The biggest hit was USS Arizona whose ammunition compartment was penetrated by a bomb blowing the ship apart and sinking it within seconds. The death toll of the Japanese bombing reached 2,402 and 1,177 of whom were from the USS Arizona. This event was what triggered the involvement of the US in World War 2.
There is a theater in the Pearl Harbor Memorial and Visitor Center which shows a 23-minute film on the Pearl Harbor attack. It narrates the history of Pearl Harbor and shows actual footages of the service men in training and on duty, of the battleships burning and sinking, of political leaders giving orders, of dead bodies and the aftermath of the attack. Actual footages. Heartbreaking. By the end of the film showing, everyone is quiet. Up until the boat ride to the USS Arizona Memorial, everyone stays quiet.
The USS Arizona Memorial is basically a structure that was built across the USS Arizona shipwreck (the long white structure in the aerial photo below taken from Wikipedia). If you look closely underwater, you’ll see the silhouette of the battleship across the memorial.
Here’s inside the memorial.
The windows allow you to view what remains of the USS Arizona.
Just before entering the memorial room, there is a viewing deck which allows you to see fishes which have made the shipwreck their reef.
Inside the memorial room are the names of USS Arizona’s honored service crew. Notice the 2 wreaths in the photo below? The wreath on the right is actually for an Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) General named Jessie Delosa. :)
Within the grounds of the Pearl Harbor Memorial, you’ll see more traces of the battleships and machineries used during WW2.
Here’s the frontal view of the original anchor of the USS Arizona. It’s huge!
Here’s the side view of the anchor.
And here’s the bell of the USS Arizona which once signaled its service crew.
Within the grounds, you’ll also find fighter planes like this -
Various kinds of Torpedoes -
The torpedoes are so long!
Among all the torpedoes I saw, I thought this looked the dullest but guess what? It’s a nuclear torpedo! Cringe.
And there are missiles too.
The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is open from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, daily except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. This was part of our travel package but from what I’ve heard, the tickets for the the USS Arizona Memorial are free. The challenge is tickets are limited per day and during peak season, tickets run out before noon so I suggest to just book an organized tour with an agency so they can secure tix for you.
Within the Pearl Harbor Memorial grounds, you can also visit the USS Missouri Battleship (for a fee). USS Missouri is also called "The Mighty Mo". This is the ship used by Gen Douglas MacArthur when he accepted Japan's surrender in 1945, ending the war in the Pacific. It was also used in Korea and the Gulf War. The battleship can be viewed from the USS Arizona Memorial.
For a fee, you can also take the USS Bowfin Submarine Tour.
Just one last tip - purses, handbags, backpacks, camera bags, etc. are not allowed inside the grounds so just bring your camera and some cash.
