Pearl Harbor - World War II - HISTORY.com Google Pearl Harbor and the Road to War The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise, but Japan and the United States had been edging toward war for decades. The United States was particularly unhappy with Japan’s increasingly belligerent attitude toward China. The Japanese government believed that the only way to solve its economic and demographic problems was to expand into its neighbor’s territory and take over its import market; to this end, Japan had declared war on China in 1937. American officials responded to this aggression with a battery of economic sanctions and trade embargoes. They reasoned that without access to money and goods, and especially essential supplies like oil, Japan would have to rein in its expansionism. Instead, the sanctions made the Japanese more determined to stand their ground. During months of negotiations between Tokyo and Washington , D.C., neither side would budge. It seemed that war was inevitable. Did You Know? The single vote against Congress's declaration of war against Japan came from Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana. Rankin was a pacifist who had also voted against the American entrance into World War I.

"As a woman," she said, "I can’t go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else." But no one believed that the Japanese would start that war with an attack on American territory. For one thing, it would be terribly inconvenient: Hawaii and Japan were about 4,000 miles apart. For another, American intelligence officials were confident that any Japanese attack would take place in one of the (relatively) nearby European colonies in the South Pacific: the Dutch East Indies, for instance, or Singapore or Indochina. Because American military leaders were not expecting an attack so close to home, the naval facilities at Pearl Harbor were relatively undefended. Almost the entire Pacific Fleet was moored around Ford Island in the harbor, and hundreds of airplanes were squeezed onto adjacent airfields. To the Japanese, Pearl Harbor was an irresistible target. “A Date Which Will Live in Infamy” The Japanese plan was simple: Destroy the Pacific Fleet. That way, the Americans would not be able to fight back as Japan’s armed forces spread across the South Pacific. On December 7, after months of planning and practice, the Japanese launched their attack. At about 8 a.m., Japanese planes filled the sky over Pearl Harbor.

Bombs and bullets rained onto the vessels moored below. At 8:10, a 1,800-pound bomb smashed through the deck of the battleship USS Arizona and landed in her forward ammunition magazine. The ship exploded and sank with more than 1,000 men trapped inside. Next, torpedoes pierced the shell of the battleship USS Oklahoma . With 400 sailors aboard, the Oklahoma lost her balance, rolled onto her side and slipped underwater. By the time the attack was over, every battleship in Pearl Harbor–USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS California , USS West Virginia , USS Utah , USS Maryland , USS Pennsylvania , USS Tennessee and USS Nevada–had sustained significant damage. (All but USS Arizona and USS Utah were eventually salvaged and repaired.) In all, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor crippled or destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. Dry docks and airfields were likewise destroyed. Most important, almost 2,500 men were killed and another 1,000 were wounded. But the Japanese had failed to cripple the Pacific Fleet.

By the 1940s, battleships were no longer the most important naval vessel: Aircraft carriers were, and as it happened, all of the Pacific Fleet’s carriers were away from the base on December 7. (Some had returned to the mainland and others were delivering planes to troops on Midway and Wake Islands.) Moreover, the Pearl Harbor assault had left the base’s most vital onshore facilities–oil storage depots, repair shops, shipyards and submarine docks–intact. As a result, the U.S. Navy was able to rebound relatively quickly from the attack. Pearl Harbor Awakens the “Sleeping Giant” “Yesterday,” President Roosevelt said on December 8, “the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked.” He went on to say, “No matter now long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.” After the Pearl Harbor attack, and for the first time after years of discussion and debate, the American people were united in their determination to go to war. The Japanese had wanted to goad the United States into an agreement to lift the economic sanctions against them; instead, they had pushed their adversary into a global conflict that ultimately resulted in Japan’s first occupation by a foreign power. On December 8, Congress approved Roosevelt’s declaration of war. Three days later, Japanese allies Germany and Italy declared war against the United States. For the second time, Congress reciprocated. More than two years after the start of the conflict, the United States had entered World War II . Tags Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in the United States Home Calendar Holidays the United States Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in the United States National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, which is annually on December 7, commemorates the attack on Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, during World War II.

Many American service men and women lost their lives or were injured on December 7, 1941. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is also referred to as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day or Pearl Harbor Day. Some communities hold special memorial services on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Some communities hold special memorial services on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. ©iStockphoto.com/JPecha What Do People Do? On the direction of the President, the flag of the United States of America should be displayed on the homes of Americans, the White House and all United States government buildings. The flag should be flown at half-mast to honor those who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Many associations, especially those linked with Pearl Harbor survivors or those who died from the attack, participate in special services to commemorate the event. Memorial services are held at venues such as the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Other activities include: wreath-laying ceremonies; keynote speeches by those associated with the event; luncheons; media stories on survivors’ recollections of the Pearl Harbor attack; and school activities to educate students about the attack on Pearl Harbor in relation to World War II history. Public Life Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is not a federal holiday.

