The Pearl Harbor Blog

Everyday thousands of visitors arrive at Pearl Harbour, and thousands of photographs of the memorial are taken each day.

What better way to experience Pearl Harbour and the USS Arizona Memorial than in photos?

At the USS Arizona Memorial, photo by no_limits_photo_

Best time to photograph the USS Arizona Memorial

A popular photo opportunity is while on the boat ride to the USS Arizona Memorial. As the boat pulls up to the memorial dock, the boat begins to turn parallel to the dock.  This is a great time to photograph the memorial!

USS Arizona Memorial

Inside the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbour

Once you’re inside the memorial, you’ll want to photograph the Remembrance Wall in the back of the memorial.

Also, remember to take a step back and photograph the visitors wandering around the USS Arizona Memorial. The sunlight shines through the open architecture, creating and interesting light pattern against the walls and floor.

Inside the USS Arizona Memorial

Do you have any Arizona Memorial photos?

Share them on our Facebook page!

When you arrive at the Pearl Harbor Memorial, otherwise known as the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, you will likely have a mobile smartphone with you.

If so, check in to the Pearl Harbor Memorial on foursquare!

If you’re foursquare account is linked to your Twitter account, we’ll greet (tweet) you when you arrive, just so you feel even more welcome to our historic destination.

USS Chosin departing Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, near the Pearl Harbor Memorial, for training in nearby waters. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker/Released)

Here are some interesting facts and tips that foursquare users have left for the Pearl Harbor Memorial:

“Pearl Harbor is the largest natural harbor in Hawaii, a WW II Valor in the Pacific National Monument and the only naval base in the United States to be designated a National Historical Landmark.” – Trump Hotel Collection

“We teach history in schools so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. This is a very somber memorial, but a must for any visitor to Hawaii.” – Michael H.

“Bringing a bag? Bring some cash to check it in… there’s a no-bag policy at Pearl Harbor.” – Discover Hawaii Tours

“Be respectful” – Tracy H.

“Since you can’t bring bags..don’t even mess with a stroller for the little children. I recommend a sling or other carrier!” – Jessica Y.

Follow us on Twitter for updates on foursquare check ins, Pearl Harbor photos, and news about the Pearl Harbor Memorial.

Click here to visit Pearl Harbor now.

Guided-missile destroyer USS O’Kane departed Pearl Harbor today for a deployment in the Western Pacific.

Let’s take a photo tour of the Pearl Harbor event.

USS O'Kane at Pearl Harbor (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Donald W. Randall)

Departing Pearl Harbor

Friends and family were at Pearl Harbor, the destroyer’s home port, to wave goodbye to sailors. In February 2011, USS O’Kane arrived in Pearl Harbor from a seven month deployment in the Pacific.

“We spent five of our seven months in the (Arabian Gulf), and while there, we helped protect Iraqi oil infrastructure, provided maritime security for coalition efforts and partnered with our allies to further enhance maritime security,” Cmdr. Derek Trinique, USS O’Kane commanding officer at the time, said in 2011 of their previous deployment. 

Friends and family wave goodbye. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Donald W. Randall.)

USS O’Kane Statistics (source)

• Keel Laid: May 8, 1997
• Launched: March 28, 1998
• Commissioned: October 23, 1999
• Builder: Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine
• Propulsion system: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines
• Propellers: two
• Blades on each Propeller: five
• Length: 505,25 feet (154 meters)
• Beam: 67 feet (20.4 meters)
• Draft: 30,5 feet (9.3 meters)
• Displacement: approx. 8.300 tons full load
• Speed: 30+ knots
• Aircraft: None. But LAMPS 3 electronics installed on landing deck for coordinated DDG/helicopter ASW operations.
• Armament: two MK 41 VLS for Standard missiles, Tomahawk; Harpoon missile launchers, one Mk 45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight gun, two Phalanx CIWS, Mk 46 torpedoes (from two triple tube mounts)
• Homeport: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
• Crew: 23 Officers, 24 Chief Petty Officers and 291 Enlisted

Are you ready to experience Pearl Harbor in person?

Join us for a Pearl Harbor Tour today!

Last week we introduced our new Facebook page for Pearl Harbor Oahu, and immediately we got responses to our post asking for people like you to share your Pearl Harbor stories.

To those who shared their stories with us, mahalo! We really appreciate sharing your stories with us.

Do you have stories to share?

• What do you remember from your visit to Pearl Harbor?
• What did you learn at the Pacific Aviation Museum?
• How did you feel when you entered the USS Arizona Memorial?

We’d love to hear your stories, follow us on Facebook and leave your comment now!

“This is me on our trip to Hawaii, Pearl Harbour on the U.S.S Missouri.” – John C.

