We all absorb information in different ways. Some can read through pages of textbooks and come away with a wealth of new knowledge. Others may require visual or audio aids. Then there are those who respond best to interactive exhibits and displays. The ability to get hands-on with history is an effective means of becoming knowledgeable with events that unfolded generations ago. In the case of Pearl Harbor, there are lots of physical reminders of the December 7, 1941 attack. Much of what’s on display is behind glass or protected in some way to help safeguard them for future generations of visitors.
However, that doesn’t mean there is nothing at Pearl Harbor to interact with. If it’s hands-on you want, there are a variety of different things you can actually touch and engage and each focuses on a different aspect of the Pearl Harbor attack.
When it comes to interacting with the past, the following sites, exhibits, and more are your ticket to getting hands-on with history. The following sites included with many Pearl Harbor tours. See specific tour descriptions for details.
When it comes to experiencing life aboard an authentic World War II-era battleship, the Battleship Missouri is as close as you'll come.
While the battleship is best known as the place there the Japanese signed the surrender documents, bringing World War II to an end, it also showcases the inner workings of a real battleship. It's a truly immersive experience to climb aboard the Mighty Mo and explore the tight quarters of the vessel. This isn’t a recreation of an authentic battleship; it’s the real deal. See how the sailors lived while out at sea and even get a chance to view some of the controls that kept this behemoth warship afloat and sailing.
Did you ever watch a war movie and wish you could pilot a warplane just once in your life? While you may have a while to go before that's an actual reality, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum’s flight simulator comes close.
Climb into cockpit of a Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat and take the controls of one of several American and Japanese aircraft in an interactive flight simulator. Choose between an F4U Corsair, P-39 Lightning, P-51 Mustang, Ki-61 Tony, or Mitsubishi A6M Zero (the craft responsible for leading the charge into Pearl Harbor), and engage enemy aircraft over the Pacific.
Take part in dogfights over Guadalcanal, engaging the Japanese in a pivotal part of World War II history. Then, switch gears and try your skill at landing on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific.
The attack on Pearl Harbor unfolded more than 75 years ago, but that doesn't mean we’ll never have the chance to get a firsthand feel of the conflict, and not just through the stories of those who really did live through it. The Pearl Harbor Virtual Reality Center provides us with such an opportunity through a full VR experience, brought to life through the stories recounted by actual survivors.
Don a virtual reality headset and find yourself standing in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Relive the harrowing moment when the Japanese launched their fighters and bombers over the naval base. Watch as Battleship Row comes under attack and the mighty ships moored there erupt into fireballs and black plumes of smoke.
The Virtual Reality Center also offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk the deck of the USS Arizona. The mighty battleship was the scene of the greatest loss of life during the Pearl Harbor attack, and has remained at the bottom of the harbor ever since. This VR experience is the first time anyone has “walked” the deck of USS Arizona since the moment she exploded and sank on December 7, 1941.
Finally, for those times when the USS Arizona Memorial is inaccessible to visitors, the VR experience provides a private virtual tour you can enjoy at your own pace. It’s not exactly the same as standing atop the serene white structure, but it’s a pretty good substitute, giving you the opportunity to read each of the 1,177 names on the wall of the Shrine Room, representing every Arizona crewman who died in the attack.
Like the Battleship Missouri, the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park allows you the opportunity to step aboard an authentic World War II-era vessel. This time, it’s the Bowfin submarine, the vessel that launched on the attack’s first anniversary, leading to her nickname “Pearl Harbor Avenger.”
Take the self-guided audio tour to learn more about this incredible vessel and the submarines of World War II. In addition to climbing aboard Bowfin, you also have access to the submarine museum and the many outdoor exhibits. This is a great chance to explore the history of submarine warfare, from its earliest days to more modern incarnations.
Tours of historic Pearl Harbor provide access to the incredible sites and locations affected by the events of December 7, 1941. Depending on your interests and the time you have available, there is a wide variety of Pearl Harbor tours, from a brief excursion that only visits the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and the USS Arizona Memorial to an all-inclusive tour that includes all of the attractions. In addition to knowing what each tour offers, it's also important to know about the things that are not included with Pearl Harbor tours.
Laniakea Cafe at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum
While a few tours include lunch, most don’t. You won’t starve, though, as there are multiple places throughout Pearl Harbor where you can grab a quick bite to eat.
