The greatest layover in American history

BY MARK LA MONICA | mark.lamonica@newsday.com

November 18, 2008

The USS Missouri is an Iowa-class battleship that helped carry out bombing raids over Tokyo and provided firepower in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. (Newsday Photo / Mark La Monica)

HONOLULU - The plane from Lihue Airport in Kauai touched down seven minutes earlier than scheduled, adding to the already-awaiting six-hour layover in Honolulu International Airport.

Great, as if killing 25 percent of the day wouldn't be challenging enough after an eight-day adventure on the island of Kauai that included snorkeling off the Na Pali coast, learning to surf (well, more like renting the board, taking the lesson and nearly retearing a few knee ligaments) in Hanalei Bay and a monster drive and hike through Waimea Canyon.

What to do? What to do?

En route to baggage claim, the answer popped out at me like water through the blowhole at Spouting Horn in Poipu Beach. A well-lit advertisement on the wall turned what was once perceived to be a hellish afternoon into the greatest layover in American history.

Pearl Harbor. The USS Missouri. Bowfin Park. Hello, history books! Time to get some mileage out of those World War II fight songs we learned in Mr. Norton's fifth-grade class.

Wait, there's another sign for Waikiki, Oahu's famous vacation spot filled with beaches, bikinis, restaurants and tourists. No thanks. Next time. Today, it's all about visiting historical places and moments in time.

Oh good, my luggage appears to be the last bag unloaded from the plane. More time to call Pearl Harbor to reserve a spot on the last boat headed to the USS Arizona Memorial.

Alas, no dice. Turns out tickets sell out mad fast for this American landmark. Apparently, spur-of-the-moment trips to the start of America's involvement in World War II don't work. Lesson learned.

But the USS Missouri, home to the end of World War II, was still open. The cabbie from the airport (10 minutes, $15) dropped me off at the doorstep of history. To my right, the Pearl Harbor museum and ticket booth for a boat ride to the USS Arizona memorial. In front of me, the Waterside Memorial for U.S. submarines and sailors on "eternal patrol." To my right, Bowfin Park and museum, and the shuttle bus to the battleship Missouri. One-stop shopping for fans of history.

I paid my $16 admission (plus $5 to ride the flight simulator in a World War II battle) and hopped aboard the bus to the "Mighty Mo." Enthralled by the sense of history about to wash over my eyes and brain cells, I raced up the metal steps to the main deck. The same steps our American troops climbed in 1944 to fight the Japanese in the Pacific Rim. The same steps Gen. Douglas A. MacArthur climbed on Sept. 2, 1945, to sign the formal Instrument of Surrender and secure a World War II victory for the Allies. The same steps Japanese foreign minister Mamoru Shigemitsu climbed to surrender on behalf of Emperor Hirohito.

Electric!

You don't need to be a history buff to be moved by this. Just close your eyes and imagine for a moment. Then open your eyes and experience it.

Once on the Missouri, there are green arrows you may follow to tour the entire ship. Um, it's huge! Or, for an extra $7, you can take a guided tour with a retired military veteran who will talk you through the history of the ship, the battles it fought and the people involved.

You'll walk through the gun decks where 16-inch shells were launched at our enemies, where gun turrets sent 5-inch bullets piercing through the ocean air with one goal in mind. You'll climb up and down the steepest staircases ever and quickly understand why sailors always slid down them instead. You'll see the tight triple-bunk sleeping quarters for the sailors and, by comparison, the stately quarters known as Officers' Country. Learn about the petty officer's role in the Navy, watch films from World War II. Read letters from sailors to family members, from officers to generals, from presidents to admirals. Study the same maps used by Navy personnel in the 1940s.

All of which prepares you for that final goose-bumps-inducing experience: standing in the exact spot where the Japanese surrendered and the United States won World War II.

The treaty. In Japanese. In English. MacArthur's pen.

Massive.

Oh yeah, by the way, while you're on the ship, you're still surrounded by the majestic views of Oahu and the Pacific Ocean.

Indeed, the greatest layover in American history.

If you go

Battleship Missouri Memorial

Historic Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, 63 Cowpens St., Honolulu, HI 96818

Open daily 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Admission: $16 adults, $8 children

877-MIGHTY-MO (887-644-4896)

Visit ussmissouri.org or email MightyMo@ussmissouri.org for more information.