Tourist Attractions in Pearl Harbor

USS Arizona Memorial

During the attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II, the USS Arizona battleship of the U.S. Pacific Fleet rested underwater. In order to commemorate the painful lessons of that year, the U.S. government built the Pearl Harbor Incident Memorial on the wreckage of the USS Arizona in 1980. However, the Associated Press reported on December 11 that the memorial is repeating the fate of the USS Arizona when it sank: Due to the large number of visitors, the overwhelmed memorial is slowly sinking.

The memorial hall is built on seabed fill in the shape of an arch bridge, 184 feet long, and a reinforced concrete structure. The entire memorial hall is entirely white and spans over the underwater hull of the USS Arizona. One end of the memorial hall is the entrance, connected to a floating platform, the middle is the ceremony hall, and the other end is the holy room. On the white marble memorial wall in the memorial hall, the names of the 1,177 naval officers who sacrificed their lives on the battleship on December 7, 1941 are engraved. Through the large window of the ceremony hall, the hull of the USS Arizona battleship on the seabed can be vaguely seen. In the middle of the memorial hall, there is a flagpole. The lower end of the flagpole is not connected to the structure of the memorial hall, but to the main mast of the "Arizona" sleeping on the seabed.

Visitors to the USS Arizona Memorial must first enter the visitor center, which consists of outdoor displays, exhibition halls, bookstores, and cinemas. The center is jointly managed by the National Park Service and the Navy. A historical photo exhibit at the memorial highlights the role played by the Japanese in Hawaii during the war. In the passenger center, today's model of the USS Arizona is exactly the same as it was in 1941. The gifts in the store and the books in the bookstore mainly show World War II and Hawaiian culture.

Visit

The native Hawaiians called Pearl Harbor wai momi, which means the water rich in pearls. Many pearl clam shells once lived there. The indigenous people fished and dived here, and they believed that Pearl Harbor was a sacred paradise protected by their shark god.

In 1887, the U.S. federal government obtained a patent for the use of Pearl Harbor. Since 1902, they have been excavating Pearl Harbor. In 1908, the U.S. Congress passed the designation of Pearl Harbor as a U.S. naval base. The first U.S. warship to enter Pearl Harbor was the USS California in 1911.

Pearl Harbor became famous throughout the world during World War II. On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and achieved a decisive victory. The U.S. Pacific Fleet suffered heavy losses. 44 ships were sunk and 2,403 American soldiers and civilians lost their lives. The USS Arizona alone lost 1,177 martyrs. The United States lost 188 fighter jets and another 159 were injured.

Opening hours: The visitor center is open every day from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm. Movie theater showing times are from 7 a.m. to the last show at 3 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

Price: Free entry for all visitors

Note: Reservations are not accepted. Loud noise, eating, drinking and smoking are not allowed in theaters, memorial halls and ferries.

Battleship Missouri Memorial

On September 2, 1945, on the surrender deck of the Battleship Missouri Memorial, General Macarthur accepted Japan’s unconditional surrender, ending Second World War. This massive battleship ("Mighty Mo") is located in the historic battleship formation at Pearl Harbor and serves as a living museum with exhibits spanning three wars and fifty years of service. The deck of the 60,000-ton battleship is as long as three football fields and is up to 20 stories high. Stand on the surrender deck and see for yourself the documents that ended that war. Walk around and explore the specially restricted areas. You won't want to miss the ship's most amazing feature: its towering 16-inch cannon, capable of firing 2,700-pound shells up to 23 miles (37 kilometers) away.

In 1999, the USS Missouri moved from the West Coast of the United States to Pearl Harbor and was moored next to the USS Arizona Memorial.

The Missouri hosted a ceremony in Tokyo Bay to accept Japan's surrender, hosted by Five-Star General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz, and marked the end of World War II. These two battleships marked the beginning and end of World War II for the United States, as well as the most humiliating years and the most glorious end of the war. But in fact, it was initially criticized because of the plan to place the two ships side by side. Memorial employees criticized the huge USS Missouri for "overshadowing" the nearby USS Arizona Memorial. In order to prevent the Arizona Memorial from being visually dwarfed by being side by side with the Missouri, the wrecks of the Missouri and Arizona were finally placed on the same straight line parallel to Falk Island. The plan was to move the bow of the Missouri toward Arizona, indicating that the Missouri still "guards" the remains of the Arizona and the remains of the soldiers who died aboard the Arizona. This plan ultimately kept the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri Memorial separate from each other and having the same status in Pearl Harbor.

Bowfin Submarine Battleship

The "USS Bowfin Submarine Museum&Park" is located next to the Arizona Battleship Memorial and is moored on the park waters. The historically famous submarine known as the "Pearl Harbor Avenger" - the "Boffin" and the submarine museum covering an area of ??10,000 square miles (approximately 929 square meters), and The Waterfront Memorial is composed of three parts.

The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park adheres to the mission of "restoring and protecting the World War II US submarine USS Bowfin (SS-287) and submarine-related artifacts on the ground and the relics collected in the museum. "As a mission, it was officially opened to the public in 1981.

The USS Boffin Submarine Museum and Park is right next to the USS Arizona Memorial. If you happen to have to wait an hour or two to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, you can visit here.

When visiting the Bowfin submarine, be careful when going up and down the stairs. Prevent injuries from collisions.

Children under 4 years old are not allowed on board the submarine. If tourists plan to visit the USS Missouri Memorial or the Pacific Aviation Museum, it is recommended to purchase a package ticket at the Boffin Submarine Museum and Park to enjoy a discount.

Since 9.11, security measures at memorials, museums and other attractions in the Pearl Harbor area have become very strict. Visitors are prohibited from bringing bags, wallets, camera cases, women's satchels, backpacks and diaper straps. Only cameras and camcorders are allowed. Visitors can store their personal belongings at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park's luggage storage ($3 per item).