“I was born on Veterans day, I am a Veteran, and had the privilege of working at the Veterans home in Washington state with WWII vets, many that were in Hawaii during the raid. It made my trip to Pearl Harbor emotional and enriching…a whole new dimension to my job.” -Renee B.

Share your Pearl Harbor story.

Click here to share.

Pearl Harbor Oahu launched the new Facebook Timeline today, click here to see it live.

Now we have the perfect place to share Pearl Harbor videos, photos, stories and more. Feel free to post your pictures of Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, and more to our Facebook page! Here are a few great ideas of what you can share with us on Facebook:

• Photos of the USS Arizona Memorial
• Videos of you boat ride to the Arizona Memorial
• Stories about your family or relatives who remember Pearl Harbor
• Photos of the war vessels, like the USS Bowfin Submarine or the USS Missouri Battleship
• Pictures of you with a Pearl Harbor Survivor
• Anything you want to share with us!

USS Arizona Memorial

Are you on Facebook? Become a fan of Pearl Harbor Oahu today! Click here.

Master craftsman and Omro, Wisconsin resident Gordon Stiller spent an entire year and 1,100 hours of dedication to build a 6-foot long replica of the USS Missouri. In March 2012, Stiller will donate the battleship replica to the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas.

The craftsman, who said he has always been fascinated by the black-and-white newsreel of the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri in 1945, relied on sources like photos of the USS Missouri to create the scale-model ship.

Douglas MacArthur signs formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri

The 6-foot long replica of the USS Missouri, which is currently located at Pearl Harbor, features impressive detail work, including:

• 2,000 sailors and soldiers aboard the ship
• Japanese envoy on board to sign the surrender papers
• Lifeboats and fire hoses
• Thin layers of plastic to create the effect of steel on guns
• Lightweight basswood to craft the ship
• U.S. Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur

Some days Stiller would work for 12-14 hours on the ship, which his wife said was both a challenge and a way to relax.

He also created silicone molds of sailor and soldier figurines from a handful of 3/8ths-men from a local hobby store. Stiller modified the figurines to meet his expectations, and then made nearly 6,000 casts until he had 2,000 USS Missouri sailors and soldiers at a satisfactory level of quality.

Japanese envoys leave the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan

Stiller took the initiative to send Mike Lebens, curator of collections for the museum, a CD of photos of the replica. wanting to donate the USS Missouri to the museum. He said Stiller had sent him a CD with about two-dozen photos of his scale-model ship.

“I saw the pictures and I was very impressed and (knew) that it would be a great addition for our museum,” Lebens told The Northwestern, a newspaper company in Wisconsin. The museum currently owns a replica of the USS Missouri, but Lebens says it is nothing compared to Stiller’s work.

Stiller will be driving the USS Missouri replica from Wisconsin to Texas with the battleship his pickup truck bed. He estimates that the replica is worth several thousand dollars, and weighs about 40 pounds.

Although the number of Pearl Harbor survivors continues to dwindle with each year, the effects of time taking effect on the Greatest Generation of America—the men and women who fought through and survived the World War II era.

In contrast, another Pearl Harbor organization continues to grow in membership. The Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors (SDPHS) is a group of individuals who are direct descendants of Pearl Harbor survivors.

SDPHS defines membership as follows:

“Must be the son or daughter, the step-son or step-daughter, the adopted son or daughter, or the nephew or niece of a member of the United States Armed Forces stationed on the Island of Oahu or within three (3) miles offshore on December 7, 1941 at the exact time of the attack, 7:55 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Membership eligibility is extended to all the direct (blood line) descendants (grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-nephews, great-nieces).”

Seventy years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, news of survivors continue to be written across the country and around the world. This week in the news, stories about Pearl Harbor survivors were published by several media outlets.

Pearl Harbor survivor from Rome receives Navy and Marine Corps commendation medal

Pearl Harbor shipfitter Sylvester “Syl” Puccio of Rome, New York, was aboard the USS West Virginia when the attacks by Japanese airbombers came down upon the American battleships stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Puccio reacted quickly to the emergency situation. In fact, when the ship was listing 28 degrees, Puccio realized the keys to the compartment that would initiate counterflooding were in a different section of the ship.

Instead of scrambling to find the keys—he didn’t have time to do so—Puccio “took a large crank from the cable towing reel and attacked the hinges and demolished the locker door.”

The Post-Standard in Syracuse, New York writes:

“After peeling back the door, Puccio cranked open the counter flooding tank valves on the starboard side, allowing the ship to right itself. Without it, the USS West Virginia likely would have suffered the same fate as the nearby USS Oklahoma, which turned upside down in eight minutes, trapping more than 400 people.”

Read the original story here.

Reed stationed at Pearl Harbor, remembers Japanese attack

John Reed is a Pearl Harbor survivor.