Inside the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, guests find the Laniakea Cafe. A casual menu featuring local favorites is available daily between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM. If you're not visiting the Aviation Museum, or just want something small, there are food stands outside the Battleship Missouri Memorial and the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park offering simple bites like hot dogs and nachos, as well as packaged snacks that you can just grab and go.
Food and drinks are not permitted in the museums and memorials.
Bags are not permitted inside Pearl Harbor, and guides are not allowed to let you leave bags on tour vehicles. While there are exceptions for some medical necessities, it’s best to assume that, if you don’t need it for medical purposes, you shouldn’t bring it with you.
If you do bring a bag, it will need to be placed in the storage facility near the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center entrance. There is a fee—currently $5.00 per bag—to check bags.
Souvenirs like this replica newspaper can be purchased at the Pearl Harbor Bookstore
Want to take home a piece of Pearl Harbor? Tours don't include souvenirs. Mementos of your visit to Pearl Harbor—which come in the form of books about Pearl Harbor and the ships of the US Navy, t-shirts, stickers, and much more—must be purchased separately.
There are professional photographers stationed at some of the picturesque locations around Pearl Harbor. Should you decide you want one of these keepsakes, you will need to buy the photo to take it home. Pearl Harbor tours do not provide commemorative photos.
Bags—including camera bags—aren't allowed into Pearl Harbor, but cameras are welcome and encouraged. Tour guides are happy to take pictures of you and there is no additional surcharge for them. Don't forget to tip them appropriately.
Since Pearl Harbor tours are single-day packages, taking anywhere from four to 11 hours including transportation, hotel accommodations aren't included. Most visitors to Oahu stay in Waikiki, and therefore most tours begin and end there.
For visitors staying on a different island, there are tours that include flights from the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai.
USS Utah Memorial
On the opposite side of Ford Island, away from the Battleship Missouri Memorial and USS Oklahoma Memorial, sits the USS Utah Memorial, dedicated to the men lost when USS Utah capsized during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Although the USS Utah Memorial is administered by the National Park Service as part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, access to the memorial is currently limited to military personnel only and is not included with Pearl Harbor tours.
One of the most immersive attractions at Pearl Harbor is the combat flight simulator located in the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. Access to this attraction is not included with Pearl Harbor tours, and guests need to pay separately to try out the flight simulator, which offers the chance to take part in a dogfight over Guadalcanal or land on the deck of an aircraft carrier flying an F4U Corsair, Japanese A6M Zero fighter, P-38 Lightning, Ki-61 Tony, or a P-51 Mustang.
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Also known as Punchbowl Cemetery, a drive through this historic cemetery is included on many Pearl Harbor tours. Out of respect for the thousands of military personnel for whom this is their final resting place, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific doesn't allow tour vehicles to stop and let off guests.
To visit a grave site or to see the monuments at the cemetery including the Courts of the Missing, you will need to come on your own, outside the official Pearl Harbor tour.
Reading the history books about World War II and the War in the Pacific, you’ll find chapters on the Battle of Iwo Jima, the Battle of Okinawa, the Battle of Guadalcanal. What you won’t find, however, is a “Battle of Pearl Harbor.” It’s true that the events of December 7, 1941 launched the war that spread across the Pacific, but unlike the conflicts that followed, it doesn’t quite fall under the definition of “battle.”
SBD-3 Dauntless bombers at the Battle of Midway 6 June 1942
According to the dictionary, the definition of a battle is “a sustained fight between large organized armed forces” or “a lengthy and difficult conflict or struggle.” As a noun, “battle” does not accurately describe what occurred that quiet Sunday morning on the island of Oahu, in the American Territory of Hawaii.
Compare the chaos that ensued at Pearl Harbor to, for example, the Battle of Midway. Forces of both the United States and Japan had a plan. Entire fleets were mobilized in preparation of the Battle of Midway, maneuvers were coordinated, and both sides were well aware that something was going to unfold at Midway. American officials had run exercises at Pearl Harbor to determine if it could be successfully defended against a theoretical attack, but those weren’t done with any foreknowledge of the plan of attack orchestrated by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.
Tokyo War Crimes Trials defendants
The question of whether or not the attack on Pearl Harbor was even a legal act of war precludes use of the word “battle” to describe it. Typically, engaging in a battle would not in itself be considered a war crime, as both sides are aware of the larger conflict responsible for the engagement at hand. At Iwo Jima, Japan was organized to defend the island while the Allies had mobilized troops to attack it, and there were no war crimes tribunals convened after the war to investigate. The attack on Pearl Harbor, on the other hand, was declared to have been a war crime, precisely because there was no warning and the two countries were technically at peace when it was carried out.
