by 
A view of the Arizona Memorial from the decks of the Missouri. John Hernandez | Miner
The spot that marked the end of WWII.
The USS Missouri is docked in Pearl Harbor. John Hernandez | Miner
Sunday, Dec. 7 was the 73rd anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which led to the United States entering World War II. The war would reshape the world geographically, politically and socially. On that Sunday 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 wounded. Now Pearl Harbor, besides being an active naval base, is part of the National Park Service and features a visitor’s center and museums.
If you travel to Hawaii and visit the island of Oahu, Pearl Harbor is a great place to spend some time. Depending on your interests and what you want to see, you can spend a few hours here or even a few days to see everything. Admission to the visitors center and the Arizona Memorial is free. There are other museums on site but they will cost you extra. They include the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, Pacific Aviation Museum and the Battleship Missouri Memorial.
There are a number of tour companies that will pick you up at your hotel and drive you to and from Pearl Harbor. They provide a ticket for entry to the visitors center and Arizona Memorial. They will run you around $40 per person for a basic tour and round trip. You are limited to three hours of sight seeing at Pearl Harbor. That is enough time for most people to view the Arizona Memorial and visitors center but if you are a history buff or want to visit the other museums, you will need more time. On my first visit to Pearl Harbor my wife and I used a tour service. Our guide was friendly and pointed out some of the sites around Honolulu. He showed us the hospital where President Obama was born (yes, the Hawaiian people know he was born in Hawaii) and even the Baskin Robbins where he once worked as a teenager. The tour and roundtrip lasted about 4.5 hours. I recommend a rental car if there are more than two of you or you want to spend more time viewing the sites at Pearl Harbor.
The free tour of the Arizona Memorial and visitors center will keep you busy for a few hours. It includes a shuttle boat ride to the Arizona Memorial which is operated by actual service men from the Navy. The visitors center has numerous displays and exhibits. You can read or listen to the stories of people who were at Pearl Harbor and living on Oahu in 1941. Be advised that due to security concerns you cannot bring purses, bags or anything where objects can be hidden including camera bags into the facility. Cameras are allowed but you will have to carry in accessories without your bag. There are storage lockers for rent or you can leave the items in your car.
The Battleship Missouri (BB-63) is moored at Pearl Harbor. Its big 16-inch guns overlook the Arizona Memorial. With the arrival of the Missouri at Pearl Harbor in 1991 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the attack, a symbolic connection of the beginning of the American entry into World War II and the end of the war was created. On board the deck of the “Mighty Mo” you can stand at the exact spot where the Japanese officially surrendered to the allies in Tokyo Bay Japan on Sept. 2, 1945. The Missouri was made a permanent attraction at Pearl Harbor in 1998.
The Missouri saw action in World War II, the Korean War and Operation Desert Storm. It was the last active battleship in the world. For you younger people it was also the ship that helped defeat the space aliens in the movie “Battleship”. The Missouri was taken out to sea for some of the filming. The ship is nearly 900 feet long and had a crew of 134 officers and 2,400 enlisted men during World War II.
On board the Missouri, you can take a variety of guided tours included with your admission or you can pick up a map of the ship and take your own tour. To see everything you will have to climb a number of stairways and enter through narrow hatches. The general admission price to the Missouri is $25 for adults and $13 for children age 4-12. It is ADA accessible.
To get to the Missouri you must take a shuttle bus to Ford Island (included in admission price) and will see some of the naval base and housing areas along the way. I recommend the shortest guided tour which is a half hour and then explore the Missouri on your own. The guide takes you to some of the historical sites including the surrender deck and points out interesting areas on the ship. They will answer any questions you have and tell interesting stories about the history of the Missouri. Besides the ship itself there are many things to see on board including exhibits of photographs from the ship’s history and memorabilia donated by former crew members of the Missouri. In my view, it is well worth the price of admission.
Mila Besich is a resident of Superior with two children. She volunteers for many local organizations. She is an experienced fundraiser and event planner for Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition. She covers some of the area town councils and schools.
by by