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Please read our latest entry below about our Historic Partners...

Posted August 7, 2008 12:08 pm

Pearl Harbor Historic Partners

Since 1991, Home of the Brave Tours has worked closely with all the historical touring sites of Pearl Harbor. Below you will find a brief description and the "basics" of visiting these fascinating memorials. We can arrange customized tours and programming to any and all of these sites for groups of 25 and over.

THE USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL

The USS Arizona Memorial is Oahuês most popular Visitor Attraction and is a National Memorial that commemorates the site where World War II began for the United States.

The Memorial is located about 2 miles west of the Honolulu Airport in Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. It is managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and consists of a shore side visitor center, where the tours begin, and the Memorial located in Pearl Harbor. The Memorial is accessible only by the NPS tour from the visitor center.

The USS Arizona Memorial is built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen killed on December 7, 1941 when their ship was bombed by the Japanese Naval Forces. This loss of life represents over half of the Americans killed on this "Day of Infamy", the worst naval disaster in American History.

The Visitor Center is open 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, seven days a week except New Years Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tours begin about every 15 minutes from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. The tour programs are free and new, souvenir tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each person must obtain their own ticket. During busy summer and winter holiday periods, it is recommended that you arrive at the Visitor Center before 12 noon. There are no age or size restrictions, but children under 5 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Appropriate dress is required - no swimwear or bare feet.

The tour program consists of a brief introduction by a park ranger, Pearl Harbor survivor, or volunteer. A 23 minute film on the history of the Pearl Harbor attack follows. After viewing the film, visitorês board a Navy operated launch for the Memorial. The entire program takes 75 minutes. Wait times for the tour may exceed 2 hours.

While waiting for your tour to begin, there is an excellent audio tour narrated by Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine available. The audio tour will guide you through the Visitor Center, museum exhibits, and back lawn exhibits. The audio tour will provide you with interpretive information on the shuttle boats and on the Memorial. Visit the bookstore where a wide range of materials on the Pearl Harbor attack may be purchased.

Strict security measures prohibit purses, handbags, fanny packs, backpacks, camera bags, diaper bags, luggage and/or other items that offer concealment. Visitors may bring a camera and cam-recorder. A storage facility, operated by a private vendor, is available for visitors coming to the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park and the Battleship Missouri. The facility can be found in the visitor center parking lot. There is a nominal storage fee. The storage facility is in operation daily 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visitors may use the same bag storage and parking stall for all three tours.

Security measures are strictly enforced at all three visitor destinations on Pearl Harbor. Federal law enforcement officers and security bike patrols monitor the parking lots. However it is not recommended to secure items of value in your car. Be safe: do not travel with valuables and use the storage locker. Various tour companies including Home of the Brave offer package tours to the Arizona Memorial. Guests can also drive a vehicle, take an Arizona Memorial Shuttle from Waikiki, City Bus, or a Cab to the Arizona Memorial visitorês center.

For more information, call (808) 422-0561 or visit the Pearl Harbor Arizona Memorial website.

USS BOWFIN SUBMARINE & PARK

Located adjacent to the Arizona Memorial Visitorês Center resides the infamous WWII Submarine USS Bowfin (SS-287) Museum & Park. Launched on December 7, 1942, the sub was nicknamed the –Pearl Harbor Avenger” and completed nine war patrols, sinking 44 enemy ships, and earned the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Commendation.

The Submarine Museum exhibits an impressive collection of submarine-related artifacts exploring the fascinating history of submarines from the first daring attempt in 1776 to use a submersible in warfare to the feats of todayês nuclear submarines.

Touring the sub includes a fascinating narration on Walkman-style headsets as you explore the cramped confines of the Bowfin. You get a clear idea of the mental and physical challenges her courageous crew of 80 faced during patrols. For example, in the aft torpedo room, four torpedoes were stored in launching tubes and four more on reloading racks in the same area where some crewmen slept.

Submarines accounted for 55 percent of the enemy merchant vessels sunk in the Pacific during WWII ® more than all other forces combined. Subs also destroyed about a third of the enemyês military ships.

Itês been said that the USS Arizona represents the beginning of the war in the Pacific and the battleship Missouri its end. It can rightfully be said that the USS Bowfin represents the winning of the war!

The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park is open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Guests can drive a vehicle, take an Arizona Memorial Shuttle from Waikiki, City Bus, or a Cab to the Arizona Memorial visitorês center and walk to the Bowfin Memorial where they purchase tickets.

For more information call : (808) 423-1341 or visit the USS Bowfin website.