Government offices, schools, businesses and other organizations do not close. Public transit systems run on their regular schedules. Some organizations may hold special events in memory of those killed or injured in Pearl Harbor. Background On Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, the American Army and Navy base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The attack came as a surprise to the American Army and Navy and lead to great losses of life and equipment. More than 2000 American citizens were killed and more than 1000 were injured. The Americans also lost a large proportion of their battle ships and nearly 200 aircraft that were stationed in the Pacific region. More than 60 Japanese servicemen were killed, injured or captured. The Japanese Navy also lost five midget submarines and 29 aircraft. The Japanese military had hoped that the attack on Pearl Harbor would prevent the United States of America from increasing her influence in the Pacific. However, the events in Pearl Harbor actually led to the escalation of World War II. The day after the attack, the United States declared war on Japan and so entered World War II.

President Franklin Roosevelt in a speech to Congress stated that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was “a date which will live in infamy”. Shortly afterwards, Germany also declared war on the United States. In the months that followed the attack, the slogan “Remember Pearl Harbor” swept the United States and radio stations repeatedly played a song of the same name. In 1991, which marked the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Congress established the Pearl Harbor Commemorative Medal. This is also known as the Pearl Harbor Survivor's Medal and can be awarded to any veteran of the United States military who were present in or around Pearl Harbor during the attack by the Japanese military. The medal can be awarded to civilians, who were killed or injured in the attack. Symbols Memorials have been built to remember or to symbolize the day. For example, the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor is a marble memorial built over the sunken USS Arizona, which was dedicated in 1962. The memorial remembers all military personnel who were killed in the Pearl Harbor attack.

The memorial was designed by architect Alfred Preis, an Austrian-born resident who lived in Honolulu and was placed at a detainment camp after the Pearl Harbor attack as part of the internment policy of Japanese and German Americans at the time. Another memorial that commemorates Pearl Harbor Day is the USS Utah, a battleship that was attacked and sunk in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. A memorial to honor the crew of the USS Utah was dedicated on the northwest shore of Ford Island, near the ship's wreck, in 1972. The ship was added to the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989. It is also Utah’s official state ship. Memorabilia, books, and movies about the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 have also been made available to the public over the years. Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Observances Select another year-range: Pearl Harbor Attack United States History Pearl Harbor Attack Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii, was attacked by Japanese torpedo and bomber planes on December 7, 1941, at 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time.

The sneak attack sparked outrage in the American populace, news media, government and the world. On December 8, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the American Congress, and the nation, to detail the attack. He began: Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack. In that address , the president asked Congress to pass a declaration of war. Congress obliged, voted and passed the U.S. Declaration of War on Japan , on the same day. That was America`s formal entry into World War II .

The Pearl Harbor surprise attack has been depicted in many different films over the last 60 years - >Michael Bay directed Pearl Harbor in 2001, Fred Zinnermann`s From Here to Eternity was released in 1953, and the popular Tora! Tora! Tora! was made in 1970. And while these films display how destructive and devastating the attack was, they aren`t able to include as much of the historical context because they only have 1-3 hours in which to tell the story. The attack took place on a sunny Sunday morning. A minimal contingent of soldiers was on duty at the time. Most offices on the base were closed and many servicemen were on leave for the weekend. New technology, including the new radar mounted on Opana Point, were in place, manned and functioning at the time of the attack. The incoming Japanese attack planes were detected by the radar and reported, but were mistaken for an incoming group of American planes due from the mainland that morning. While on practice maneuvers outside the harbor that morning, an American destroyer spotted a Japanese submarine attempting to sneak into the harbor. The submarine was fired upon, immediately reported ï¿½ and ignored.

Pearl Harbor is located on the south coast of Oahu Island. At the time, the naval base was about 22,000 acres in size. The American fleet was under the command of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and the ground troops were commanded by Lt. General Walter C. Short. Pearl Harbor was the hub of American naval power since King Kalakua gave the right to the U.S. to develop a coal station there in 1887. The harbor had recently been designated as the American Pacific Fleet`s new home base because of concern over Japan`s increasing aggressiveness. Most of America`s military commands of the Pacific Region had headquarters on the base, yet the United States continued its isolationism . While there were veiled warnings and isolated events of Japanese hostilities in the weeks, days and hours ahead of the attack, no one in command at Pearl Harbor or in Washington, D.C. , expected a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, especially before war was formally declared. Effective cryptography and successful cryptanalysis were in their infancy at the time. Under-funded, under-manned and under-equipped, cryptanalysts had been ordered to concentrate on Japanese diplomatic traffic, rather than naval messages.

The nation would have had a much clearer picture of the Japanese military buildup and, with the warning provided by those messages, might have prevented the disaster of Pearl Harbor. Indeed, on the morning of December 7, the Japanese ambassador in Washington, D.C. , had been ordered by his government to destroy all official documents and deliver a 14-page document to Secretary of State Cordell Hull at a specific time that day. After laborious manual decoding and translation, the document was delivered later than the Japanese government had intended. The news of the attack on Pearl Harbor had already reached the White House before the Japanese ambassador arrived at the White House. The world was stunned by the news. Military leaders of the Axis countries, Germany, Italy and Japan, were hell-bent on world domination by military force. Japan needed natural resources, especially oil, for its planned expansion. The Japanese had successfully invaded Manchuria in 1931 and China in 1937. Japan`s antipathy toward America had been seething for a long time. The United States` occupation of the Philippines during the Spanish-American War and America`s refusal to acknowledge Japan`s authority in occupied China fueled Japanese resentment.