While it may at first seem like a simple issue of semantics, the use of the word “battle” to describe what happened on December 7, 1941 is categorically incorrect. When it comes to retelling history, accuracy does matter, especially in a case like Pearl Harbor, which was determined later to have been a war crime. The “Battle of Pearl Harbor” makes it sound as if the United States was prepared for Japan’s incoming attack; but the truth is more than 2,400 American lives were lost that morning because the military bases around Oahu were completely unprepared for the Japanese attack.
The 1930s were difficult for the United States. The Great Depression gripped the nation, causing economic worry from coast to coast. Families did what they could to survive. Even children chipped in, selling newspapers or working on farms and picking up whatever odd jobs they could find. Such was the youth of Joseph Merrel White, Jr, a young boy growing up in Depression-era St. Louis.
White’s household of six—his parents, two sisters, and a brother—worked together to make ends meet. It was all anyone could do at the time, try to find the best way to get from week to the next. It was one reason why, as boys like Joe White grew into teenagers, they were so enamored at the thought of joining the military. When he was 17 years old, and still attending Ben Blewett High School, White saw an ad in the St. Louis Star Times. “Join the Naval Reserves and See the Great Lakes!” the ad promised.
That was 1940. The war in Europe had already broken out and America's relations with Japan were rapidly deteriorating. As White, now 95 years old, recalled in a 2011 interview, “I wasn’t concerned with the world.” What the Navy recruiting station didn't mention was that, even for a 17-year-old, 1940 was the perfect time to start concerning oneself with foreign relations.
On December 7, 1940, exactly a year before White would get his first taste of combat, the young sailor and 249 other servicemen were summoned for active duty. Within 10 days, they were to report to Union Station in St. Louis, leaving behind their families for what they hoped would a better, more productive life.
White saw much of the United States in that first year of service before sailing aboard the mighty aircraft carrier USS Lexington to the tropical islands of Hawaii, where many teenagers, tired of the cold winds of the Midwest, were excited to serve.
USS Schley (DD103)
White didn’t receive his official assignment until he reached Hawaii; when he arrived he was ordered to report to USS Schley (DD-103), a World War I-era destroyer that had just been recommissioned into service. Since war hadn’t yet come to the United States, Schley was on patrol duty along the south coast of Oahu.
When not patrolling the waters around Oahu, White was enjoying his time in the island paradise. He swam and enjoyed the beach when he could, spent time in town with his fellow crewmen, and when not at sea, slept at the local YMCA. In fact, he was at the YMCA when he first heard signs of the attack unfolding at Pearl Harbor.
Like so many sailors and Marines, December 7, 1941 was the first taste of combat for the 18-year-old sailor. He had heard what sounded like bombs going off in the distance, but he assumed it was an unusually early drill. Just as he was about to enter a church for morning mass, a bus picked him up and returned him to Pearl Harbor.
The closer he got to the naval base, the more the chaos was evident. Civilians were in the streets, panicked and fleeing. When the bus arrived at Pearl Harbor, White saw firsthand the source of their panic. A Japanese fighter, one of the first from the second wave of attackers, strafed the bus. White could see the pilot’s face, and the Rising Sun emblem on the craft made it clear who was behind the assault. The war had come to the United States and USS Schley, undergoing a refit, was unarmed.
A Japanese fighter plane with Rising Sun insignia takes off for Pearl Harbor
There was a widespread instinct among the men stationed at Pearl Harbor that kept fear from controlling their decision-making. Those who could fight back did everything in their power to do so. White joined a gunner's mate, who had broken into a locked storage shed to retrieve a .50-caliber machine gun. White was one of the lucky ones that morning. By the end of the attack, he had sustained no injuries.
Later that night, as fires still burned in the harbor and men were being retrieved from the oil-slicked waters, White was ordered to patrol a wharf on his own. Equipped with a rifle, he stood guard on the pitch black wharf and remained on the lookout for Japanese saboteurs.
As the nation geared up for war, Joe White had the opportunity to return home. Still only 18 years old, he was young enough to avoid the draft, but he had no intention of doing that. The brave sailor returned to service on USS Schley, working to get her ready to join the fight. His service aboard the destroyer lasted until mid-1942, when he was assigned to the cargo ship USS Taurus (AF-25). Taurus transported refrigerated food supplies; White and his fellow crewmen were responsible for delivering food to islands throughout the South Pacific.
