Day-3 – Pearl Harbor and Honolulu Tour

Today we are going to tour Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial.  As we get ready to leave the hotel I took this picture of the flowers on the tree in the hotel’s atrium.  These flowers are used to make leis. 

At the Memorial entrance, we see another interesting bird.  Not sure what it is, but I thought it was interesting.  Reminded me of a stuffed bird we had when I was a kid.  I am still on the lookout for a lizard, but I won't hold my breath.

The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument includes the USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, the USS Utah, USS Missouri, and the Pacific Aviation Museum all of which are on Ford Island.  The USS Bowfin is also included and is located next to the entrance to the Memorial.

Before going out to the memorial we walked around the museum grounds.  Here we have one of the actual anchors from the USS Arizona.  

The USS Bowfin (SS287), a fleet submarine, launched on December 7, 1942 and served in the Pacific during WWII.  It was commissioned exactly one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was nicknamed the Pearl Harbor Avenger.  She sank 44 ships and damaged 8 others during her 9 war patrols.

On one of the information plates on the attack is shown visually and depicts the first flight of attack against the ships at Pearl Harbor.

Before going into to see the film this mileage signpost was in the small square.  As you can see it points to various locations on the island and also countries involved in the pacific theater.

While we were in the launch and on our way to the USS Arizona Memorial this floating radar system was coming into port.  Look at the size of it compared to the ship in front of it. 

As we approach the USS Arizona, we can see the Iowa-class Battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) moored off of Ford Island.  It is currently a museum ship and the ship on which the Japanese signed the Instrument of Surrender to end WWII in the pacific.

We arrived at the Memorial and unload.  Entering there is a somber feeling and even with many people here it is fairly quiet and hushed. 

Here is the base of the No. 3 gun turret.  The concrete landing and mooring bitts were built after the sinking.  The hole near the bottom is a vent hole and a cover.

Here we see more of the ship under water with a couple of mooring bitts sticking out of the water.  The oil in the water is clearly seen on this side of the Memorial.

People come with their flower leis and other flowers to lay them in the water over the USS Arizona in memory of those still entombed in the ship.  Here are several flowers from a lei and fish are eating them.

At the opposite end of the entrance to the Memorial is the remembrance wall.  Here are the names and rank of those who lost their lives here in the ship on that day.

Looking towards the bow (front) of the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri docked in the background.  The cement platform and mooring bitts were added after the Arizona was sunk.  You can still see the oil and fuel leaking from the ship and floating on the water.

The Memorial honors the fallen crew of the USS Arizona and all of those who died during the attack.  The remains of over 900 crewmen rest in the sunken battleship.  Surviving members of the battleship can be interned in the USS Arizona when they die and cremated. 

As we leave we get one last look at the USS Arizona memorial.

We leave the Pacific National Monument and make our way to the Punchbowl Crater where the National Cemetery is located.  Here are several Monkeypod trees in the cemetery which gives shade to those who visit.

The Memorial has at the top of the stairs, Lady Liberty, or Justice, standing on the bow of a ship.  She represents all grieving mothers.  The inscription below the statue is a quotation from a letter Abraham Lincoln wrote to Mrs. Bixby after losing her five sons and reads: “The solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom”.  Left and right of the stairs are ten “Courts of the missing” dedicated to the over 26,000 men and women who remain missing, lost or buried at sea.

Leaving the National Cemetery Punchbowl Memorial we travel around the city and pass through Chinatown.  We do not stop mind you and there aren’t too many visuals that tell you we are here, but there is this one set of dragons on top of an alley entry. 

Next we stop at the King Kamehameha statue in front of Ali’iolani Hale and the Hawaiian Supreme Court building.  This is one of only several statues of King Kamehameha.  One is on the big island of Hawaii at his legendary birthplace in Kapa’au in Kohala and the other is in Statuary Hall in Washington DC.  This one in Honolulu can be seen in the opening credits of the original Hawaii Five-0.

Speaking of Hawaii Five-0, this building across the street is the Iolani Palace and was also seen in the opening credits of the 1970's show.  McGarrett’s office was usually shown as the front second-floor windows on the right side.

As usual, I cannot help myself from taking picture of flowers.  Here is one of the flowers we have seen.

Before long we are back at the hotel and Waikiki Beach and after getting dropped off we decide to walk the beach.  We venture by the statue of Duke Kahanamoku which honors the Hawaiian Olympic champion and the father of International surfing.

Speaking of surfing, you can rent a surfboard and if you do not know how to surf, learn how.  There are many places on the beach that will teach you how to surf.

Here are a number of people surfing or trying to surf or paddle board.  The water is very inviting.

Looking along the beach and the hotels, you can see the numbers of people still in the water.  Some of the people are on blow-up tubes or rafts others on surfboard.  Many are just enjoying the beach and sun and waiting for the sunset.

We found another unusual flower which we have not seen up close.  

We are at an area of the beach where a wall protects the beach.  Here as a wave crashes into the wall, one kid can only turn his back to the wave and hope he doesn’t get swept away.

From the wall you can see how clear the water is and how visible the fish are.  Here one of the Parrot fish feeds on the plants at the bottom

Where the wall goes out to sea before turning and paralleling the beach many of the kids and even some adults jump into the water when a big wave comes by.  Here you can see several jumping in.

There is a street festival going on when we are heading back to the hotel.  While waiting to cross the street this Lamborghini drives by.  Check out the cameras on the car, one just over the mirror and a go-pro just behind the driver’s door and yet another at the rear window.  I wonder if all of these cameras are for insurance purposes.

The street festival is much like any other only the food is more Hawaiian so we just go back to the beach to await the sunset.  On the beach again Carmen is looking good with Diamond Head in the background.

There are no clouds for this day’s sunset so I decided to take the sunset picture from behind a group of palms.  There is some color but as the sun goes down there isn’t much for afterglow. 

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped to get this picture of the flowers from a ginger plant.  We end the day and return to our room.  Tomorrow we are going on a circle tour of the island and we meet at 7:30 am in the hotel lobby.