Imperial Japan`s sphere of interest in the far western Pacific was being threatened by America`s incursions into the Pacific at the very point in history when Japan itself was vying for dominance in the region. It is a myth to maintain that strategists of both nations considered Pearl Harbor too shallow, with an average depth of 45 feet, for an attack by torpedoes dropped from airplanes, which usually required about 75 feet of depth. While it seemed improbable, a Hawaiian Chief of Naval Operations memo states that no harbor is to be considered safe from attack. Sabotage by Japanese agents was considered to be the greater threat. The Japanese had developed the technology, attack strategy and skill to successfully accomplish the impossible. The idea to attack Pearl Harbor had been conceived six months before. The American fleet was perceived as an obstacle to access the oil fields in Java, so the plan was conceived to affect a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor to destroy America`s Pacific Fleet. Additional targets included warehouses, docks, airfields and aircraft. The Japanese had developed a shallow running torpedo that would skim the surface of the water in the harbor after being dropped from a low-flying aircraft.

The primary targets were the aircraft carriers and battleships that were among 92 naval vessels at anchor in the harbor. With data gathered and reported by Japanese spies on Oahu and Maui, the Japanese admiralty knew the location and quantity of vessels of each type in the harbor. They had two concerns, the loss of surprise and the whereabouts of two missing American aircraft carriers. The carriers Enterprise and Lexington had previously been dispatched to Wake and Midway islands . Both aircraft carriers were hundreds of miles west of the Hawaiian island chain, at the time of the attack. About 360 Japanese attack planes had launched at dawn from aircraft carriers in an attack force of about 33 ships, under the command of Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo. The strike force had steamed, under the cover of darkness, to about 275 to 200 miles north of Oahu. Once the bombers sighted the island, they split into two groups. One group proceeded overland at low altitude across the island and the other flew over the water around the island to make an approach from the south. At 7:55 a.m., the first bombs and torpedoes were dropped. After two hours, the U.S.

sustained 18 ships sunk or severely damaged, about 170 aircraft destroyed, and there were about 3,700 casualties. Japanese casualties were minimal. Later that day, American ships were attacked on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu. Japanese bombers from mainland bases attacked Malaya, Hong Kong, Guam, the Philippine Islands, Wake Island and Midway Island. In the remaining weeks of December 1941, many successive attacks encouraged the Japanese to believe their invincibility. Several investigations were conducted shortly after the attack. Admiral Kimmel and General Short bore the weight of responsibility imposed by Congress for the extent of the damage caused by the attack. Preparations to defend the base were based upon veiled warnings and vague directives from the White House and the Pentagon. Scouting planes dispatched from Pearl Harbor patrolled the vast ocean expanse around the island chain but had not detected the Japanese fleet heading for the Hawaiian Islands. The early morning radar sightings of the incoming attack force had been misinterpreted. Much of the American fleet was at dock in Pearl Harbor, but not as many key battleships and aircraft carriers were in the harbor as the Japanese had hoped.

Epilogue What were the Japanese thinking when they concocted their Pearl Harbor plan? Were they not aware that such an act would ignite outrage in the American people and invite retribution? Had the delivery of the 14-page document to Secretary Hull been on time, would it have mitigated the outcome? Japan eventually paid the dearest price for its conduct. During the weeks and months following the Japanese raid, a great deal of repair work was done by the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, assisted by tenders and ships` crewmen. Those efforts lasted into February 1942. All but two ships were salvaged. Target ship Utah and the battleship Arizona were not returned to service, and their hulls remain in Pearl Harbor to this day. All of the foregoing represented one of history`s greatest salvage jobs. Seeing it to completion required that Navy and civilian divers spend about 20,000 hours under water in about 5,000 dives. Long and exhausting efforts were expended in recovering human remains, documents, ammunition and other items from the oil-fouled interiors of ships that had been under water for months. Uncounted hours went into cleaning the ships and otherwise getting them ready for shipyard repair.

Much of this work had to be carried out in gas masks, to guard against the ever-present risk of toxic gases, and nearly all of it was extremely dirty. Today the battle-scarred, submerged remains of the battleship USS Arizona rest on the silt of Pearl Harbor, just as they settled on December 7, 1941. The ship was one of many casualties from the deadly attack by the Japanese on that day President Roosevelt called "a date which will live in infamy." Photographs of the Arizonaï¿½s burning bridge, listing mast and superstructure in the aftermath of the Japanese attack, and news of her sinking were published worldwide. The photographs symbolized the destruction of the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and the start of a war that was to take many thousands of American lives. Indelibly impressed into the national memory, the image could be recalled by most Americans when they heard the battle cry, "Remember Pearl Harbor." Following the war, an effort was made to present Pearl Harbor as an avoidable disaster, brought about by FDR`s provocation of Japan and his unwillingness to permit a three-month cooling-off period.

