O'ahu - Hawaii - page 78

Guided battle-station tours, which are sometimes led by knowledgeable US military vet-
erans, are worth the extra time and expense.
To visit the memorial, board the mandatory Ford Island visitor shuttle bus (bring photo
ID) outside the visitor center's Aloha Court.
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park MUSEUM, PARK
( 423-1341; www.bowfin.org ; 11 Arizona Memorial Dr; park admission free, museum adult/child
4-12yr $5/3, incl self-guided submarine audio tour $10/4; 7am-5pm, last entry 4:30pm) If you
have to wait an hour or two for your USS Arizona Memorial tour to begin, this adjacent
park harbors the moored WWII-era submarine USS Bowfin and a somewhat dated niche
museum that traces the development of submarines from their origins to the nuclear age,
including wartime patrol footage. Undoubtedly, the highlight is clambering aboard a his-
toric submarine.
Launched on December 7, 1942, one year after the Pearl Harbor attack, the USS Bow-
fin sank 44 enemy ships in the Pacific by the end of WWII. A self-guided audio tour ex-
plores the life of the crew - watch your head below deck! Children under age four are
not allowed aboard the submarine for safety reasons.
As you stroll around the surrounding waterfront park, peer through the periscopes and
inspect a Japanese kaiten (suicide torpedo), the marine equivalent of a kamikaze pilot's
plane, developed as a last-ditch effort by the Japanese military near the end of WWII.
Pacific Aviation Museum MUSEUM
( 441-1000; www.pacificaviationmuseum.org ; 319 Lexington Blvd, Ford Island; adult/child 4-12yr
$20/10, incl guided tour $30/20, flight simulator add $10; 9am-5pm, last entry 4pm) Still a
work in progress, this military aircraft museum covers WWII through the US conflicts in
Korea and Vietnam. The first aircraft hangar has been outfitted with exhibits on the Pearl
Harbor attack, the Doolittle Raid on mainland Japan in 1942 and the pivotal Battle of
Midway, when the tides of WWII in the Pacific turned in favor of the Allies.
Authentically restored planes on display here include a Japanese Zero and a Dauntless
navy dive bomber. Walk next door to explore the MiG Alley Korean War exhibit or take
a guided tour to look behind the scenes at restoration work in Hangar 79's replica WWII-
era maintenance shop.
To visit the museum, board the mandatory Ford Island visitor shuttle bus (bring photo
ID) outside the visitor center's Aloha Court.
Keaʻiwa Heiau State Recreation Area PARK