Pearl Harbor - June 22

Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

Pearl Harbor, a US Naval Base near Honolulu, is located near the center of the Pacific Ocean, roughly 2,000 miles from the U.S. mainland and about 4,000 miles from Japan. Therefore, no one believed that the Japanese would start a war with an attack on the distant islands of Hawaii; however, on December 7, 1941, it was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces. Japan set out to make a strong statement, and shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack they also launched surprise attacks on Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, Guam, the Philippines, and Wake Island. The United States declared war on Japan the next day, following a speech to Congress in which President Roosevelt famously labeled December 7 as “a date which will live in infamy.”

Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

Pearl Harbor, a US Naval Base near Honolulu, is located near the center of the Pacific Ocean, roughly 2,000 miles from the U.S. mainland and about 4,000 miles from Japan. Therefore, no one believed that the Japanese would start a war with an attack on the distant islands of Hawaii; however, on December 7, 1941, it was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces. Japan set out to make a strong statement, and shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack they also launched surprise attacks on Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, Guam, the Philippines, and Wake Island. The United States declared war on Japan the next day, following a speech to Congress in which President Roosevelt famously labeled December 7 as “a date which will live in infamy.”

Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

The bridge in the background is the Admiral Clarey Bridge, also known as the Ford Island Bridge. It is a pontoon bridge, commonly called a floating concrete drawbridge, providing access to Ford Island, a United States Navy installation situated in the middle of Pearl Harbor.The bridge was named after United States Navy Admiral Bernard A. Clarey. Admiral Clarey served as Commander U.S. Second Fleet (COMSECONDFLT) and later was Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet. He was awarded three Navy Crosses for valor. Admiral Clarey is a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor while he was the executive officer of the submarine Dolphin (SS-169). After his service in the Navy, Admiral Clarey served as Vice President for the Bank of Hawaii. He died at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii on June 15, 1996.

Tree of Life - Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

This "Tree of Life" relief was designed and built as a part of the original structure of the USS Arizona Memorial. Alfred Preis, architect of the USS Arizona Memorial, offered this symbol of renewal to inspire contemplation in visitors to the Memorial. This same symbol is found on the side panels of the Shrine Room in the USS Arizona Memorial.An Austrian citizen, Alfred Preis fled the Nazis in 1939 and settled in Hawai'i; however, as an Austrian, he was arrested and interned after the Pearl Harbor attack. Still, his love for his adopted homeland never faltered. The USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated on Memorial Day in 1962, symbolized to Preis what he felt America stood for: peace, prosperity, and freedom.

Tree of Life - Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

This "Tree of Life" relief was designed and built as a part of the original structure of the USS Arizona Memorial. Alfred Preis, architect of the USS Arizona Memorial, offered this symbol of renewal to inspire contemplation in visitors to the Memorial. This same symbol is found on the side panels of the Shrine Room in the USS Arizona Memorial.An Austrian citizen, Alfred Preis fled the Nazis in 1939 and settled in Hawai'i; however, as an Austrian, he was arrested and interned after the Pearl Harbor attack. Still, his love for his adopted homeland never faltered. The USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated on Memorial Day in 1962, symbolized to Preis what he felt America stood for: peace, prosperity, and freedom.

USS Arizona Bell - Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

This USS Arizona Bell is one of two salvaged from the ship - it stands silent. The plaque to the left of the bell reads: The Arizona's bell guided the crew back to the ship through thick fog. Historian Paul Stillwell explained, "From time to time, a man on board the Arizona would strike the hull's number - first three gongs then nine - to serve as a homing beacon for her boats."This bell was recovered from the ship after the attack. A similar bell removed from the ship a year earlier resides at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

Crossroads of the Pacific - Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

Tree of Life - Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

This "Tree of Life" relief was designed and built as a part of the original structure of the USS Arizona Memorial. Alfred Preis, architect of the USS Arizona Memorial, offered this symbol of renewal to inspire contemplation in visitors to the Memorial. This same symbol is found on the side panels of the Shrine Room in the USS Arizona Memorial.An Austrian citizen, Alfred Preis fled the Nazis in 1939 and settled in Hawai'i; however, as an Austrian, he was arrested and interned after the Pearl Harbor attack. Still, his love for his adopted homeland never faltered. The USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated on Memorial Day in 1962, symbolized to Preis what he felt America stood for: peace, prosperity, and freedom.

Tree of Life - Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

This "Tree of Life" relief was designed and built as a part of the original structure of the USS Arizona Memorial. Alfred Preis, architect of the USS Arizona Memorial, offered this symbol of renewal to inspire contemplation in visitors to the Memorial. This same symbol is found on the side panels of the Shrine Room in the USS Arizona Memorial.An Austrian citizen, Alfred Preis fled the Nazis in 1939 and settled in Hawai'i; however, as an Austrian, he was arrested and interned after the Pearl Harbor attack. Still, his love for his adopted homeland never faltered. The USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated on Memorial Day in 1962, symbolized to Preis what he felt America stood for: peace, prosperity, and freedom.

Faces of O'ahu - Road to War Museum

People whose lives were forever changed by an impending date with history.

Code Breaking - Road to War Museum

A WWII code breaker describes the mind-numbing process of breaking the Japanese code.

Road to War Museum

Code Breaking - Road to War Museum

A WWII code breaker describes the mind-numbing process of breaking the Japanese code.

Model of the USS Arizona - Road to War Museum

In the age of battleships, the Arizona was a classic example of her type. This is a beautifully detailed model of the ship as she looked on December 7, 1941.

Model of the IMS Akagi - Road to War Museum

Akagi was named after a volcano called Red Castle. This is the flagship of the Kido Butai, the Japanese carrier force that attacked Pearl Harbor. This model depicts the aircraft carrier Akagi the morning of December 7, 1941. On deck are 36 aircraft ready for takeoff as part of the first wave of attack. All these planes could be launced in just 15 minutes.

Japan's Chief Spy on O'ahu - Road to War Museum

Under the cover name Tadashi Morimura, Ensign Takeo Yoshikawa used his diplomatic status as vice-consul of the Japanese consulate in Honolulu to move easily among the large Japanese population on O'ahu as he gathered intelligence. "I am a common man and my triumphs in life have been small," he later reflected on the importance of his espionage work, "but for a moment, at least, I held history in the palm of my hand.""The business [of spying] itself is a hard and thankless one, based solidly on scholarly research, meticulous observation, and painstaking attention to detail in such an unromantic filed of statistical analysis." Ensign Takeo Yoshikawa, Imperial Japanese Navy.

Model of the IMS Akagi - Road to War Museum

Akagi was named after a volcano called Red Castle. This is the flagship of the Kido Butai, the Japanese carrier force that attacked Pearl Harbor. This model depicts the aircraft carrier Akagi the morning of December 7, 1941. On deck are 36 aircraft ready for takeoff as part of the first wave of attack. All these planes could be launced in just 15 minutes.

Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

Attack Museum

Attack Museum

Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

Pearl Harbor Historic Sites

Attack Museum