 |
| USS Missouri and USS Arizona Memorial |
The two best known landmarks of Hawaii sit at opposite ends of the spectrum: the sun soaked beaches of Waikiki and the enveloping sadness of Pearl Harbour.
At Pearl Harbour there are a confusing number of tours on sale, though the key elements of the USS Arizona and adjacent displays are free. First priority is to secure one of the 4,000 available on the day only tickets for the Arizona. The reward is a boat ride to the sunken remains and memorial, the timing of which will dictate what can be achieved in the rest of a day's visit.
The battleship Missouri is overshadowed only by the vast floating radar station currently berthed for maintenance. If time permits the deep below decks tour of the Missouri sounds exciting, otherwise the short guided tour of the main deck followed by a self-guided ramble is a good way to get to know the ship. The Missouri's story charts US engagements from WWII through Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War to the first Iraq war. It's a tale of a ship and its crew more than the politics that put the Missouri through such times. If the Missouri is vast and easy to get lost in then the submarine Bowfin is the complete opposite and worth a visit if only to get a feel for what it was like to be cooped-up on any class of warship. The Japanese surrender was signed on the USS Missouri 70-years ago less one day to my visit. Though as the guide points-out adjusting for the dateline we are on-board at almost the exact moment of that stage managed ceremony, which gives due cause for reflection as I stare out over the Missouri's massive guns towards today's US navy.
The USS Arizona impresses on two fronts. Firstly, there is the revealing history lesson that explores spheres of influence in the 1930's Pacific region as Japan, China, the USA and a tiring British Empire sought to maintain and expand positions of power. Eventually leading to Japan seeing war as the only answer to US sanctions. Then there is the memorial itself, sitting quietly over the vast sunken hull of the Arizona and sombrely filed though by each boatload of visitors. The history lesson told me a lot that I didn't know about the background to Japan's involvement in WWII. The memorial is suitably reverential though left me thinking why this ship's crew - how should we recall all those lost at Pearl Harbour and in the subsequent war?
Pearl Harbour takes a good day to visit properly, with advance planning if particular elements are of personal importance. Polarised sunglasses are essential to see anything below the water. The physical reminders of warfare: the USS' Arizona, Missouri and Bowfin, are well-supported by balanced and informative interpretation - a place for those with an interest in WWII or wishing to reflect on the inevitable losses of war.
 |
| Oil still seeps from the Missouri - the tears of war |
