December 07, 2012
By G&A Online Editors
Dec. 7, 2012, marks 71 years since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The unity, innovation and perseverance that followed are regarded one of America's greatest defining moments.
In April 2011, Guns & Ammo SIP Editor Eric Poole and his family visited Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to offer respect to the sailors, soldiers and Marines who lost their lives. This gallery incorporates pictures of the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin, the Pearl Harbor Visitor's Center and the USS Missouri.
These pictures represent Pearl Harbor and its memorials as they rest today. To learn more about the sequence of events during the attack or to see more images and read after action reports, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command . To learn more about the Battleship Missouri, visit the USS Missouri Memorial Association .
Bofors 40mm Mark 2 Quad Guns The 40mm Quad on display at Bowfin Park was an anti-aircraft gun combines four Bofor 40mm autocannons. In service since 1934, variants of the Bofors cannon are still in service by many militaries around the world.
USS Missouri Control Room The current layout of the fire control room in the USS Missouri represents the period of the Gulf War.
Kaiten Japanese Suicide Torpedo The Kaiten were Japanese suicide torpedoes used in World War II. In service between 1944 and 1945, Kaiten pilots were typically between 18 and 20 years of age. If they were killed in action, the families were promised to be paid 10,000 yen in reward for their son's sacrifice. Though 89 Kaiten pilots succeeded in their suicide mission, only the USS Mississinewa, a small infantry landing craft, and the destroyer escort USS Underhill were sunk.
Leaking Oil Seventy-one years after sinking, oil still leaks from the hull. Sometimes referred to as "the tears of the Arizona," it is estimated that 2.3 quarts escape in the harbor each day.
In Memoriam The remains of the USS Arizona lie submerged at Pearl Harbor to commemorate the loss of its crew on Dec. 7, 1941. Inside, the names of the lost crew members are listed on a marble wall in the shrine room.
Never Forgotten A closer look at the lost crew. Survivors of the attack may have their ashes placed within the ship among fallen comrades upon death.
Regulus 1 The SSM-N-8A Regulus on display at Bowfin Park was a ship- and submarine-launched, nuclear-armed cruise missile carried by the U.S. Navy from 1955 to 1964. It could carry a 3,000-pound warhead for 500 nautical miles.
Tomahawk Station During the Gulf War in 1991, the USS Missouri fired 28 Tomahawk missiles at Iraqi targets during Operation Desert Storm. Entering service in 1983, this long-range cruise missile weighed more than 3,000 pounds and traveled at a cruising speed of Mach 0.5.
USS Arizona Memorial Dedicated in 1962, the USS Arizona Memorial draws more than 1 million visitors annually. The memorial straddles the sunken hull of the USS Arizona without touching the wreckage.
USS Arizona Turrets Two of the four main gun turrets were removed from the USS Arizona.
Portion of the Turrets The barbette of one of the turrets remains visible above the water.
Removed Turrets Another view of where one of the ship's turrets was located.
USS Bowfin The USS Bowfin was a Balao-class submarine launched on Dec. 7, 1942, and ultimately decommissioned in 1971. During World War II, it sank 15 enemy cargo ships, two tankers, two schooners and a frigate.
USS Missouri's Firepower The USS Missouri's main battery included nine 16-inch Mark 7 guns that could fire 2,700-pound armor-piecing shells more than 20 miles. When reactivated and modernized in the 1980s, each battleship retained the original 16-inch battery.
USS Missouri The USS Missouri received three battle stars for service in World War II, five for service during the Korean War and three during the Gulf War. Launched in January 1944, it was the final battleship completed by the U.S.
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