John & Katie's Big Adventure

Hawaiian Vacation Cruise

Day 15 & 16... Pearl Harbor and Home!

If I had a "bucket list", visiting the Arizona Memorial would be in the top 5.

 The next photo is called the "Beginning and The End".  World War II began with the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor and the destruction of "Battleship Row".  The Arizona Memorial is on the right.  The war ended with the Japanese signing the surrender documents on the deck of the battleship Missouri, on the left.

The beginning and the end

Nearly 500 sailors and Marines died on the USS Oklahoma when it capsized.

The gangway to the USS Missouri

Missouri's 16 inch guns could fire a 2,000 pound shell almost 25 miles

With Katie in the photo you get a better idea of the size of these guns!

After the Japanese delegation signed the surrender documents they expected to be executed.  Instead, they were invited to lunch.

Glass enclosed copies of the surrender documents

The Japanese Zero led the attack on Pearl Harbor and was superior to anything the United States had at the beginning of the war.

The bombs and torpedoes used in the attack

An artists rendering of what Pearl Harbor looked like on Sunday morning, December 7th, 1941

The red & white tower was used in the movie "Pearl" but the shorter tower visible to the left was the actual one that survived the attack.  Bullet holes remain in the old tower.

Now, Something I waited most of my life for!

The USS Arizona Memorial

The ring from turret number 3 still remains above the water while oil from Arizona's fuel tanks still seeps to the surface

The names of the sailors and marines killed on the Arizona are listed here

The remains of over 900 men remain entombed here

As our boat left, it all seemed to be a dream come true

 Day 16... Hawaiian Airlines flight to Las Vegas

As we leave Honolulu and head for home..........

A Beautiful and Moving Vacation Ends!!!