Every month, thousands of tourists avail Pearl Harbor Tours and visit the memorials to pay their respects to the brave soldiers who fought for the country during the surprise Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. Its named Pearl Harbor for the pearl oysters that were once harvested from the waters, the natural harbor is the largest in Hawaii. The Hawaiian name for Pearl Harbor was Puuloa (Iong hill). And peer into the shallow harbor where the sunken hull of the USS Arizona rests, still leaking oil that pools on the water’s surface like black tears, as they’ve been described. It was right here that a surprise air attack by the Japanese plunged the United States into World War II, claiming thousands of lives.
You can see all the important historic sites in Pearl Harbor. Arizona Memorial is one among them that gets filled to capacity almost every single day of the year. That is why it is very important that you make arrangements to visit Pearl Harbor before your visit and as soon as possible. It is a great choice if you are planning well in advance of your vacation and are able to arrange your own Pearl Harbor tickets, and all you need are reservations for airfare and a rental car. Together, the Tour to Arizona Memorial and Mighty Mo form a moving tour experience.
The documentary film that is shown at the Visitor’s Center sets a somber and reflective tone which this sacred place deserves. However, these have been omitted from this website for the best online experience for our visitors. Up first is a short introductory film in the 200-seat theater that sets the tone with memories from survivors recounting the day of the Japanese attack.
A tour of the grounds will take you to a Waterfront Memorial honoring submariners lost in World War II. Then, step aboard the Bowfin and descend below deck to tour its torpedo room, engine room and sleeping quarters. General Macarthur accepted the unconditional Japanese surrender that ended World War II on September 2, 1945, on the Surrender Deck of the Battleship Missouri.
But apart from the sheer fun, historical visits and the great time you will have on the tour, the best thing you will take away are the memories of having visited a place that gave our country its greatest military loss as well as its greatest symbol of strength.