Learn Some WWII History at Pearl Harbour
Excerpt from the book I Need to Get Laid, part of the Teresa the Traveler series of books.
When I realized it was Remembrance Day, I decided to visit Pearl Harbor. I had spent the previous Remembrance Day in Poland visiting the Auschwitz concentration camps and gaining a new respect for the veterans of WWII.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941 was significant in WWII history because it was this unannounced military strike that resulted in the United States entry into the war. In1937, the Japanese launched a full scale invasion of China and in response, the US moved their Pacific Fleet to Pearl Harbor to deter Japanese aggression. The backbone of the fleet was the battleships named for the states of the union. The Japanese objective was to damage the fleet thus preventing the US from interfering in the Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies and Malaya where they sought to gain control of natural resources such as oil and rubber. At the time, the Japanese relied on the United States for their oil supply
When I realized it was Remembrance Day, I decided to visit Pearl Harbor. I had spent the previous Remembrance Day in Poland visiting the Auschwitz concentration camps and gaining a new respect for the veterans of WWII.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941 was significant in WWII history because it was this unannounced military strike that resulted in the United States entry into the war. In1937, the Japanese launched a full scale invasion of China and in response, the US moved their Pacific Fleet to Pearl Harbor to deter Japanese aggression. The backbone of the fleet was the battleships named for the states of the union. The Japanese objective was to damage the fleet thus preventing the US from interfering in the Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies and Malaya where they sought to gain control of natural resources such as oil and rubber. At the time, the Japanese relied on the United States for their oil supply
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A total of 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor in two deadly waves sinking four US Navy battleships, three cruisers, three destroyers and an anti-aircraft training ship. The Japanese losses were minimal losing 29 aircraft, five midget submarines and 65 servicemen killed or wounded in battle.
The Americans were hit hard with an astounding 2,402 personnel killed and another 1,282 injured causing the American public (who supported a policy of isolationism) to change their minds and support US involvement in the war overseas. Fortunately for the Americans, the attack did not affect their fuel storage, aircraft carriers, and submarines. Even though the US salvaged 6 of the 8 sunken battleships, it was their aircraft carriers and submarines that reversed the Japanese advance. The Japanese attacked mainly battleships anticipating their use in a decisive naval battle. How wrong were they? The USS Arizona I had the concierge at the hotel book me on a shuttle and within minutes a mini bus brought me to Pearl Harbor, dropped me off and promised to pick me up four hours later. I started my visit with a short movie presentation of the Pearl Harbor attack which was followed by a boat ride to the USS Arizona memorial monument. The USS Arizona battleship was commissioned in 1916 and named in honour of Arizona becoming the 48th state to enter the union. An astounding 1,177 lives were lost when a Japanese bomb pierced the ship’s deck and hit the armoured ammunition magazine which exploded sinking the ship. The un-salvaged wreck remains a watery mass grave on the ocean floor. I loved the 2001 Oscar-winning movie Pearl Harbor and read about the attack in many a history book, but seeing the memorial first hand made it more real for me. I stood in the shrine room reading the names engraved on the wall hardly able to believe all these men were buried beneath me. They were real people with real lives cut short by the horrors of war. A tear trickled down my face as I honoured these brave men with a moment of silence. The memorial was completed in 1961 with the help of public funding and private donations. Architect Alfred Preis commented on the design of the memorial saying, "Wherein the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and ultimate victory....The overall effect is one of serenity. Overtones of sadness have been omitted to permit the individual to contemplate his own personal responses...his innermost feelings." According to a 2009 Salem News article by Paul Leighton, Pearl Harbor survivors are entitled to a special scattering of the ashes ceremony conducted by the U.S. Navy. Since the program began in 1996, 214 veterans have been laid to rest with their fellow servicemen. 
Many of the 1,177 men who died on the USS Arizona are entombed below this memorial
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A list of name of the men who died aboard the USS Arizona
A Pearl Harbor Veteran signs autographs for tourists
A memorial to all the ships and crews lost in WWII is located at the Pearl Harbor Site
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I walked outside onto the middle deck to look at the smoke stack, one of the few parts of the ship that remains above water. In front of it was a plaque that read:
DEDICATED TO THE ETERNAL MEMORY OF OUR GALLANT SHIPMATES IN THE USS ARIZONA WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN ACTION 7 DECEMBER1941
“From today on the USS Arizona will again fly our countries flag just as proudly as she did on the morning of December 7 1941. I am sure the Arizona crew will know and appreciate what we are doing”. Admiral A.W. Radford , USN 7 March 1950
MAY GOD MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON THEM AND GRANT THEM PEACE
After about 30 minutes, our group returned to the shuttle boat so another group could visit. On our way back to the visitor’s center I reached into my pocket and grabbed my entrance ticket and noticed a picture on the back of it along with a story about the first Japanese-American serviceman killed in World War II. His name was Torao Migita from Kalihiwai, Kauai, Hawaii.
