[boomboom]

This is the battleship Missouri which is now a floating museum at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
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[lomcevak]

The proximity of BB63 to the Arizona Memorial offers an eloquent snaphot into the Second World War. One ship lost at the event that brought us into WWII, and the other upon which the Japanese surrendered to end the war. My birthday is December 7, and while my grandfather served in the Atlantic merchant marine in WWI, and my dad in the Army in Europe at the end of WWII, the Pacific war has always held a special interest for me. Toured Mighty Mo shortly after she became established in Hawaii and visited the Arizona next. Hords of Japanese tourists treating the Memorial like just another Hawaiian photo op pissed me off - too many smiles and giggles, too many "V" signs as they posed for shots.

Wished one of the main batteries on Missouri had been open to the public when we were there - I'd have liked a peek at the other end of the 16 inch guns. The Surrender Deck and its marker were impressive if only for the enormity of what took place there. When Missouri paid a port call to San Diego in the late 80s the only moorings at the naval base that could take her were the carrier berths at North Island. The father of one of the guys I supervised at the time was a dock manager at North Island, and the kid told him of my interest in the Pacific theatre. One of my proudest possesions is the genuine Missouri officer's baseball hat dad snagged for me.

[boomboom]

Thanks for looking! I have always been a WWII buff so getting over to the memorial was #1 on my island to-do list and the Mighty Mo was #2. Both are still packed with Asian tourists just like everything else on the island. Next time I go I'll remember my polarizer so I can't cut the glare and darken the skies.