Historian Allan Nevins wrote in the New York Times Magazine in December 1945 that the three-month period was regarded by the administration as pointless and that China violently protested the idea. He also commented that: And what encouragement did Japanese aggressors receive from America? It came in two different ways. It came, first, from men who loudly proclaimed that whatever Japan did in Asia was no affair of ours; that we should concern ourselves with nothing outside our own borders. It came, in the second place, from men who asserted that the United States need never fear any attack from any power whatever; that war with Japan was (as Oswald Garrison Villard wrote) "impossible"; that Japan could never hurt us and we could never hurt Japan. More than a million people visit the USS Arizona Memorial each year. They file quietly through the building and toss flower wreaths and leis into the water. They watch the iridescent slick of oil that still leaks, a drop at a time, from ruptured bunkers after more than 70 years at the bottom of the sea, and they read the names of the dead carved in marble on the memorial`s walls.

---- Selected Quotes ---- Pearl Harbor - Oahu, Hawaii | GoHawaii.com Pearl Harbor What: Five historic sites honoring the events occurring at this National Historic Landmark Where: Central Oahu, about 30 minutes from Waikiki “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt Pearl Harbor, named for the pearl oysters once harvested there, is the largest natural harbor in Hawaii, a World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument and the only naval base in the United States to be designated a National Historical Landmark. The devastating aerial attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in 2,390 dead and hundreds wounded, and drove the United States into World War II. Pearl Harbor honors this history-changing event with the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites: USS Arizona Memorial At 8:06 a.m. on December 7th, 1941, the USS Arizona was hit by a 1,760-pound armor-piercing bomb, which ignited its forward ammunition magazine.

The catastrophic explosion that resulted sank this massive battleship in nine minutes, killing 1,177 crewmen. Today, the USS Arizona Memorial is a place to learn about this historic attack and pay your respects to the brave soldiers that fell that day. Begin at the Visitor Center where you can watch a film about the attack and view plaques honoring lives lost on that fateful day. You’ll then take a boat shuttle to the USS Arizona Memorial, a floating memorial built over the sunken hull of the Battleship USS Arizona, the final resting place for many of the ship’s crew. In the shrine room, a marble wall exhibits the names of the men who lost their lives on the Arizona. Poignant and powerful, this is a place where visitors come face to face with the devastating effects of war. Learn more about the Pacific Historic Parks . Battleship Missouri Memorial General Macarthur accepted the unconditional Japanese surrender that ended WWII on September 2, 1945 on the Surrender Deck of the Battleship Missouri Memorial. Now located at Pearl Harbor’s historic Battleship Row, the massive “Mighty Mo” is a living museum, with exhibits spanning three wars and five decades of service.

Explore the decks of this 60,000-ton Battleship, three football fields long and twenty stories tall. Stand on the Surrender Deck and view the documents that ended the war. Take a tour and get special access to restricted areas. You won’t want to miss the ship’s most stunning feature: towering 16-inch guns that could fire a 2,700-pound shell 23 miles. Learn more about the Battleship Missouri Memorial . USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park The U.S.S. Bowfin (SS-287) is one of the 288 U.S. submarines that carried out the war in the Pacific during World War II. Explore the 10,000 square foot submarine museum to learn about the battle under the seas. A tour of the grounds will take you to a Waterfront Memorial honoring submariners lost in WWII as well as interactive gun and torpedo exhibits. Step onboard the USS Bowfin, also known as the “Pearl Harbor Avenger,” for a panoramic view of the harbor. Step below decks and walk through an authentic submarine, touring its torpedo room, engine room, and sleeping quarters.

In the Bowfin’s claustrophobic quarters you may ask yourself if you have what it takes to be a submariner. Learn more about the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park . Pacific Aviation Museum Located within former WWII airplane hangars on Pearl Harbor’s Ford Island, the Pacific Aviation Museum is an immersive aviation museum complete with interactive simulators and exhibits showcasing the stories behind authentic WWII fighter planes and bombers. Explore the battle in the skies in Hangar 37, a 42,000 square foot airplane hangar that survived the Pearl Harbor attack. See planes like an authentic Japanese Zero and a B-25B Bomber, similar to the one used in the famous “Doolittle Raid” on Japan in 1942. Gain a new perspective on the war at the Pacific Aviation Museum. Learn more about the Pacific Aviation Museum . USS Oklahoma Memorial Dedicated on December 7th, 2007, the USS Oklahoma Memorial honors the 429 crewmen who lost their lives in the Pearl Harbor attack. Approximately nine torpedoes hit “The Okie,” capsizing this 35,000-ton battleship in only twelve minutes.