Pages from one of Joe White's wartime scrapbooks
Joe White’s service in the Navy ended on November 20, 1945, memories of his time at sea captured in his many scrapbooks. Before it dissolved, White was an active member of the Missouri Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. He still recounts his experiences at Pearl Harbor and in the War in the Pacific to younger generations eager to learn about this chapter of history.
Joseph Merrel White, Jr. is a true patriot, but the St. Louis Star Times may owe him an apology. White didn’t see the Great Lakes until 20 years after he enlisted, long after his service with the Navy ended.
Most of the War in the Pacific following the attack on Pearl Harbor was fought with bombs, artillery shells, and bullets. The Japanese, however, had an additional method of attacking. In circumstances when it was deemed more important to inflict damage on the enemy than return home safely, they turned to the act of self-sacrifice known as kamikaze.
Instances of kamikaze pilots were seen as early as the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Though the suicide pilots of Japan were only organized into specific units later in the war, the concept of the kamikaze attack was a reflection of the Japanese idea that it was better to be killed in battle than captured.
Kamikaze strike on USS Saratoga (CV-3), 21 February 1945
The idea of kamikaze grew in visibility during the Second World War, but it had been around for centuries before that. As early as the 13th century, the word kamikaze was used to refer to the typhoons that halted Mongolian invasion fleets. Roughly translated, it means “divine wind,” and originated from makurakotoba, figures of speech in Japanese poetry.
Before being used to describe suicide pilots of World War II, Kamikaze was the name of a Japanese monoplane that made a record-setting flight from Tokyo to London in 1937. This plane was the prototype for the Mitsubishi Ki-15 Babs, a reconnaissance plane used during the Second Sino-Japanese war.
Before taking off for the attack on Pearl Harbor, First Lieutenant Fusata Iida reportedly told his men that if his plane were to become damaged, he would direct it into a “worthy enemy target.” During the attack, after being struck by American anti-aircraft rounds, Iida steered his craft toward Naval Air Station Kaneohe and crashed it.
This may be the first recorded kamikaze attack, though it was far from the last. Initially, Japanese pilots were simply too proud to let themselves be captured by the Allied forces. When their options were land in enemy territory and risk imprisonment or sacrifice themselves and maybe take down Allied forces, the latter was chosen.
Kamikaze recruits in 1944
After the Battle of Midway, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service suffered immense damage that made it impossible to function at full capacity. Well-trained crews were becoming scarce but there was still a war to be fought. As Japan continued to lose ground in the Pacific and was forced to turn to inexperienced pilots flying obsolete aircraft, drastic measures were implemented.
It’s believed that Captain Motoharu Okamura, who oversaw the Tateyama Base in Tokyo, was the first officer to consider organizing pilots into Tokubetsu Kōgekitai, or special attack units. On June 15, 1944, Okamura and his superiors started looking into the potential effectiveness of suicide pilots.
In September of 1944, pilots of the 31st Fighter Squadron on Negros Island were among the first to give their lives in premeditated suicide attacks, although it seems they didn't inflict any damage on Allied forces. In October, USS Reno (CL-96) was the target for suicide bombers.
Kamikaze Memorial at Yasukuni Shrine
The reasons for willingly sacrificing one's life for a cause vary, but the overriding motivation for many of Japan’s kamikaze pilots was the belief that it idea was pushed on young men through newspaper propaganda, advertisements, and books promoting the idea that suicide pilots would be enshrined at the Yasukuni Shrine, where military casualties were honored as gods.
Many scholars believe that some kamikaze pilots didn’t willingly offer up their lives. Some sources believe that volunteers weren’t as abundant as the authorities made it seem, and that many pilots were coerced into going on the suicide missions. Others point toward peer pressure.
A Japanese Zero moments before hitting USS Missouri (BB-63)
Before setting off, the specially-trained pilots would participate in a ceremony in which they shared ceremonial cups of sake (or water) known as mizu no sakazuki.
Kamikaze pilots were given military decorations and flew with prayers from their families. Once they took off, the planes were surrounded by fleet escorts that ensured the suicide craft made it to their target.
It's believed that almost 4,000 Japanese pilots died in suicide attacks that killed over 7,000 Allied troops.
USS Missouri (BB-63), now a museum ship at Pearl Harbor, suffered a kamikaze strike on April 11, 1945. A dent made by the impact of the Zero plane is still visible on the ship's hull.
