Pearl Harbour

Up at 4.30am and packed, checked out and in the lobby by 5.30 saw us ready for what was to prove a long day, an even longer night and a mind numbing day the next day.

Our eleven hour “luxury” Beyond the Call of Duty Tour proved to be somewhat disappointing though the visit to Pearl Harbour was not. Our breakfast turned out to be a local donut, our guide was not very enlightening and our lunch was hardly luxurious. We did, however, have immediate access to all the highlights of Pearl Harbour, which were very moving and educational and we were glad we had gone – but next time we will get an official pass, take ourselves and save over a hundred dollars. To be fair, the day was hot and tiring and no one wanted to stop at the Royal Palace and State Buildings in Honolulu to take photos on the way back so the tour wasn’t as extended as it might have been.

There is no question that the attack on Pearl Harbour was the biggest mistake Japan ever made and led it into a bloody war costing millions of lives. You can only speculate as to whether America would have entered the war to (largely) protect other countries assets in Asia if it had not been attacked and what would have been the subsequent world outcome if it hadn’t. If the radar detection of the incoming planes had not been mistaken for the early arrival of American planes would the Americans had time to get more of their planes in the air and thus lessen the impact and subsequent American outrage. If the cancellation of the third wave of Japanese attack planes aimed at the fuel depots, the submarines and the dry docks had not been cancelled leaving them virtually undamaged how long would it have taken America to retaliate. Would that have given the Japanese time to achieve what they were aiming for in Asia.

A visit to Pearl Harbour answers a lot of questions, raises some more and leads to a lot of speculation.

We boarded a navy shuttle boat and travelled down destroyer row where most of the destroyers had been anchored and sunk. Operation Rimpac had just finished and ships from all nations were now anchored there.

The Arizona Memorial was closed as the dock was damaged but we circled the site and could make out the outline of the ship below. It is still the burial site of most of those killed and many of the survivors have chosen to be buried there along with their comrades.

We boarded the submarine USS Bowfin and inspected it from end to end. Not quite the “Canberra”!

We then boarded the battleship USS Missouri where history was made

Then it was on to the Pacific Aviation Museum for lunch before completing our tour

We were back at the Halekulani by 3.30pm and were given admission to the Hospitality Suite for the rest of the afternoon. We unpacked our togs and headed back to the beach and the pool for the rest of the afternoon before having a shower and going back to the House without a Key to see if the Steamed Onaga was as good as the previous time – it was!

This time at the Halekulani was our saving. The ability to use all the facilities long after we had checked out meant that we arrived at the airport in reasonable shape for our overnight flight to Vancouver. Though the Halkulani may be expensive it is worth every penny. It is not only its friendliness and helpfulness during your stay – and it’s excellent facilities – but the fact that you could check in early after the arrival of an early flight and use the facilities late before the departure of a late flight means your stay is extended and comfortable. We have joined it’s legion of fans.