Some crewmen were actually trapped in compartments below deck after the ship capsized. They used hammers and wrenches to signal rescue crews on the surface. Two days after the attack, thirty-two men were rescued from the overturned hull of the Oklahoma. Vacation Directory Pearl Harbor Today | PearlHarborinHawaii.com USS Utah Pearl Harbor Today Before there was Ground Zero in New York City, there was Pearl Harbor, the site of one of the most bloody and unimaginable attacks the U.S. had ever faced in the modern era. When the Japanese bombed the harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941, 3,500 Americans were killed or wounded and eight mighty battleships of the U.S. Navy were either damaged or destroyed completely. That day of infamy led to a rude awakening of the American government, its armed forces and its people, hurtling the nation into a war which it had desperately tried to avoid joining. Today, Pearl Harbor is one of the most venerated sites in the United States. Ordinary Americans, history buffs, foreign tourists and veterans alike make regular pilgrimages to the USS Arizona Memorial every year, making it one of the top three most visited tourist attractions in the state of Hawaii.

On December 5, 2008, under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906, President George Bush issued an executive order establishing the “World War II Valor in the Pacific Monument,” which added nine historic sites to the United States’ national heritage of monuments. Of these nine sites, six of them are located at Pearl Harbor: the USS Arizona Memorial and Visitor Center; the USS Utah Memorial; the USS Oklahoma Memorial; Six Chief Petty Officer Bungalows on Ford Island; and Mooring Quays F6, F7, and F8, which formed part of Battleship Row. The National Park Service administers the Pacific National Monument, although the actual wrecks of the USS Arizona, USS Utah and USS Oklahoma are still under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy. The USS Arizona Memorial, which was established in 1958 by President Dwight Eisenhower due to popular demand, offers a wide range of free amenities to visitors, seven days a week, excluding three national holidays.

Visitors can meet Pearl Harbor survivors, watch a documentary film about the attack, walk the grounds of the memorial park and view the interpretive exhibits, purchase books and tapes about the war in the Pacific theater and take a Navy shuttle boat out to explore the Arizona Memorial itself. The park service’s mission in managing the USS Arizona Memorial is to preserve and interpret historical documents, memories and attitudes associated with the attack on Pearl Harbor. 1.5 million visitors come to the memorial every year, ensuring that the memories of the men who lost their lives, of the heroes who died while defending the nation against attack will never be forgotten. At the 66th anniversary celebration of the Pearl Harbor attack, retired Navy Commander Tucker McHugh suggested that the memorial was crucial not only in honoring the dead soldiers of Pearl Harbor, but also in offering support to the survivors who live on today. In McHugh’s words: “I think there’s been a void in the minds and hearts of these shipmates that their shipmates were never honored with a lasting memorial. Total closure might come when the last survivor passes away and they’re all reunited together.

Pearl Harbor & USS Arizona Tour Reservations & Information Pearl Harbor & USS Arizona Tour Reservations & Information Pearl Harbor Historic Sites (USS Arizona), HI part of World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, National Park Service 10929 Ratings 3 Alerts Tap to ReadClose -+ Access to USS Arizona Memorial resumes. Walk-In Tickets: The National Park Service gives out 1,300 free walk-in tickets daily, on a first come, first served basis. It is highly recommended that you arrive at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center early. Doors open at 7:00 AM Hawaii Standard Time. Please Note: Boats to the USS Arizona may be suspended or cancelled by the US Navy due to high wind. Please check our Facebook page before arriving to stay up-to-date on any suspensions or cancellations. Advance Tickets: Advanced reservations are available daily through Recreation.gov at 7:00 AM Hawaii Standard Time. VIDEO: Planning your trip to the USS Arizona Memorial | 3 min Your browser does not support frame!

Ways to Visit First-Come-First-Served 1,300 tickets available daily from 7AM HST 75min program for USS Arizona Memorial, including an introduction, documentary, boat ride, and time to explore. Available online or through the call centre daily from 7AM HST Advanced bookings available 2 months in advance, or for Next Day Tickets 3 Tour packages available: USS Arizona Memorial, USS Arizona Memorial Narrated Tour, Passport to Pearl Harbor VIDEO: Planning your trip to the USS Arizona Memorial | 3 min Your browser does not support frame! Connect with Us: Tour Option1 - USS Arizona Memorial The 75-minute program for the USS Arizona Memorial begins at Pearl Harbor Memorial Theater. It includes a brief introduction, a 23-minute documentary film, a Navy-operated shuttle boat ride to the USS Arizona Memorial, and time to experience the Memorial itself. The 75-minute program for the USS Arizona Memorial begins at Pearl Harbor Memorial Theater. It includes a brief introduction, a 23-minute documentary film, a Navy-operated shuttle boat ride to the USS Arizona Memorial, and time to experience the Memorial itself.

