My step-uncle(still living) was coming out of Schofield Barracks and took a piece of Japanese shrapnel which he still carries in his body. He has to carry verification when he goes thru metal detectors. It was an unforgiveable attack but one that brought this country together. And I feel we've gone downhill since.
Look on the other side of Ford Island and you will see the remains of the Battleship Utah. She was used as a target vessel. She was also sunk Sunday Dec 7th. Around 50 of her crew are still on board.
I used to live on Ford Island in the late 80s and early 90s. Had to take a ferry across to it then, theres a bride across now. The Battle Ship Arizona was right off my back yard and as someone said the Utah is on the other side of the island also sunk that day and lives lost. It was called the forgotten battleship. Just to the west of Ford Island in a WW 2 Muntions loading area that also has some sunk blown up wrecks from that day as well. The Missourri is also docked now at the island.
Your Discovery Has History Count On It
Enjoy the dig, treasure the time
Went to Hawaii for vacation in 1986. We went to visit the Arizona Memorial. You have to take a boat ride out to it, I assume you still do. Kind of an odd ride out as the boat taking us out had almost all Japanese people on it. Talk about a quiet ride. It felt kind of strange, only a few Americans and the rest Japanese. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. There is a heavy Japanese population there and they were always respectful. I think I almost felt upset that they were going out to the memorial. I looked at all of them but no one looked back. They were just kind of looking out across the water.
Once while I lived there in Hawaii an elderly japanese man walked up with a cane asking myself and a friend where he could find the arizonia memorial. My buddy quickly piped "right where the he## you left it. I felt sorry for the old man for as a war veteran I know both sides have loses, following orders and trying to not get killed yourself. He as I learned was one of the flight deck personnel on one of the carriers. His entire family was lost when we dropped the "A" and bombed Nagasakia roughly 4 years later.
Your Discovery Has History Count On It
Enjoy the dig, treasure the time
When I was stationed in Hawaii I made 4 trips out to the Arizona memorial. It is certainly a eerie feeling there. You can feel those brave souls with you as you are out there. At least I felt like I could.
Gypsy....nice picture, my mothers uncle was stationed on her when she got hit, he was one of the lucky ones, he was top side and got blown into the water and survived. Here is a pic of what she looked liked in 1939 in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
So many promising sites to detect...so little time....
Something you guys might want to look at and a story not too many are familiar with. The reason I bring it up is because the Utah has been mentioned here.
I was in and out of Pearl many times while in the Navy. Being on the navigation detail for over 4 years on a destroyer and navigating the ship in and out of every port in the Pacific was indeed thrilling. None of the ports we visited ever meant as much to me as Pearl on the island of Oahu.
During the Japanese bombing of Pearl, the U.S.S. Utah was sank on the other side of Ford Island. It is (much like the Arizona) a rusting memorial now that few people take the time to visit.However, the Utah holds much more than the remains of 54 sailors that went down with their ship.
"Chief Yeoman Albert T. D. Wagner had the ashes of one of his twin daughters, Nancy Lynne, in his locker aboard ship on that fateful day of December 7, 1941."
In 1974 I was on the USS Enterprise. We were tied up right across from the Arizona. I sat on the stern one night for about an hour looking out over the Memorial. It was very quiet and VERY eerie. I'll never forget it.
My Uncle was on board one of the ships. I have never asked him which one. I should talk to him soon, he is still living. I do remember him telling of many of the men jumped off into the burning oil. He stayed on board until he was rescued. I don't know any details, but I really should see if he would like talk about it and write it down into our family history.
Clayton
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