Mighty Mo

Wednesday, 2nd May


A very warm and sunny day here (for all you web-feeted people back home), with us looking for shade where possible.

Today we acted like proper tourists and headed for the battleship “Missouri.” We had to go to the Arizona Memorial first and were then driven by shuttle bus to Ford Island, where the “Missouri” is moored. Security is still tight at the Arizona Memorial and we were not permitted to carry anything other than a small camera, a wallet and a water bottle. Everything else had to be checked in for collection on our way out. Needless to say, Cat definitely had the sulks all day, having to spend all the time in a hut with a couple of guards for company.

We were given a guided tour of some of the deck area, together with numerous facts and figures which are promptly forgotten – except for Mighty Mo’s birthday, which is 29th January. The six large guns were MASSIVE – only word to describe them! We saw the exact spot over which the table was placed for the signing of the documents to end World War 2, as well as photostat copies of both the English and Japanese language documents.

We saw the dents in the side of the ship which were made by a kamikaze pilot – they were never removed, despite the ship being recommissioned twice since WW2. Below decks were walked through the sailor’s and NCOs’ messes and quarters, saw the kitchens and various workshops and offices. Sailors’ bunks were little placed in any space available, even in corridors. The officers, of course, had bigger cabins and better messes. We walked through the bridge, someone sat in the captain’s chair, and we decided that the helmsman probably had the safest job with the thick armour plating surrounding the ship’s wheel. From the deck, we were able to see the actual Arizona Memorial just in front of the bows.

Of course, the exit was through the usual gift shop. We returned to the Arizona Memorial but didn’t go out to the sunken ship, as we have done that on previous occasions. However, Cat was lucky that the nice lady on the gate did allow him into the memorial so that he could have his photo taken and he quite proudly showed all the tourists just where he lived in the Pacific region.

To make it up to Cat for leaving him all morning, we decided to stop at the Aloha Towers on our return journey – this is where Cat was originally adopted from. Unfortunately, we were in for a big disappointment as the economic downtown has caught up with this centre and only a couple of businesses were still in operation. So it was back to Waikiki for an ice cream instead!