Advance Tickets Available up to 2 months before your visit or from 7AM HST the day before your visit. There is also a 24-hour window when the park releases additional tickets. Please see the reservation guidelines below for more details. Pick up reserved tickets at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center ticket desk. Call to Book Call the call center at: 1-877-444-6777 from 7AM Hawaii Standard Time. Book Online Available daily through Recreation.gov at 7:00 AM Hawaii Standard Time. Entrance Fee FREE + $1.50 Non-refundable service fee Date Walk-in Tickets Available daily from 7AM HST The National Park Service gives out 1,300 FREE walk-in tickets daily, on a first come, first served basis. It is highly recommended that you arrive at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center early. Doors open at 7:00 AM Hawaii Standard Time. Please Note: Boats to the USS Arizona may be suspended or cancelled by the US Navy due to high wind. Please check our Facebook page before arriving to stay up-to-date on any suspensions or cancellations.

Advance Tickets Available up to 2 months before your visit or from 7AM HST the day before your visit. Call to Book Call the call center at 1-877-444-6777 from 7AM Hawaii Standard Time. Book Online Available daily through Recreation.gov at 7:00 AM Hawaii Standard Time. Entrance Fee FREE + $1.50 Non-refundable service fee Date Walk-in Tickets Available daily from 7AM HST The National Park Service gives out 1,300 FREE walk-in tickets daily, on a first come, first served basis. It is highly recommended that you arrive at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center early. Doors open at 7:00 AM Hawaii Standard Time. Please Note: Boats to the USS Arizona may be suspended or cancelled by the US Navy due to high wind. Please check our Facebook page before arriving to stay up-to-date on any suspensions or cancellations. Tour Schedule The free USS Arizona Memorial program includes a 23-minute documentary in our theater, a US Navy boat ride to the memorial, time at the memorial, and the boat ride back.

All together, the USS Arizona Memorial program lasts about one hour and 15 minutes. Programs typically start every 15 minutes, the first at 7:30 AM and the last at 3:00 PM. There are no programs starting at 12:15 PM and 12:30 PM. Children of all ages are welcome to go to the memorial, but everyone must have a ticket. Price The USS Arizona Memorial program is FREE. Please Note: If you make a reservation through recreation.gov, you will pay a $1.50 NONREFUNDABLE convenience fee. If you get a walk-in ticket at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, no convenience fee will be charged. Tour Details The tour begins with a documentary in our theater. Please arrive at the theater entrance at least ten minutes before your ticket time. For example, if you have tickets for the 1:30 PM USS Arizona Memorial program, please be at the theater by 1:20 PM. Visitors will view a 23-minute documentary about the attack. They will then board a Navy shuttle for a short boat ride to the memorial. Within the memorial, visitors will see two distinct areas.

The Assembly Room is an open area where ceremonies are held and visitors may reflect and more closely examine the remains of the USS Arizona below. The Shrine Room holds the great marble wall with the names of the 1,177 Sailors and Marines who perished on the USS Arizona. The Shrine Room also honors the USS Arizona survivors who have chosen to be interred along with their shipmates. After spending some time at the memorial, visitors will get back on the shuttle and return to the visitor center. All together, the program lasts about one hour and 15 minutes. You may also want to plan time to see our two museums and exhibits along the harbor. Know Before You Go Strollers Strollers are allowed in the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, but not in the theater. You will be able to leave your stroller by the entrance of the theater and pick it up at the end of your program. Please keep in mind that this means you will have to hold your child for the duration of the program (about an hour and 15 minutes). Restrooms We have restrooms located throughout the visitor center. Please keep in mind that there are NO public restrooms on the USS Arizona Memorial.

That means that for the duration of the program (about one hour and 15 minutes), you will not have access to a bathroom. Please plan accordingly. Food Other than clear bottled water, there is NO food or drinks allowed in the theater, on the shuttle boats, or at the USS Arizona Memorial. However, food and drinks are allowed at the visitor center, which has a small snack shop with sandwiches and drinks. The nearby USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park has a small cafeteria with soup, nachos, and hotdogs. There is a restaurant at the Pacific Aviation Museum, and the USS Missouri Battleship has a lunch truck. There are also many restaurants a short drive away from the visitor center. Parking There are several parking lots with free parking at the visitor center. Bags While cameras, water bottles, wallets, and other small items can be brought on site, no bags (or other items that offer concealment) are allowed at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. However, there is a bag storage facility, located at the USS Bowfin Submarine Park shuttle bus stop, where you can store your belongings for a fee of $3 per bag.

Dress Code Visitors are reminded that they are visiting a site of tremendous loss of life in service to our country. Sandals are permissible, but bathing suits or profane T-shirts are not allowed. Military visitors to the memorial are within the bounds of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, and military regulations relating to military dress are enforced by Navy personnel. Per the Pacific Commander, military visitors in uniform are required to dress in Class B or better in order to gain access to the USS Arizona Memorial. Battle dress uniform is not allowed on the memorial, though it is allowed throughout the visitor center and at sites on Ford Island. Military visitors are welcome to wear civilian clothes when they visit. Accessibility The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center has reserved accessible parking in the front parking lot. The restrooms, theater, exhibit galleries, bookstore, information desks, drinking fountains, Navy shuttle boats, and USS Arizona Memorial are all fully-accessible to visitors in wheelchairs. There are also many locations throughout the park for visitors to sit and rest. Please keep in mind that there is no seating at the memorial. For visitors with hearing impairments, the documentary shown in the theater is fully-captioned (in English).There is an induction loop for use with hearing aids.

