The historical site that I visited was Pearl Harbor when my family and I went to Hawaii in March of this year. It is hard to describe how surreal it feels to be there; seeing the ships, planes, monuments, and buildings. As well as to listen to the stories and read all the information that surrounds you.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was actually spotted before it started. However, when it was reported it someone wrote it off as the USA planes returning from training. There were two pilots that were able to respond before any others; with their efforts they were able to shoot down a lot of enemy planes. In the attack there were 2403 Americans killed and 1178 wounded. After this attack the USA entered World War II with a declaration of war on Japan. The Japanese used modified torpedoes that were dropped from the bellies of their planes to hit some of the USA ships.
While we were at Pearl Harbor we visited the Arizona memorial. The Arizona was a Pennsylvania class battleship. It was also the second and last of the super dreadnought battleships to be made. We learned about the Arizona and her tears for her men that were lost during the Japanese bombing. The tears (a slow oil leak that has been there since it happened) are believed will stop when the last of the men
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It was built during World War II and was an Iowa-class battleship, which is much smaller than the Arizona was. During the war, a kamikaze pilot hit the deck of the Missouri; fortunately for them the bomb fell off before the plane hit. The commander of the Missouri had the crew make a Japanese flag so they could honor the body of the pilot with a navy burial. This ship also is significant; considering it is the site of the signing of the Instrument of Surrender for the Japanese where they signed the terms of their surrender to the USA. The Missouri was also used in the Korean War and the Gulf War before she was retired and moved to Pearl