USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbour

USS West Virginia Color Photo

Affectionately nicknamed “Wee Vee”, USS West Virginia was commissioned in in December 1923.  She was moved to Hawaii in 1940 with the US Pacific Fleet and was the youngest of all the battleships at Pearl Harbour. USS West Virginia During the Attack During the attack on Pearl Harbour West Virginia was outboard of USS Tennessee. The

The End of WWII on the Battleship Missouri

End of WWII Ceremony

Sitting at Pearl Harbour, as we approach the 70th anniversary of the Japanese surrender that marked the end of WWII, we reflect on the two days that changed the world forever.  The December 7th, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour and the September 2, 1945 signing of the surrender on the Battleship USS Missouri. Japan did not

100 Year Old Pearl Harbour Survivor Wayne Shelnutt

USS California sinking

Check out this excellent article by Pete Mecca of the Rockdale News about Pearl Harbour Survivor Wayne Shelnutt. His account of the attack is quite fascinating. He served aboard the Battleship USS California, flagship of the Pacific Fleet. Shelnutt mentions that on December 5th, 1941 someone on his ship spotted a submarine.  They spent the

Emperor Hirohito Radio Address on August 15, 1945

After Hirohito radio address

The following is a translation of Emperor Hirohito’s radio address from August 15, 1945 accepting the Allies terms of surrender. The language that he spoke in was very difficult for common Japanese people to understand. Emperor Hirohito had an imperial dialect that was confusing for many. To our good and loyal subjects: After pondering deeply