Day 31 - Pearl Harbor

12/13/16

Today is a historic day - to be exact, 75 years and six days ago. On December 7, 1941, the lives of almost the entire world would change...

There had been war in Europe for two years. At the same time, Japan was trying to expand its territory and gain control over the Southeast Asian region (including China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines) and the Pacific. The United States was closely following these developments. In defense of their own country and as a deterrent, the President ordered the American Pacific Fleet to the naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. On Sunday morning (7:55 a.m. on December 7, 1941), Japan surprised Pearl Harbor with an air attack (a total of 350 aircraft in two waves), severely weakening the American fleet. While the attackers lost only 29 aircraft and 55 soldiers, the losses for the USA were immense: 2403 dead, 1180 injured, 5 out of 8 battleships sunk, a total of 21 ships sunk, over 188 aircraft, airfields, and hangars destroyed.

And now, three-quarters of a century later, we stand at the site of these events and marvel at the witnesses to that time. Since we arrived at 7:45 a.m., there are not many people here yet. By the way, the hour-long bus ride from Waikiki to the memorial feels like a deep freeze. But after the experience we had yesterday, we are prepared today.

We spend the whole day here and delve into the history with guided tours, audio guides, information boards, films, etc. We visit the USS Arizona Memorial, the submarine USS Bowfin, the battleship USS Missouri, and the Pacific Aviation Museum with Hangar 79.

Photo of the day: Chief in the Officers Lounge