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| Too cute not to include 🙂 Statue on the left, my parents on the right! |
On Wednesday, the day was kind of dreary so we shipped my sis off to work and my parents and I headed over to Pearl Harbor. We’ve all been there before to see the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, but none of us had visited the U.S.S. Missouri. So, off we went!
In a way, I must admit that I was glad to visit the Missouri instead of the Arizona. For those of you who haven’t been, Pearl Harbor is a very emotional experience, or at least it is for me. My grandmother was a WAC in WWII and my cousin is currently in the military, so I truly appreciate those brave men and women who fight for our country. However, the Arizona Memorial is heart wrenching, and I have to be in the appropriate mental state to be able to handle it. The Missouri, on the other hand, is not as emotional.
My fav fact about the Missouri battleship is that it is literally the location of the end of WWII! The deck of the battleship was the site of Japan’s surrender to the allied forces in 1945, and I was able to stand in the exact location where the documents were signed. Although I did not go into anything history-related for a career, I truly enjoy learning about this stuff, and I will admit to being a nerd. Being on the battleship fascinated me!
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| The plaque marking the site of the surrender |
The other intriguing part about the “Might Mo” is that it still bears a dent from when a Japanese kamikaze fighter crashed into the side of the ship, trying to take out everyone on board. The only person killed in the incident was the Japanese pilot himself. I’ve always been interested in kamikaze fighters, but I was more impressed when I learned how the Missouri’s Captain dealt with the situation. Instead of being angry or full of vengeance, as many would rightly assume him to be, Captain Callaghan ordered an honorable burial for the Japanese fighter pilot, recognizing his dedication to his country.
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| They call this the “million dollar shot.” Someone managed to snap a pic of the kamikaze plane hitting the Mo! (plane in top left) |
Seriously, learning this almost brought me to tears. How incredibly generous and understanding can one man be??!
We explored the Mighty Mo for a few hours, checking out everything below deck as well as above. The living quarters for the regular officers were incredibly small, and I had a hard time even fitting through the hallways!
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| Dad and me on deck |
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| Doorway below deck |
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| Sleeping bunks for crew. Look how tiny! |
Another fun fact? The Missouri was even used in the Gulf War in 1991 before being finally decommissioned in 1992. Kinda crazy how the same battleship could be used in WWII and the Gulf War, huh?! (albeit with obvious modernizations!)
17 Comments
What a fun trip. I love history and like watching the history channel. Nerd alert. And no submarines are not for me. I can barely handle standing in an elevator, a sub would make my brain explode in panic.
I love history! I remember when we went to pearl harbor getting so claustrophobic looking a the bunk bed spacing and the hallways! I love history, esp WWII so I loved it.
Love that pic of your parents! Too cute.
I have respect for the history, but not a huge buff about it like Patrick.
Can you image what it was like in there with all those guys farting all night??
Ewwwwwwwwwwww!!!
Love this kind of stuff. I got to tour the USS Midway with my dad a few years ago. He served on the ship (DON’T call it a BOAT – he told me very sternly … my, bad). It was extraordinary to watch his face as long forgotten memories came back to him!
Ha 🙂 I have some friends in the Navy that tell me the same about the “boat” thing…I always forget!
My husband spent a few months on an amphibious assault ship a couple years ago going to and from Iraq. Interestingly, all the Marines I talked to called in the boat… maybe thats just the Marines trying to irritate the sailors? I think he’s had enough of ocean-going vessels. I don’t think I could handle it very long either.
I have never visited the Missouri either. Did you watch the vid??? I love your parents. Colin and I did Pearl Harbor and the Bowfin.
sorry USS Arizona 😀
Which video?
i do not think i could live on a ship…i dont know why. i am usually pretty okay about being anywhere and can make it work…but living on a ship sounds scary! i would like to visit Pearl Harbor…although like you mentioned…i cant imagine how emotional of an experience it would be! however, i do think it would be an experience necessary to have in my lifetime! your parents are sooooooo cute!
Ok, that first pictures. SO CUTE. And this seems a lot like the U.S.S Midway Aircraft Carrier museum in San Diego. I got to see all the bunks, the showers, the brig, and the mess hall. It was really cool to learn all that history!
i just recently watched a documentary about pearl harbor – i would agree that the Arizona would be hard to visit emotionally. my cousin and a few friends are serving in the miliary and marines currently and watching documentaries are hard enough – to actually be IN a place where acts of war happened would be really tough.
i’m a history fan but don’t read enough about it. i do like the documentaries and history channel, though!
That is THE most cutest pictures of your parents EVER! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!
Hey there! I just came upon your blog and saw this post and HAD to comment :)!! I actually live on the island of Kauai (next to Oahu). Last year my class took a field trip to the Missouri and stayed overnight! It was crazy! I seriously have never banged my head and elbows so many times while sleeping. And the showers? Freezing! But, we did go ghost hunting throughout the entire ship at night, so that was cool 🙂
That’s awesome! We spent some time on Kauai and I think it’s my fav island 🙂 How cool that you got to sleep on the Missouri– that is seriously an awesome experience!
I love history lessons! I think anything/everything is interesting with the right teacher/documentary/book.