Japanese Prime Minister Gen. Hideki Tojo hadn’t even seen the results of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor when he started to declare Japan’s ability to defeat the United States and Allied forces in the Pacific. It’s known that the Japanese leadership had great confidence in their navy, but the fact that Tojo was already declaring the Empire’s victory before the first bombs were dropped is a new revelation that paints a picture of the nation’s overconfidence.
Japanese Internal Affairs Vice Minister Michio Yuzawa
A five-page memo written by Internal Affairs Vice Minister Michio Yuzawa was recently discovered by Takeo Hatano, a secondhand bookstore owner in Tokyo. Both The Japan Times and Yomiuri Shimbun, two major Japanese newspapers, confirmed what was in the memo, which paints a clear picture of Tojo’s frame of mind in the days and hours leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The memo was written by Yuzawa on December 7, 1941 at 11:20 PM local time (4:20 AM in Hawaii). At that point, a meeting including Yuzawa, Army Vice Minister Heitaro Kimura, and Tojo had ended several hours earlier and the attack on Pearl Harbor was less than four hours away. Yuzawa claimed in the memo that he wrote it because he “was deeply moved and felt honored" to be a part of the war preparations.
“I’m perfectly relieved,” Yuzawa quoted Prime Minister Tojo in the memo. “You can say we have already won [the war], given the current situation.” The situation Tojo was referring to isn’t entirely clear, though it may have to do with the planned attack on Pearl Harbor or Emperor Hirohito’s endorsement of the preparations of war.
According to Takahisa Furukawa, a professor of history at Nihon University who was interviewed by The Japan Times, the memo showed Tojo’s elation before the Pearl Harbor attack began. “This was a private chat. I think Tojo was saying what he was actually feeling,” Furukawa stated after studying the historic memo.
Emperor Hirohito
The memo also puts to rest any doubts about how Emperor Hirohito felt as the hour of the attack neared. Though he was known for having had early reservations about going to war with the United States, the memo indicates a calmer state of mind after endorsing the Japanese government’s decision to go to war.
Tojo’s relief after completing the administrative steps necessary for launching the attack and receiving Hirohito’s final approval indicate that he approached the war not as a military leader but as a politician. According to The Japan Times, Tojo’s elation seemed to be more about gaining the Emperor’s approval.
Another historian, University of Shizuoka professor Atsushi Moriyama, commenting on Tojo’s view of the impending war, called it “very narrow-sighted” as it ignored the other factors that would determine the ultimate victory or defeat. Tojo's thinking seems to have been influenced mainly by the preparations he had been involved in, without taking into account other variables such as advances in the American fleet or even the possible failure of the Pearl Harbor attack.
Moriyama explains “The memo vividly showed [Tojo] was very happy because the Emperor approved of his preparations.”
What Tojo ignored or overlooked in his excitement were the warnings of top government and military leaders. As Moriyama told The Japan Times, these officials admitted that Japan could sustain several victories early in the war, but were unsure of the nation’s ability to continue the successes considering its limited resources. As the newly-discovered memo shows, Tojo dismissed these claims.
Unfortunately for Tojo, just as the military officials feared, Japan lost momentum shortly into the war and, on September 2, 1945, was forced to surrender to the Allies.
In 1941, one of the greatest tragedies in American history happened at Pearl Harbor, in the Territory of Hawaii, when Japanese airplanes launched a surprise attack on the Navy base on a quiet Sunday morning. Millions were affected by this attack, many of them just teenagers. One of these young men was Ed Johann.
Fascinated by the idea of the adventurous military life, Ed abandoned high school and enlisted when he was just 17 years old. He was sent to Hawaii, where on December 7, 1941, he found himself manning a thirty-foot motor launch that transported men and supplies between the ships in Pearl Harbor and shore.
Ed Johann as a young sailor
On that fateful Sunday morning in 1941, many men were waiting for the launch to give them a lift from one ship to another or to land, so they could visit friends and enjoy a day off. As Johann was shuttling men to and from their ships, he and his two colleagues heard the sound of airplanes, but couldn’t see any. Surprised about the unusual timing of what they assumed to be a drill on a Sunday, they looked around to discover airplanes approaching the lagoon, but the sun made them impossible to identify until it was too late.
Before anyone knew what was happening, there was chaos all around. Enemy aircraft flew overhead, dropping torpedoes and bombs on the ships in the harbor. Ed Johann managed to get to the stricken battleships to pick up injured men and bring them to the hospital ship USS Solace (AH-5). Soon, not only injured men were being transported, but also crewmen forced to abandon their sinking vessels.
