Pearl Harbor, USA

Pearl Harbor is a major U.S. naval base and shipyard located in a beautiful bay on Oahu, one of Hawaii's largest islands. The island was discovered by Captain James Cook during his third Pacific expedition in 1778 and named Oahu for the abundant pearl oysters here. In addition to its many natural beauties, the island also has wonderful features for a defensive base. In 1887, the United States acquired rights to the Oahu territory and began dredging the ocean floor. In 1908, construction of the necessary buildings and equipment was completed and a naval base and shipyard were established here, which today is one of the largest in the world. Pearl Harbor is not as well-known due to political reasons. The world learned about it after the unexpected attack of the Japanese on December 7, 1941.

On November 26, 1941, under the command of Chuichi Nagumo, two battleships, two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser and 11 destroyer destroyers with six aircraft carriers with 441 aircraft set off from Hitokappu Bay in the Kuril Islands. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The purpose of the attack was to neutralize the U.S. Pacific Fleet in order to secure Japanese freedom of action in Southeast Asia and the Central Pacific. For the Americans, the losses were great - the battleship Arizona was sunk, 188 aircraft were destroyed, 159 were badly damaged, and 2,403 men were killed, with more than 1,000 from the blown-up battleship Arizona. The United States is in shock because for the first time in 100 years someone attacks them. This attack on Pearl Harbor becomes the reason for the United States to enter World War II.

Today, the wreckage of the Arizona is still visible beneath the transparent-green waters of the harbor, a ghostly reminder of the tragic events of the early morning of December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor is also a cemetery park and memorial to those who died here. Currently, Pearl Harbor continues to be a U.S. naval base, shipyard, and observation post in the Pacific.