Pearl Harbor exhibit opens Dec. 7; first time model on public display - 20 years in the making

National Museum of the United States Navy will be commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in a special “Valor in the Pacific: A Remembrance” exhibition opening Dec. 7, 2016. For more than 20 years, historian Rev. Todd Hammond has researched and worked on an 8’ x 12’ model covering approximately five square miles of Oahu as was on the eve of the attack. This is the first time the model will be on public display.

This exhibit incorporates artifacts, photographs, film footage, and artworks that convey the devastation, as well as the sacrifice, determination and courage of American Sailors during and after the attack. Valor in the Pacific will be on display December 7, 2016 - March 1, 2017 in the Temporary Gallery at 805 Kidder Breese Street, SE, Washington, D.C. The museum is free and open to the public.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japanese naval air forces attacked U.S. Naval and Army facilities at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Valor in the Pacific is divided into seven key areas which includes interpretation of the many facets of history, people and events leading up to the attack, the attack itself and its aftermath.

“The attack on Pearl Harbor is one of the most infamous events in American history. Those alive at that time vividly remember where they were when they heard the news of the attack.  This exhibit is the last major anniversary when one may directly pay homage to the survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Valor in the Pacific showcases rare artifacts and personal stories of Pearl Harbor survivors in compelling interpretive panels for visitors to experience,” said Jim Bruns, director of the National Museum of the United States Navy.

In addition to the Scale Model of Oahu, visitors can view key historic objects including the:

• Bell of USS Hoga: During the December 7 attack, 11 Sailors on the tug Hoga rescued men from the sea, pulled Vestal and Oglala out of the way, and fought fires on Nevada, Maryland and Tennessee before beginning a 72-hour effort to douse the fires on board Arizona. The crew braved the flaming oil-stained waters and the stomach-churning sight of dead bodies in the discharge of their duty.

• Piece of Battleship USS Arizona: On December 7, a 1,760-pound, 16.1-inch shell struck Arizona near the No. 2 turret, penetrated deep into the ship, detonated near the forward magazine, and set off the stored powder. Following the tremendous explosion, burnt body parts were flung into the sea, on shore and onto decks of other ships, killing 1,177 of the 1,512 ship’s crew. Half of the American deaths in the December 7 attack occurred on the Arizona.

• Battle “E” Plaque Battleship USS Tennessee: Turret 3 (third from the bow) on the battleship Tennessee earned a Battle “E” or Efficiency Award for gunnery in 1939, indicating that its members were considered amongst the best in the Navy. By December 1941, only two men from the 1939 turret crew remained on the ship. One of them Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Anthony J. Olejarcyzk, the donor’s father, was wounded during the attack. The turret took a direct bomb hit, but the bomb fortunately did not detonate although it damaged one of the guns.

• Battlefield Oahu: Originally shown in the WWII Valor in the Pacific’s Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, this 11-minute film gives visitors a straight forward, tactical explanation of how the Japanese carried out their massive attack on the island of Oahu.

Visitors are invited to attend a remembrance ceremony and an exhibit preview of Valor in the Pacific: A Remembrance on December 7 from 9-10 a.m. Vice Admiral Dixon R. Smith of Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) and Vice Admiral Thomas Moore of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) will join Mr. Bruns to install the final two pieces of the exhibit. The event closes with a wreath laying ceremony with 99-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor Chief Frank Ruby, USN (Ret.).

The National Museum of the United States Navy was established in 1961 and opened to the public in 1963. As an official Department of the Navy museum under the Naval History and Heritage Command, the National Museum of the United States Navy is the only Navy museum to present an overview of U.S. naval history 1775 to the present. Permanent and temporary exhibitions commemorate the Navy’s wartime heroes and battles as well as its peacetime contributions in exploration, diplomacy, navigation and humanitarian service. The NMUSN is free and open to the public. http://www.history.navy.mil/nmusn 

VISITOR INFORMATION
The National Museum of the United States Navy (NMUSN), located at 805 Kidder Breese Street in the Historic Washington Navy Yard in South East DC, is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends and holidays; closed on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve and Day. For more information about visiting the museum, and requirements for access, visit http://www.history.navy.mil/nmusn For g.eneral information, call 202-433-4882 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).