Men abandoning USS California (BB-44), 7 December 1941
As ships went down and the lagoon filled with oil and thick fumes, more and more men had to be pulled out of the water, many of them covered in burns. Ed Johann brought countless men to safety, and miraculously neither he nor his boat were hit in the assault, although he's sure the Japanese were firing on them.
In these moments of danger, many men were praying and making vows for the chance of survival. Ed Johann resolved to dedicate his life to serving others should he make it through this hell. He did survive and more than fulfilled his promise. After finishing his military service of more than four years, he spent another 27 years working for the fire department in Portland, Oregon. He also took part in mountain rescues, saving people at great risk to his own life.
Besides his dedication to helping others in their moments of greatest danger, Ed Johann is a lover of art, literature, and music. He wrote four books, one of them a volume of poetry dedicated to Marion, his wife of 61 years. Together they raised three children, built a cottage, and helped countless people.
It's hard to say how many lives Ed Johann saved. A commendation medal of valor and many letters of thanks document a just few of his deeds.
In 2015, Ed Johann and six other veterans traveled to Japan on a peaceful mission: to return 70 inscribed Japanese flags, taken from fallen Japanese soldiers and airmen over 70 years ago.
Happy birthday, Ed Johann
On July 11, 2018, Ed Johann celebrates his 95th birthday. Even now, he continues to serve by sharing his experiences with younger generations. Happy birthday, Mr. Johann. May your example inspire many others to live a life of service.
In the history books, chapters about the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor are often accompanied by an iconic image: the explosion of a ship taken from a distance. The ship in the image is the destroyer USS Shaw (DD-373). The snapshot was taken just as fires ignited when she was hit by three bombs ignited her forward magazine. Though the violent explosion makes it look as if she was damaged beyond repair, like many other ships that were at Pearl Harbor that morning, Shaw was actually repaired within months and sent back to service.
On the morning of the attack on Pearl Harbor, USS Shaw was in drydock where she was scheduled for repairs. The forward magazine explosion caused significant damage, but she remained intact and, after preliminary repairs at Pearl Harbor, in January of 1942, she was ready to sail to San Francisco where the remainder of her repairs would be completed.
By August 31, 1942, the newly-repaired USS Shaw was ready to join the fighting on the Pacific.
USS Shaw (DD-373) in 1938
Named for revered naval officer Captain John Shaw, the USS Shaw was laid down in October of 1934 and commissioned into service on September 18, 1936.
Until April, 1940, Shaw remained stationed on the west coast, participating in naval exercises and training, and providing assistance to carriers and submarines. She eventually made her way to Hawaii for Fleet Problem XXI, which emphasized the defense of Hawaii. After the exercise, she returned to the west coast for an overhaul. In February 1941, Shaw was once again sent back to Hawaii and she remained in the Pacific waters until November, when she was ordered to the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard for repairs. She was drydocked at YFD-2 and remained there until the Japanese attack in December.
With her repairs completed in August, 1942, USS Shaw returned to service, serving as an escort vessel for convoys between the west coast and Hawaii. In October, she was directed to sail west with the USS Enterprise carrier force and meet up with the Hornet carrier force. Now a part of Task Force 61, Shaw and her fellow ships headed for the Santa Cruz Islands to intercept Japanese vessels on their way to Guadalcanal.
USS Shaw (DD-373) returned to service in August of 1942
On October 26, TF 61 came under fire. Shaw survived the attack and provided support for the crew of USS Porter (DD-356), which was torpedoed and later sunk. After the engagement, Shaw sailed for New Hebrides and escorted supplies and troops to Guadalcanal for the next two months. Shaw was stuck for five days in January of 1943 after running aground in Noumea Harbor, New Caledonia. With damage to her hull, Shaw sailed back to Pearl Harbor for extensive repairs and rearmament. By October 6, 1943, she was back in service and heading toward Milne Bay, New Guinea.
As a member of the 7th Amphibious Force, Shaw provided escort for reinforcements to Lae and Finschhafen. When the assault on Cape Gloucester was launched, Shaw was there escorting units and providing fire support. While she was fighting at Cape Gloucester, she suffered damage when "Val" dive bombers attacked. Thirty-six men sustained injuries, and three died.
Throughout 1944, Shaw assisted with the assault on Guam and provided further escort services until January of 1945. At Lingayen Gulf, she provided “call fire” support for the troops on land, lit up the sky with “star shells,” and took part in shore bombardments. Towards the end of the war, Shaw was again damaged and sent to San Francisco, where she remained until August 20. By then, the fighting was over.