Private Torao Migita was at home on leave the night before the attack. Upon hearing the radio broadcast directing all servicemen to report for duty, Private Migita hurried toward Schofield Barracks where his Hawaii National Guard Company was stationed. His mother recalls “that was the last time I saw him alive... That afternoon when I read the casualty list in the newspaper, I found his name among the dead.” Torao Migita was killed by friendly fire in Honolulu. He received the Purple Heart. I wondered if he was killed as a result of exploding anti-aircraft munitions also known as “friendly fire” as were 48 civilians ranging in age from 3 months to 59 years from the island of Oahu.
DEDICATED TO THE ETERNAL MEMORY OF OUR GALLANT SHIPMATES IN THE USS ARIZONA WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN ACTION 7 DECEMBER1941
“From today on the USS Arizona will again fly our countries flag just as proudly as she did on the morning of December 7 1941. I am sure the Arizona crew will know and appreciate what we are doing”. Admiral A.W. Radford , USN 7 March 1950
MAY GOD MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON THEM AND GRANT THEM PEACE
After about 30 minutes, our group returned to the shuttle boat so another group could visit. On our way back to the visitor’s center I reached into my pocket and grabbed my entrance ticket and noticed a picture on the back of it along with a story about the first Japanese-American serviceman killed in World War II. His name was Torao Migita from Kalihiwai, Kauai, Hawaii.
Private Torao Migita was at home on leave the night before the attack. Upon hearing the radio broadcast directing all servicemen to report for duty, Private Migita hurried toward Schofield Barracks where his Hawaii National Guard Company was stationed. His mother recalls “that was the last time I saw him alive... That afternoon when I read the casualty list in the newspaper, I found his name among the dead.” Torao Migita was killed by friendly fire in Honolulu. He received the Purple Heart. I wondered if he was killed as a result of exploding anti-aircraft munitions also known as “friendly fire” as were 48 civilians ranging in age from 3 months to 59 years from the island of Oahu.
In front of the Pacific Aviation museum on Ford island is the watch tower used in the movie Pear Harbour however during the real attack only the lower white watch tower existed
The USS Bowfin aka the Pearl Harbour Avenger
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U.S.S Bowfin
The USS Arizona Memorial was free of charge; however, I had to purchase a ticket to visit the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park. I had never been on a submarine and was excited to have the opportunity to get a glimpse into what life was like for the men serving on these underwater war tubes. Submarines played an important role in World War II. After the Japanese crippled the US battleships, it was up to their submarines to turn things around. As boldly stated on www.bowfin.org, “Within hours of the surprise attack young men in steel tubes took the war to the enemy using defective torpedoes against overwhelming odds. They triumphed and endured high losses”. The 288 American submarines were responsible for sinking over 30% of the Japanese fleet including 8 aircraft carriers, one battleship and 11 cruisers but not without cost. More than 3600 officers and crew along with 52 submarines were lost in the war. Many of these subs were lost with all hands on board and sit at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The search to find them is ongoing while a memorial website www.oneternalpatrol.com was created to tell the stories of the many servicemen lost at sea. The Bowfin, which takes its name from the hard fighting, aggressive Bowfin fish, was launched exactly one year to the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Also known as The Pearl Harbor Avenger, the Bowfin completed nine patrols sinking 44 enemy ships (passenger, cargo and military) including the Tsushima Maru. The Tsushima Maru was an unlighted, unmarked passenger-cargo vessel carrying 1,484 civilians including 826 school children who, along with their teachers and some parents, were being transported from Okinawa to Japan’s mainland to escape the anticipated invasion of the Ryukyu Islands. Only 59 of the children survived but were not allowed to speak of the incident under threats of extreme punishment. The crew of the Bowfin did not learn about the tragedy until over 20 years after the war. The sunken ship was found on December 12th 1997, and the Emperor of Japan wrote a poem about the discovery. Foundered,with lives Of the young evacuees Held in her embrace, The ship has been discovered Far down in the ocean depths. |
When I got inside the submarine, all those fantasies I once had of being a sailor working on a submarine were squashed. Holy crap these things are cramped. How the heck do so many men live on them for months at a time without killing each other? There isn’t even enough space to change your mind!
After seeing the tiny area they called a kitchen I decided to quit complaining about my kitchen being small. As for accommodations, the guys have less space than a sleeper car on a train. Even the private bedrooms are no larger than a closet. One of the largest rooms was the torpedo room. I bet all the guys wanted to be on the torpedo crew just so they could have room to move.
It didn’t take long before my claustrophobia set in and it was time to leave the tiny death tube and check out the grounds of the museum.
After seeing the tiny area they called a kitchen I decided to quit complaining about my kitchen being small. As for accommodations, the guys have less space than a sleeper car on a train. Even the private bedrooms are no larger than a closet. One of the largest rooms was the torpedo room. I bet all the guys wanted to be on the torpedo crew just so they could have room to move.
It didn’t take long before my claustrophobia set in and it was time to leave the tiny death tube and check out the grounds of the museum.
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