Visit the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial on your Oahu Timeshare Vacation

There is a lot of history on Oahu. This Hawaiian island is more than a south Pacific beach destination. Certainly you can get the sand and the surf, the beautiful turquoise waters of the tropics, palm trees swaying in soft trade winds - the entire package. But, when you rent an Oahu timeshare, you also get the unique opportunity to explore history that literally changed the world.

When the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet in Oahu's Pearl Harbor, the United States was forced to enter WWII. The United States then participated in not only the war's Pacific theater but in Europe as well, and the result created a different world order.

To get a good feel for what that horrific day in December, 1941, was like when Japanese Zeros bombed American ships, visit the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, set out in Pearl Harbor. The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors killed on that battleship during the attack. The Memorial, dedicated in 1962 and visited since by more than one million people annually, is built directly above the sunken hull of the battleship.

In a section of the Memorial known as the Shrine, an opening in the floor overlooks the sunken decks. If you choose, you may toss flowers into the water here in honor of the fallen sailors. Tossing leis is not allowed as the string poses a hazard to sea-life, but leis may be placed on the guardrails located in front of the marble wall that bears the names of those killed.

Historical information about the attack, boat access to the memorial, and general visitor services at the Visitor Center have been provided by the Arizona Memorial Museum Association (AMMA) since it was founded in 1979 as a non-profit cooperating association with the National Park Service.

The AMMA officially changed its name to Pacific Historic Parks (PHP) in 2010 to reflect its expanded role. On Oahu, the PHP operates the World War II Valor of the Pacific National Monument which covers not only the U.S.S. Arizona, but other WWII sites including the U.S.S. Missouri, the battleship on which the Japanese signed surrender papers ending WWII.

On shore the PHP's new $58 million Pearl Harbor visitor center complex, scheduled for completion in December, 2010, will feature more than 6 acres of landscaped grounds and wayside exhibits. The new 24,000 square foot Visitors Center building includes a museum and an education and resource center.

A Hawaii timeshare rental vacation on Oahu will give the entire family a chance to re-live history, and understand how the world as we now know it came to be.

(Photo provided by nps.gov)
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