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Memorial Day at Pearl Harbor

by ALOHA DEAN

 

The Arizona Memorial is one Hawaii’s most popular attractions, welcoming more than 1.4 million visitors annually. The original memorial was a flagpole attached to the broken main mast of the ship with a commemorative plaque. This tribute was ordered erected in 1950 by Admiral Arthur Radford, then-Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet. In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the design for the present structure, which was completed in 1961 and dedicated a year later. There are three main sections of the memorial: the entry and assembly room; a central area designed for ceremonies and general observation; and the shrine room, where the names of those killed on the Arizona are engraved on a marble wall.
 
USS Missouri Battleship - “Mighty Mo!” is the most celebrated American battleship.  The  Stand on the famous Surrender Deck and tour the ship’s bridge where you’ll have a perfect view of Pearl Harbor, the Arizona Memorial and the Surface Fleet of the US Navy. Once a wartime juggernaut, the USS Battleship Missouri now serves as an interactive museum and memorial at Pearl Harbor,
Known as the "Mighty Mo," the Missouri is the last of four Iowa-class battleships that were built during World War II. Weighing in at 48,000 tons and more than 885 feet in length (from bow to stern), the Missouri launched out of New York Naval Shipyard on January 29, 1944 and was commissioned on June 11 of that same year. It went on to become one of the U.S. military’s most decorated ships, with three battle stars for World War II service and another five for its service during the Korean War.
When Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945, officially marking the end of World War II, the signing took place aboard the Missouri. "The day was overcast," recalled Frank Hartwell, who served as a quartermaster in the ship’s wartime fleet. "Then a destroyer came up with 11 Japanese dignitaries. General MacArthur signed for all the Allies, and Admiral Nimitz signed for the U.S. The sky cleared right after the surrender was signed."
 
The USS Bowfin was launched on December 7, 1942, exactly one year after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Nicknamed the "Pearl Harbor Avenger," the Bowfin went on to sink 44 enemy ships during nine successful war patrols. For her service, the Bowfin was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation and a Navy Unit Commendation.
The Bowfin is one of only 15 U.S. World War II submarines that did not wind up as scrap metal or as target practice for another military ship.