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USS Arizona

Today we went to the USS Arizona Memorial. It is the number one tourist spot on the island of Oahu.

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, over half the deaths that occurred that day happened with the destruction of the Arizona.


This is a painting of Pearl Harbor as it would have looked the day before the Japanese attacked.


After watching a film about the attacks, we took a little boat out to the actual memorial.


This memorial is built over the wreckage of the sunken USS Arizona.
Many of the men who died that day are still inside of it.



This is one of the gun turrets which still shows above the water.

Even after 66 years, about a quart of oil a day leaks out of the hull.


These are the names of the 1,177 men who died on the USS Arizona that day.

There are 23 sets of brothers and also a father and son on this list.



Many of the survivors of that day have made arrangements to have their ashes placed in the ship after they die.

The kids don't really understand the magnitude of this monument. As far as they are concerned, the story might as well start with "once upon a time". It is far beyond the scope of what they can fathom happening.

The anchor from the Arizona.


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  1. AnonymousDecember 20, 2008 at 8:04 AM

    How interesting! You told me some things I did not know.

    ReplyDelete

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