When Reed had just finished eating breakfast and was headed out to do his regular duties at Pearl Harbor, he looked to the sky and knew in a instant: a war was beginning.

Japanese bomber planes came flying in over headed, attacking the battleships and airfields throughout the area.

“I remember rushing down to the armory with others to get rifles, shotguns and pistols to fire back,” Reed told the Lincoln County Journal.

Read the full story here.

Senate memorializes Merrick Pearl Harbor survivor

Pearl Harbor survivor Bill Halleran was recently memorialized in the New York State Senate’s official record by the state senator. Halleran, a Merrick, New York resident, passed away in December 2011. He was 93.

Halleran served in the Navy from 1939 to 1945 and was aboard the USS Phoenix during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

“Bill Halleran was a very special person who loved his country and community and served them both with distinction,” said New York State Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr, as published in the LI Herald of Nassau County.

“Whether it was as a member of the Navy, as an American Legion member or a volunteer fireman, Bill never hesitated to lend a helping hand to those in need. I’m pleased that the Senate paid tribute to an incredible man who leaves behind an incredible legacy.”

Read the full story here.

As times passes , the attacks on Pearl Harbor are increasingly becoming a historic event noted in history books and documentary films. As of 2012, less than 3,000 Pearl Harbor survivors remain alive in the world.

These survivors continue to share their story of December 7, 1941, with the generations of Americans and world citizens too young to have lived during that monumental era.

Pearl Harbor Survivor John A. Rauschkolb, 91, remembers that fateful day. He recently shared his story with high school students at Atwater High School near Merced, California, located about 50 miles east of San Jose.

Photo by MARCI STENBERG via mercedsunstar.com Pearl Harbor survivor John A. Rauschkolb talks to students in a World History class, Thursday, Feb. 02, 2012.

Rauschkolb recalled the early morning surprise attacks when Japanese aircraft flew into Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and bombed the naval base, American battleships, and airfields.

“The attack was hell,” Rauschkolb told the Merced Sun-Star newspaper. “There is no other way to explain it. The stench of human flesh burning in my nose remains to this day.”

He was just 20 years old at the time, a sailor on the USS West Virginia. Nearly 2,400 people died that day, and 1,700 were injured.

But recalling those events at Atwater High this February is not the first time Rauschkolb has shared his story with students.

Every year for the past five years, world history teach Seth Medefind has invited Rauschkolb to speak to his class. This year, Rauschkolb talked to six world history classes. He gave students a 50-minute presentation with photos of the bombed battleships as well as military memorabilia.

“It’s important for kids to connect what’s in textbooks with real-life events,” Medefind told the Merced Sun-Star.

Read the original story:

…On that fateful December morning, many thought the approaching planes were another frequent training session, but Rauschkolb, a third-class signalman, knew better. Soon after the Japanese aerial onslaught, Rauschkolb found himself retrieving body parts of fellow sailors from the harbor.

He was standing about seven feet away from the ship’s captain, who was killed by shrapnel. As Japanese planes strafed the battleship West Virginia, Rauschkolb had to dive into the oil-soaked waters to dodge the gunfire and swim deep to escape the flames licking the surface…

This June, Elizabeth Miller, a sophomore at Mona Shores High School sophomore Elizabeth Miller will join the Mona Shores Wind Ensemble for a musical performance at the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Miller plays trombone in the school’s marching band. Miller has previously performed with the Young Americans Outreach Tour and also at Lake Harbor United Methodist Church. Her career aspiration is to become a professional musician.

Miller is one of 23 Michigan students who performed at the Solo & Ensemble Festival Prep Recital on Jan. 24 at the Whitehall United Methodist Church in Whitehall, Michigan. The festival was sponsored by the Music & Performing Arts branch of the Arts Council of White Lake.

Prizes included a $100 reward to the top three musicians, which included Amy Zuidema, Eric Martin, and Elizabeth Miller.

The USS Arizona Memorial attracts hundreds of visitors a day, with thousands more visiting Pearl Harbor sites like the USS Missouri, USS Bowfin, and Ford Island.

Learn more about the USS Arizona on the Hawaii Travel Guide:

The most visited attraction on Oahu, the USS Arizona Memorial at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center hosts over one million people every year. At this contemplative Pearl Harbor memorial, a near endless supply of oil, the “Black Tears of the Arizona,” seeps from the sunken battleship below. Accessible only by boat, the USS Arizona Memorial crosses over the sunken hull of the battleship without ever touching it. Nearby you’ll find the USS Bowfin Submarine and USS Missouri Battle Ship on Ford Island. 

Every US President since Franklin D. Roosevelt has made a pilgrimage to the site, so don’t think twice about seeing this famous memorial, it’s the top thing to see in Hawaii.