World Traveller 73 
Touring the USS Missouri Battleship, Pearl Harbour, Oahu, Hawaii, USA
One of the historic destinations on the island of Oahu is Pearl Harbour. It was the home to the largest naval attack on American Forces in History, and is a solemn reminder of the perils of war. A visit allows travellers to explore the USS Missouri, which was a functioning battleship and the location of where the end of World War II was signed. It was neat to be able to see a part of history
This post is one chapter on our trip to Honolulu & Maui, Hawaii, United States of America. This trip was redeemed through Alaska Mileage Plan and Fairmont President’s Club. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
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Read More from This Trip
- Trip Introduction: Pearl Harbour, The First Lady of Waikiki and Wailea Maui via Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Bellingham – Honolulu
- The Moana Surfrider, a Westin Resort and Spa, Waikiki, Honolulu, USA
- Feeling the Sands of Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, USA
- Respecting the USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbour, Honolulu, USA
- Touring the USS Missouri Battleship, Pearl Harbour, Honolulu, USA
- Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club Lounge, Honolulu
- Hawaiian Airlines First Class: Honolulu – Maui
- Fairmont Kea Lani, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, USA
- Wailea Beach Walk, Wailea, Hawaii, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Maui – Honolulu
Activity: Touring the USS Missouri Battleship, Pearl Harbour, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, United States of America
Today’s activity was a two part visit to the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri Battleship.
During our stay at the Moana Surfrider by Westin in lovely Honolulu, Hawaii, I had wanted to visit Pearl Harbour for a little American History. Pearl Harbour is the site of Japanese Attacks on the United States of America which drew the Americans into World World II. Since I had never visited Honolulu before, it was always a place that had escaped my ability to visit.
Booking and Getting There:
Pearl Harbour is located almost adjacent to the Honolulu International Airport and the joint Hickan Air Force Base. It was located about thirty minutes normal driving from Waikiki Beach where most visitors stay.
As I had mentioned in my last post, I booked the Pearl Harbour tour through Eno Tours. Their tour offered a combination visit to the USS Arizona Memorial and the US Missouri Battleship. I just found them on the internet and they seemed like the most straight forward company. MrsWT73, being ever the wiser about my visits to museums and monuments, decided to sleep in at the Moana Surfrider, and lounge on the beach instead of an early wake up for tour through history.
After touring through the USS Arizona Memorial, I took the shuttle bus over to the USS Missouri. It’s only about 10 minutes away from the welcome center for the USS Arizona memorial where I had caught the boat over to the USS Arizona memorial.
About the USS Missouri:
The USS Missouri is probably most remembered for the location of where the Japanese forces signed the surrender to the Allied Forces for the end of World War II in Tokyo Bay, Japan. The USS Missouri also saw military action in the Operation Desert Storm when the US launched Tomahawk missiles at Iraq.
The arrival is an impressive area. Leading up to the boat, it’s a pretty massive structure.
Once a brief security check was completed, I was allowed to run all over the ship. It’s a totally impressive structure that would have housed almost an entire city of people when it was commissioned.
The Location of the Surrender of WWII
The boat also featured a small display on the surrender deck. The surrender deck was the location where the signatory to end World War II was signed.
The USS Missouri Operations Center:
The self guided tour allowed for exploring below decks, through the operations centres (circa 1991) and through the crew’s quarters
From the top decks, there were also great views in the distance of the USS Arizona memorials.
I wandered around the memorial for several hours. It was pretty neat to be able to explore and spend the day surrounded by so much history. This was not to mention that MrsWT73 wouldn’t have been as interested in all the weaponry as I was.
Last Sunsets at Waikiki Beach:
I took the shuttle back to the Moana Surfrider and was dropped off around 1:30 PM. I ended up taking a bit of a nap on the beach and enjoyed the last of my time in Honolulu with MrsWT73 who was enjoying her beach time.
Later that day, I returned back to Waikiki and took in our last sunset from the Moana Surfrider by Westin hotel. It was a nice evening and a beautiful sundowner. All in all, Honolulu was a pretty solid vacation and totally worthy of a visit despite all the touristy things about the area.
My Thoughts on the USS Missouri:
The USS Missouri is every man’s dream to be able to wander through the machinery of history. It is amazing to see up close the equipment used in the various wars that the United States had participated in. The ability to clamber all over the ship was also a neat feature that you probably couldn’t access in many parts of the world.
World Traveller 73 
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