USS BATTLESHIP MISSOURI

The USS Missouri is known as the " Mighty Mo" to many who served on her and was the last of the great battleships to be completed by the US Navy. The Missouri received three battle stars for World War II service and five for Korean service.

This famous ship was the first battleship to circumnavigate the world since President Theodore Roosevelt's "Great White Fleet" of 1907-1909 and it was on board the deck of the Missouri that General Douglas MacArthur and Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, along with other US and Allied officers, accepted the unconditional surrender of the Japanese at the end of World War II.

Today the Missouri is tied to pier F-5 on "Battleship Row", 300 yards behind the Arizona Memorial and is open as a memorial and museum. Various admission packages are available which include:

General Admission: Basic admission to visit the Missouri. Wander about Mighty Mo's historic teak decks on your own. Adult: $16.00 plus tax / Child (under 12) $8.00 plus tax

Chiefs Guided Tour: Take a 60 minute walking tour with a knowledgeable guide.
Adult $22.00 plus tax / Child (under 12) $14.00 plus tax

Digital Audio Tour: Explore in depth with this self-guided audio tour. Over two hours of information is recorded, listen to as little or as much as you like. Adult: $22.00 plus tax / Child (under 12) $14.00 plus tax

Explorers Tour: Get an insiderês preview of the battleship with exclusive access to restricted areas 3 levels below deck. On this special tour, youêll get to view the fire and engine rooms, battery plots, the post office, machine shop, and mess hall. You will also get to visit the –BROADWAY” corridor and go inside the shipês BRIG.

- Flashlights, safety vests, and hard hats are issued
- Complimentary water bottle, lanyard, and souvenir Passport
- Adult: $45.00 plus tax / Child (under 12) $20.00 plus tax

Navy Day Pearl Harbor: Introducing one all-inclusive package that delivers the drama and history of the USS Missouri and the USS Bowfin! On the Navy Day Package, guests will enjoy a Chiefs Guided Tour onboard the USS Missouri, which includes exclusive access to the Combat Engagement Center. In addition, guests will receive a ride on the Combat Flight Simulator, their choice of an array of meal items available at the Truman Line Mess Deck, a Battleship Missouri passport, surrender card and souvenir photo item. At the USS Bowfin guests will experience a narrated audio tour of this fascinating WWII submarine. Guests also enjoy admission into the 10,000 sq. ft. Bowfin Museum. Complete your tour with a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial at historic Pearl Harbor.

- Adult: $70.00 plus tax / Child (under 12) $53.00 plus tax.

For more information visit the USS Missouri Website.

PACIFIC AVIATION MUSEUM

On December 7th, 2006, the doors of the Ford Island Pacific Aviation Museum opened on the 65th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.

The museum will eventually encompass 16 acres on Ford Island, including Hangars 37, 54 and 79 and another Pearl landmark -- the control tower. There will be at least nine World War II aircraft on display on Dec. 7 when Hangar 37 reopens, including the yellow 1942 Navy Stearman biplane that former President George H.W. Bush soloed on Dec. 15, 1942. Bush is the honorary Chairman of the museum.

Other aircraft in the first phase will be the red Aeronca biplane that was airborne on Dec. 7, 1941, with an instructor and civilian student; a Japanese Zero; a Navy Wildcat fighter, and Army Air Corps B-25 Mitchell bomber; and P-40 Warhawk fighter.

While Hangar 37 will also include a large-screen theater, museum store, restaurant, flight simulators and childrens interactive flight education center, the other two hangars will be devoted to World War II, the Vietnam War and Korean War. Aircraft first exhibited in Hangar 37 will be relocated to the other hangars as they are completed. Supporters hope to finish the remaining three attractions before 2009.

Hanger 54s 86,000-square foot display area will have a replica of a World War II aircraft carrier deck. The exhibit will tell the story of the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the air campaigns through Midway, the Solomons, China and Japan.

The 76,000-square-foot exhibition area in Hangar 79 will focus on Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War.

The final phase will be renovating the control tower, which will include a dining room, reception area and the museums executive offices.

The museum will be a great addition to the other Pearl Harbor sites: the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine and Museum, and the USS Missouri Memorial. The Pacific Aviation Museum will be open daily from 9:00am ® 5:00pm (ticket office will close at 4:00pm). It will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.

Guests can drive a vehicle, take an Arizona Memorial Shuttle from Waikiki, City Bus, or a Cab to the Arizona Memorial visitorês center and walk to the Bowfin Memorial where they purchase tickets for the Pacific Aviation Museum and catch a trolley to the Air Museum and or the Battleship Missouri on Ford Island.

For more information, call (808) 836-7747 or visit the Pacific Aviation Museum website.

Call (808) 396-8112 for more information
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