… it is amazing… like nothing I have ever seen… though we didn't get to go onto the USS Missouri… since we didn't have the rental car we had to rely on public transportation… oh well… we did go up to Punchbowl though… did you make it up there?
Wow, we couldn't get over the size of those shells! I've never seen anything like it!
wow, looks like you guys saw almost everything on the island. The pictures are amazing and make me miss being there. Isn’t a shave ice the best on a hot day at the beach. Congrats on the baby and hope everything is well.