Pearl Harbour Memorial

Our last day on Oahu, and we are determined to squeeze out one more sightseeing trip. This time it is to visit Pearl Harbour.
The area has been designated a "World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument" and is steeped in history. The newly renovated museum is pretty impressive, and goes in detail about the events leading up to World War II and the attack on Pearl Harbour. What I found interesting here was that it actually has a section describing the Japanese and their situation leading up to the war too - so you can understand see why things happened as they did - or at least get an idea about their motives at the time.
The area is filled with relics of torpedoes, missiles and rockets of the time, and has lots of information.
There was also a decommissioned submarine, the USS Bowfin (nicknamed Pearl Harbour Avenger) moored there which you can visit - and there's a memorial for all the submarines lost at sea during the war, including a little information about each one.
Along the shore line there is the Walk of Remembrance, with the names of ships lost and names of servicemen who lost their lives in the war inscribed on plaques. A solemn walk considering the number of people who lost their lives. 
A short 25 minute movie later we were on the ferry ride out to the USS Arizona Memorial. The USS Arizona was sunk within minutes when it sustained a direct hit to its munitions silo by a Japanese bomber at the start of World War II. Those who served and died on-board are entombed inside. The white memorial building does not sit on the Arizona, rather it cradles it protectively. It is still leaking fuel slowly, as can be seen by the thin film of oil slick on the surface and some black globules floating up. This is nicknamed Tears of the Arizona.

Next stop was a tour of the USS Missouri, nick named Mighty Mo, the last battleship to be built during World War II. It was decommission in 1955 after several tours but then was recommission again in 1986. In 1992 it was decommissioned again and now serves as a memorial for those who served.  What was impressive about this ship was the massive 16 inch diameter guns it had - three big tri-barrels - able to shoot massive ordinance up to 28 miles distance.  It last served in desert storm and was instrumental in destroying great numbers of tanks from the shoreline.
In the distance we could see a massive golf ball like structure set on a floating oil rig platform. Quite an eye sore really, but we found out it was a massive radar, brought in specifically from Alaska to maintain security during APEC 2011 in Hawaii.  Supposedly able to spot a golf ball from a distance of about 3000 miles.  I guess you can't be too careful with 21 heads of states present in the same place!