Pearl Harbor - is a harbor on the island of O'ahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is part of a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan on December 7, 1941, brought the United States into World War II.
Pearl Harbor was originally an extensive, shallow embayment called Wai Momi (meaning "harbor of pearl") or Pu'uloa by the Hawaiians. Pu'uloa was regarded as the home of the shark goddess Ka'ahupahau and her brother (or son) Kahi'uka in Hawaiian legends. Keaunui, the head of the powerful and celebrated Ewa chiefs, is attributed the honor of having cut a navigable channel near the present Puuloa saltworks, by which the great estuary, now known as "Pearl River," was in all subsequent ages rendered accessible to navigation. Making due allowance for legendary amplification of a known fact, the estuary doubtless had an outlet for its waters where the present gap is; but the legend is probably correct in giving Keaunui the credit of having widened it and deepened it, so as to admit the passage of canoes, and even larger vessels, in and out of the Pearl River estuary. The harbor was teeming with pearl-producing oysters until the late 1800s.
The United States of America took interest in Pearl Harbor for it's shelter protected enterance and because of this the US and the Hawaiian Kingdom signed the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875. On January 20, 1887, the United States Senate allowed the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base (the US took possession on November 9 that year). The Spanish-American War of 1898 and the desire for the United States to have a permanent presence in the Pacific both contributed to this decision.
After the annexation, Pearl Harbor was refitted to allow for more navy ships. In May 1899, Commander F. Merry was made naval representative with authority to transact business for the Navy Department and its Bureaus. He immediately assumed control of the Coal Depot and its equipment. To supplement his facilities, he was assigned the Navy tug Iroquois and two coal barges. Inquiries that commenced in June culminated in the establishment of the "Naval Station, Honolulu" on 17 November 1899. On 2 February 1900, this title was changed to "Naval Station, Hawaii."
In 1908 the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard was established. The period from 1908 to 1919 was one of steady and continuous growth of the Naval Station, Pearl Harbor, with the exception of the discouraging collapse of the drydock in 1913. Work on the dock started on September 21, 1909 and on February 17, 1913, the entire drydock structure rumbled, rocked, and caved in. It was ceremonially opened to flooding by Mrs. Josephus Daniels, wife of the Secretary of the Navy, on 21 August 1919. The Act of 13 May 1908 authorized the enlargement and dredging of the Pearl Harbor channel and lochs "to admit the largest ships," the building of shops and supply houses for the Navy Yard, and the construction of a drydock. Work progressed satisfactorily on all projects, except the drydock. After much wrangling with Congress to secure an appropriation of over three million dollars for its construction, it was wrecked by "underground pressure. " In 1917, Ford Island in the middle of Pearl Harbor was purchased for joint Army and Navy use in the development of military aviation in the Pacific
But Pearl Harbor is probably best known by the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sunday December 7th, 1941,"A Date that will live in Infamy", when the harbor was surpriseningly attack the Emperor of Japan, launching U.S Involvement in World War II. The attack occurred under the command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the attack was devastating in loss of life and damage to the U.S. fleet. At 6:05 a.m. on December 7, the six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 183 planes composed mainly of dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. The Japanese hit American ships and military installations statting at 7:51 a.m. The first wave attacked military airfields of Ford Island. At 8:30 a.m. a second wave of 170 Japanese planes, mostly torpedo bombers, attacked the fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. The battleship Arizona was hit with an armor piercing bomb which penetrated the forward ammunition compartment, blowing the ship apart and sinking it within seconds. Overall, nine ships of the U.S. fleet were sunk and 21 ships were severely damaged. Three of the 21 would be irreparable. The overall death toll reached 2,350, including 68 civilians, and 1,178 injured. Of the military personnel lost at Pearl Harbor, 1,177 were from the Arizona. The first shots fired were from the USS Ward (DD-139) on a midget submarine that had surfaced outside of Pearl Harbor; the Ward did successfully sink the midget sub at approximately 6:55, about an hour before the assault on Pearl Harbor began.
Places to visit at Pearl Harbor
U.S.S Arizona Memorial — The USS Arizona Memorial is a white concrete and steel Structure than spans the sunken hull of the battleship, (pictured right). The memorial includes the offshore memorial and a onshore visitors center. Your visit the the Memorial is a somber one as the memorial is also the grave site of 1,117 men killed onboard and still etomb in the sunken hull of the ship, oil still seaps from the tanks of the once mighty battleship. The actual memorial is broken into 3 sections the entry room, the assembly area where you can view the remains of the ship and the shine room wherein the names of the men killed during the attack are engraved into the marble wall of the memorial.