After having earned 11 battle stars, USS Shaw was decommissioned on October 2, 1945, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register two days later.
Pearl Harbor is an iconic location, a major piece of the history of not just Hawaii, but of the United States and the world. The December 7, 1941 attack changed the United States forever, forcing it into a war that would transform it into the global power we know it as today. Visiting Pearl Harbor is something that should be on the must-do list of everyone who comes to Hawaii.
Armed with this ultimate guide to planning your Pearl Harbor visit, you can feel 100% prepared to explore what happened on that fateful Sunday morning in December.
Since you’re entering a high-security area, it’s important to remember there are some items you can't bring with you. Remember that bags are not permitted anywhere at Pearl Harbor. You’ll need to plan what items to bring based on what you’re able to carry in your pockets. Cameras are permitted—and highly recommended—but not camera bags. If you’re traveling with medical equipment, speak to security staff to make necessary arrangements.
You don't need much for your day at Pearl Harbor. The focus should be on comfort, because there is quite a bit of walking to be done. Flip flops and sandals are permitted, but may not be the best to walk in for a prolonged period. Wear comfortable shoes, and clothing that’s appropriate for the solemn nature of the places you're visiting. Avoid showing excess skin and wearing graphic and inappropriate t-shirts.
Pearl Harbor adheres to ADA accessibility regulations. Pearl Harbor attractions are wheelchair accessible, and there are accommodations for guests who are blind and hard of hearing.
Now that you know what to bring with you and what to leave in your hotel, the next thing to know is that tickets for the timed program for the USS Arizona Memorial are limited to a certain number per day. If you happen to be visiting during a busy traveling time, make sure you arrive early. The ticketing booth opens at 7 AM, and people often start queuing up well before that.
Rather than taking the risk of not getting tickets, many people decide that visiting Pearl Harbor is best done on a tour. There are many different Pearl Harbor tours, so there's sure to be one that meets your needs. The most complete of them is a full tour that takes you through the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, the USS Arizona Memorial, Battleship Missouri, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, and the Pacific Aviation Museum. Most tours originating in Waikiki also take in other Honolulu landmarks like the King Kamehameha statue, ‘Iolani Palace, and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl Crater. For those who don't want to spend an entire day visiting Pearl Harbor, there are shorter tours, as well as combo tours that also visit other parts of Oahu.
Though some of the subject matter can be heavy, Pearl Harbor is a very family-friendly place. In fact, it’s a great idea to bring your kids, so that they can experience the history of their country first-hand.
The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument also hosts a Junior Ranger program. Visit the bookstore at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center to purchase a scavenger hunt booklet to complete throughout Pearl Harbor. Once all the activities have been completed, a Park Ranger administers the Junior Ranger Pledge, and the new Junior Ranger of Pearl Harbor gets a really cool badge.
Pearl Harbor tours are available from Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai
Since the Hawaiian Islands are relatively close together, there are also tours that include transportation from Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai.
While there is a lot to take in at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument and the other Pearl Harbor Historic Sites, you should be able to see everything in one day. If you're planning on visiting Pearl Harbor on your own, that means getting there early. Another advantage of taking a Pearl Harbor tour is that your guide takes care of arranging all necessary tickets, as well as keeping to a schedule that ensures you don't miss out on anything.
The main attractions are impossible to miss: the USS Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri, the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park. But there are other important sites that you may miss if you don't know to look for them.
USS Oklahoma Memorial
The USS Oklahoma Memorial is located near the entrance to the Battleship Missouri. It’s a beautiful tribute to the 429 men who gave their lives when the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) was attacked and sank on December 7, 1941.
Throughout the harbor are placards withe information about different points of interest. These can be found along the main walking paths.
Visiting Pearl Harbor may only take a day, but it can be a long day that requires a break for food. You’ll find snack optionss near the USS Bowfin Museum and next to the Battleship Missouri, and if you’re looking for a sit-down meal, you won’t have to look very far.
Laniakea Cafe at the Pacific Aviation Museum
The Pacific Aviation Museum is home to Laniakea Cafe, with a menu offering a variety of options.
There are other eateries outside of Pearl Harbor. Restaurant 604 has been a favorite of visitors and is located close to the entrance to the Pearl Harbor Center. Not far from the harbor are an L & L Hawaiian BBQ, Dixie Grill, Forty Niner, and Anna Miller’s Restaurant.
