Photo of the Day – Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
The USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, a “day that will live in infamy.” In the early morning hours of December 7, 1941, as the 185 vessels of the U.S. Pacific Fleet lay calm and serene, the first wave of Japanese aircraft entered Hawaiian airspace and began what would be the U.S. Navy’s greatest defeat. At 8:06am, the USS Arizona exploded when an armor-piercing bomb slammed through its deck. In less than 9 minutes, it sank with 1,177 of its crew, a total loss. The attack continued in waves throughout the day hammering the harbor and surrounding airfields. In the end, 21 vessels were sunk or damaged and 2,390 had died with countless wounded…World War II had come to America. Decades later, the USS Arizona Memorial grew out of a desire to establish a memorial at Pearl Harbor to honor those who died in the attack. Its construction was completed in 1961 and it was dedicated in 1962. In the words of its architect, Alfred Preis, the design of the memorial “which sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and ultimate victory…The overall effect is one of serenity.”