The onshore visitor center houses two theathers and a museum that displays medals ship models and photographic murials that describle the history and nature of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The tour includes a 23 minute documentary film on the history of the attack, the self guided museum tour and A U.S. navy shuttle boat trip provides shuttle trips out to the actual memorial. Admission is free but tickets are distributed on a first come, first serve basis starting at 7:30am so get there early to get a change to visit the memorial.
Battleship Missouri Memorial — The Battleship Missouri stands proud at it's mooring with her Guns pointed towards the fallen Arizona. The "Mighty Mo" the last of the great battleships is now a museum after being decommission in 1998. The Battleship was a veteran of World war II, Korean and Gulf wars.
It is only fitting that this floating museum be dock at Pearl Harbor, because of, "Mighty Mo's" sigificanance in World War II. It was on the surrender deck of the Missouri that Japan officially signed the act of surrender ending the war on Sept 2nd, 1945. So at Pearl you can now visit both the start and official end of U.S. involvement in WW II. Visitors can also explore the decks of this mighty ship as well as it's armaments. There are also guided tours available that take you below deck to parts of the ship only the guided tours get to see.
Pacific Aviation Museum/Ford Island — is located on Ford Island in Hanger 37 the 42,000-sq.-ft museum contains vintage World war II aircraft and artifacts from the Pacific. Hightlights included film footage of Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; a Japanese Zero diorama, a B-25B Grumman Wildcat and Stearmam N2s-3. Flight simulators are also available. Also while on Ford Island you can visit the U.S.S Oklahoma memorial located next to the "Mighty Mo" museum this is somber memorial with stone pillars which are engraved with the names of the sailors who were killed onboad the ship during the attack
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park — is located next to the Arizona Memorial Vistor Center off State route 99. This museum commerates those men who slilently served aboard the submarines. The centerpiece of this museum in the 1,500-ton U.S.S Bowfin which is also known as the, "Pearl Harbor Avenger", this Balao class submarine could remain submerged for 24 hours. A museum traces the history of submarine design and you can tour below the decks of the submarine. A theater in the park shows film footage from World war II and submarine-related video tapes. Other hightlights included a periscope and conning tower viewing facility, a Japanese one-man "suicide submarine" and a memorial to the 52 U.S. submarines and the more than 3,500 crewman lost aboard them during the war.
The United States of America took interest in Pearl Harbor for it's shelter protected enterance and because of this the US and the Hawaiian Kingdom signed the 
But Pearl Harbor is probably best known by the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sunday December 7th, 1941,"A Date that will live in Infamy", when the harbor was surpriseningly attack the Emperor of Japan, launching U.S Involvement in World War II. The attack occurred under the command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the attack was devastating in loss of life and damage to the U.S. fleet. At 6:05 a.m. on December 7, the six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 183 planes composed mainly of dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. The Japanese hit American ships and military installations statting at 7:51 a.m. The first wave attacked military airfields of Ford Island. At 8:30 a.m. a second wave of 170 Japanese planes, mostly torpedo bombers, attacked the fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. The battleship Arizona was hit with an armor piercing bomb which penetrated the forward ammunition compartment, blowing the ship apart and sinking it within seconds. Overall, nine ships of the U.S. fleet were sunk and 21 ships were severely damaged. Three of the 21 would be irreparable. The overall death toll reached 2,350, including 68 civilians, and 1,178 injured. Of the military personnel lost at Pearl Harbor, 1,177 were from the Arizona. The first shots fired were from the USS Ward (DD-139) on a midget submarine that had surfaced outside of Pearl Harbor; the Ward did successfully sink the midget sub at approximately 6:55, about an hour before the assault on Pearl Harbor began.
U.S.S Arizona Memorial — The USS Arizona Memorial is a white concrete and steel Structure than spans the sunken hull of the battleship, (pictured right). The memorial includes the offshore memorial and a onshore visitors center. Your visit the the Memorial is a somber one as the memorial is also the grave site of 1,117 men killed onboard and still etomb in the sunken hull of the ship, oil still seaps from the tanks of the once mighty battleship. The actual memorial is broken into 3 sections the entry room, the assembly area where you can view the remains of the ship and the shine room wherein the names of the men killed during the attack are engraved into the marble wall of the memorial.
Battleship Missouri Memorial — The Battleship Missouri stands proud at it's mooring with her Guns pointed towards the fallen Arizona. The "Mighty Mo" the last of the great battleships is now a museum after being decommission in 1998. The Battleship was a veteran of World war II, Korean and Gulf wars.