Take lots of pictures during your visit. Ask questions of the Park Rangers and other experts on site. Visit the bookstore and gift shop for one-of-a-kind Pearl Harbor souvenirs.
A great deal changed the moment Japan dropped the first bombs on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The United States, a nation that for years had followed to a policy of isolationism, found itself forced into a war it had long sought to avoid. In order to succeed, the nation would have to adapt its infrastructure and industries to find the best way to support the war without completely disrupting the daily lives of its citizens. Changes were felt almost immediately throughout the United States, and many industries, like automobile manufacturing, were forced to quickly shift their focus from civilian to military applications. Another major disruption to civilian life brought about by the war was the introduction of rationing in the US.
Poster encouraging rationing in the US
In the summer of 1941, after the UK requested the United States start conserving food to send to the Allies fighting in Europe, the US Office of Price Administration addressed the potential changes that would come from war and warned the nation of the shortages that would affect the country. On December 11, 1941, just four days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and three days after the declaration of war on Japan, the first wave of rationing in the US was introduced.
The first products to be rationed were tires, which were officially no longer for sale on December 11. A few weeks later, tire rationing boards were given responsibility for distributing tires from a fixed allotment based on rules implemented by the OPA. Rubber was vital not just on the home front but also to the war effort, and since Japan conquered the rubber-producing regions of Southeast Asia, the United States started to feel a shortage almost immediately.
Sugar ration coupon
With imports from the Philippines cut off, the United States was forced to restrict the sale of sugar on April 27, 1942, making it the first household commodity subject to rationing in the US. Sales were initially halted on the 27th and resumed on May 5, with the introduction of ration books with stamps allowing the purchase of one pound of sugar per person every two weeks. Companies that relied on sugar weren’t cut off entirely, but received 70% of what they would normally use in a week. After sugar, coffee was added to the ration list in November 1942, largely due to German U-boats sinking merchant ships sailing from Brazil.
Within the first year of the war, the United States had introduced rations on at least 13 items. By 1943, that list extended to more than 21 items, including typewriters, bicycles, silk, nylon, fuel oil, lard, shortening, cheese, margarine, processed foods, canned milk, jelly, fruit butter, and dried fruits. Even penicillin was rationed by triage officers. Non-military hospitals were given only small amounts of the antibiotic, mostly because it wasn’t mass-produced for consumer use until after World War II.
In the wake of Pearl Harbor, Americans rushed to purchase things they deemed necessary during an emergency. Retailers found themselves fighting low stock on items like flashlights and batteries and, when rationing was introduced, they welcomed it without hesitation. Rationing kept people from overbuying and hoarding commodities, leaving others without similar resources empty-handed.
Gas ration "A" sticker
On May 4, 1942, Americans started to receive the first ration books, also known as War Ration Book Number One or Sugar Book, stamps from which were turned in to obtain specific food items and other necessities. Each person in a household received a book, including babies who qualified for certain items unavailable to adults, but to be approved for rationing stamps and obtain a classification, each family member had to appear before a War Price and Rationing Board.
Classifications were used to determine an individual's need for an item. For instance, when gasoline was rationed, cars with an “A” sticker were considered low priority and only entitled to three to four gallons of gasoline per week. “B” stickers received up to eight gallons, and a “C” sticker indicated that person was vital to the war effort. Anyone provided an “X” sticker—typically clergy, police, firemen, and civil defense workers—was entitled to unlimited supplies.
To indicate what items people could redeem each stamp for, they were marked with drawings of an airplane, tank, aircraft carrier, fruit, ear of wheat, airplane, or other symbol together with a serial number. What each stamp represented wasn’t immediately clear to the public until local newspapers began providing insight into the process. For example, one "airplane" stamp may have been required to purchase a specified amount of sugar. As the war continued, what each stamp was worth changed based on the availability of the item in question. In addition to these marked stamps, households also received blue and red stamps, for processed foods and meat and butter respectively.
Fighting the black market
As with any sort of regulation, there were people looking to find a way around the rules. This black market in stamps became apparent to the OPA when people were found using stamps that had not been issued directly to them. To combat the growing problem of ration cheats, the OPA issued a directive to vendors ordering them to refuse any stamps that they didn’t tear out of the books themselves. This was difficult to enforce, however, with people claiming that the stamps fell out of the books, a common occurrence with the cheaply-made books.
Though the fighting ended on August 15, 1945, not all items were immediately removed from rationing restrictions. The restrictions on the purchase of gasoline were among the first to be revoked, but the sugar ration would remain in place until 1947 in most parts of the country.