Visually-impaired visitors will find signage in braille in addition to tactile models of various interpretive resources throughout the site. Tour Option 2 - USS Arizona Memorial Narrated Tour This reservation includes a free, timed USS Arizona Memorial program ticket and an audio headset for the narrated tour. The award-winning narrated tour is the perfect complement for the USS Arizona Memorial program, because it's like having a park ranger guide your family throughout your entire tour. The narrated tour is recommended for all visitors looking for a more enriching Pearl Harbor experience. For visitors interested in the audio tour, headsets are available in the courtyard of the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. Besides English, the audio tour is also available in French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, German, Spanish, Italian, and Russian, and will even automatically translate the 23-minute documentary film into each language. The narrated tour provides a fascinating interpretation of the USS Arizona Memorial, the visitor center's two museum, and the waterfront interpretive display. Admission There are several parking lots with free parking at the visitor center.

Bags While cameras, water bottles, wallets, and other small items can be brought on site, no bags (or other items that offer concealment) are allowed at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. However, there is a bag storage facility, located at the USS Bowfin Submarine Park shuttle bus stop, where you can store your belongings for a fee of $3 per bag. Dress Code Visitors are reminded that they are visiting a site of tremendous loss of life in service to our country. Sandals are permissible, but bathing suits or profane T-shirts are not allowed. Military visitors to the memorial are within the bounds of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, and military regulations relating to military dress are enforced by Navy personnel. Per the Pacific Commander, military visitors in uniform are required to dress in Class B or better in order to gain access to the USS Arizona Memorial. Battle dress uniform is not allowed on the memorial, though it is allowed throughout the visitor center and at sites on Ford Island. Military visitors are welcome to wear civilian clothes when they visit. Accessibility The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center has reserved accessible parking in the front parking lot.

The restrooms, theater, exhibit galleries, bookstore, information desks, drinking fountains, Navy shuttle boats, and USS Arizona Memorial are all fully-accessible to visitors in wheelchairs. There are also many locations throughout the park for visitors to sit and rest. Please keep in mind that there is no seating at the memorial. For visitors with hearing impairments, the documentary shown in the theater is fully-captioned (in English).There is an induction loop for use with hearing aids. Visually-impaired visitors will find signage in braille in addition to tactile models of various interpretive resources throughout the site. Reservation Guidelines There are two windows to make a reservation. The 60-day window: You can make reservations up to two months in advance. So on April 10, you can make a reservation for as far in advance as June 10.

Tickets can be reserved online here, or over the phone by calling 1-877-444-6777 (international: 518-885-3639) The 24-hour window: If you've tried to reserve tickets but found that none are available for the day and time you want to visit, log back onto recreation.gov on the day before your visit. Every day, recreation.gov releases a certain number of "next day" tickets, beginning at 7:00 a.m. HST. For example, if you want to visit on January 13, you can check for availability starting at 7:00 a.m. HST on January 12. Please keep in mind that you will pay a non-refundable $1.50 convenience fee per reserved ticket. Also, there is a reservation limit of 12 tickets per person per day. We suggest that visitors arrive an hour before their ticket time in order to pick up their tickets, see the harbor area, and tour our two museums before their program. At a minimum, please be here five to ten minutes before your program to make sure you can enter the theater.

If you are not here by your program time and we are out of walk-in tickets, your seats may be given away to visitors on standby. If you purchased the narrated tour or Passport to Pearl Harbor but arrive past your ticket time, you will still be able to pick up your tickets and see all the sites you paid for. You may or may not be able to get another free ticket for the USS Arizona Memorial program; that will depend on how many walk-in tickets are still available. Group Reservations If you have a large family or business group you would like to make reservations for, please keep in mind that you will only be able to reserve 12 tickets per email address per day. If you want to make a military unit reservation, please email valr_commercial_services@nps.gov . If you want to make a reservation for a bona fide school group, please email valr_education@nps.gov . Pearl Harbor | naval base, Hawaii, United States | Britannica.com naval base, Hawaii, United States Written By: Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 Pearl Harbor, naval base and headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Honolulu county, southern Oahu Island, Hawaii , U.S. In U.S.

history the name recalls the surprise Japanese air attack on December 7, 1941, that temporarily crippled the U.S. Fleet and resulted in the United States’ entry into World War II . (See Pearl Harbor Attack .) Pearl Harbor centres on a cloverleaf-shaped, artificially improved harbour on the southern coast of Oahu , 6 miles (10 km) west of Honolulu. The harbour is virtually surrounded (west to east) by the cities of Ewa, Waipahu, Pearl City, Aiea, and Honolulu. It has 10 square miles (26 square km) of navigable water and hundreds of anchorages and covers a land area of more than 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares). Its four lochs are formed by the Waipio and Pearl City peninsulas and Ford Island. Pearl Harbor Entrance (channel) connects its virtually landlocked bay with the Pacific Ocean . Pearl Harbor was called Wai Momi (“Pearl Waters”) by the Hawaiians because of the pearl oysters that once grew there. In 1840 Lieutenant Charles Wilkes of the U.S.

