Visiting the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Hawaii was an incredibly moving and emotional experience; much more so than I had anticipated. Here are three entirely different views of the Memorial which I think capture the spirit of the site.
All three photos are striking, but the last one is particularly emotional as you can plainly see the outline of the sunken ship beneath the Memorial.
Seeing the Memorial from above was an incredible experience. At the top of the Memorial from the aerial view, I believe you can see the slick created by the oil leaking from the Arizona. The ship was an oil-burner, not a coal-burner, so she still leaks about a quart of oil a day, and has been for nearly 70 years. These are known as the “Arizona’s tears”, and seeing the oil bubbles gurgling up to the surface is a moving sight.
Wow, that aerial view is pretty striking. I didn’t know you could actually see the outline of the ship below the surface.
Wow! I agree — that last photo just breaks my heart on so many levels. It shows the Japanese approach POV and the deadly outcome to our U.S. Navy men. I’ve been to the memorial, but the aerial view is very emotional. Curious if you felt the emotion more after reviewing or your photos, or when you taking it also, or both. Great photo essay.
Oh absolutely, I was very emotional. It hit me most when I read the wall of the men lost that day. Later on during the helicopter flight we actually followed the approach the Japanese took to Pearl Harbor from the mountains. It was a lot to take in at once. I had no idea I’d be able to see the outline from the air and was deeply moved.
Thank you for posting this Matt. Sometimes a simple quiet reminder is the most powerful.
Very nice shots but the third just breaks my heart. To have experienced the terror and tragedy of that “day that will live in infamy,” to quote our brilliant President Roosevelt, must have been unbearable. I never heard of the Arizona Tears mentioned in Scott’s note above…how profound!!
It was a profoundly moving place, much more than I had anticipated. I’m so glad we visited, the entire experience meant a lot to me.