Navy made the first geodetic survey and urged the dredging of the coral-bar entrance to the harbour. About 30 years later Colonel John McAllister Schofield further recommended that the United States secure harbour rights. A subsequent treaty (1887) granted the United States the exclusive use of the harbour as a coaling and repair station, but work was not begun until after 1898, when the Spanish-American War indicated its strategic value as a Pacific base. A naval station was established after 1908, and a drydock was completed in 1919. During the Pearl Harbor Attack in 1941 the USS Arizona sank with a loss of more than 1,100 men; a white concrete and steel structure now spans the hull of the sunken ship, which was dedicated as a national memorial on May 30, 1962. Present facilities at Pearl Harbor include a naval shipyard, supply centre, and submarine base. The naval supply centre is on Pearl City Peninsula. Pearl Harbor Entrance is bounded on the east by Hickam Air Force Base and on the west by a naval reservation.

During the Korean and Vietnam wars the harbour complex was a staging area for forces and equipment bound for the combat zones. Remembering the Pearl Harbor attack, with a discussion of the USS … Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz Learn More in these related articles: Pearl Harbor [ushistory.org] 50e. Pearl Harbor The USS Arizona was pounded by Japanese bombers as it rested at anchor at Pearl Harbor. The ship ultimately sank, taking the lives of 1,177 crew members. While the international picture in Europe was growing increasingly dimmer for the United States, relations with Japan were souring as well. Japan's aggression was literally being fueled by the United States. The Japanese military machine relied heavily on imports of American steel and oil to prosecute its assault on China and French Indochina. Placing a strict embargo on Japan would have seemed obvious, but Roosevelt feared that Japan would strike at the resource-laden Dutch East Indies to make up the difference. Beginning in late-1940, the United States grew less patient with Japanese atrocities and began to restrict trade with the Empire. Just prior to Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, Japan signed a nonaggression pact with Stalin.

This removed the threat of a Russian attack on Japan's new holdings. With Europe busy fighting Hitler, the United States remained the only obstacle to the establishment of a huge Japanese empire spanning East Asia. By the end of 1940, the United States had ended shipments of scrap metal, steel, and iron ore to Japan. Simultaneously, the United States began to send military hardware to Chiang Kai-shek, the nominal leader of the Chinese forces resisting Japanese takeover. By the beginning of World War II, Japan had established a powerful navy aviation division. It was this superior air power that carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor. Negotiations between Japan and the U.S. began in early 1941, but there was little movement. By midsummer, FDR made the fateful step of freezing all Japanese assets in the United States and ending shipments of oil to the island nation. Negotiations went nowhere. The United States was as unwilling to accept Japanese expansion and Japan was unwilling to end its conquests. American diplomats did, however, have a hidden advantage. With the help of "Magic," a decoding device, the United States was able to decipher Japan's radio transmissions.

Leaders in Washington knew that the deadline for diplomacy set by Japan's high command was November 25. When that date came and passed, American officials were poised for a strike. The prevailing view was that the attack would focus on British Malaya or the Dutch East Indies to replenish dwindling fuel supplies. Unbeknown to the United States, a Japanese fleet of aircraft carriers stealthily steamed toward Hawaii. The goals for the Japanese attack were simple. Japan did not hope to conquer the United States or even to force the abandonment of Hawaii with the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States was too much of a threat to their newly acquired territories. With holdings in the Philippines, Guam, American Samoa, and other small islands, Japan was vulnerable to an American naval attack. A swift first strike against the bulk of the United States Pacific Fleet would seriously cripple the American ability to respond. The hopes were that Japan could capture the Philippines and American island holdings before the American navy could recuperate and retaliate. An impenetrable fortress would then stretch across the entire Pacific Rim. The United States, distracted by European events, would be forced to recognize the new order in East Asia.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, approximately 100 U.S. Navy battleships, destroyers, cruisers, and support ships, were present at Pearl Harbor. All these assumptions were wrong. As the bombs rained on Pearl Harbor on the infamous morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, almost 3,000 Americans were killed. Six battleships were destroyed or rendered unseaworthy, and most of the ground planes were ravaged as well. Americans reacted with surprise and anger. Most American newspaper headlines had been focusing on European events, so the Japanese attack was a true blindside. When President Roosevelt addressed the Congress the next day and asked for a declaration of war, there was only one dissenting vote in either house of Congress. Despite two decades of regret over World War I and ostrichlike isolationism, the American people plunged headfirst into a destructive conflict.

Question: Pearl Harbour is in which present-day US state?
Answer: HAWAII