Wreckage of USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor, Hawai’i

Wreckage of USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor, Hawai’i

Hawai'i
conflict
World War Two
Pearl Harbor
militarisation

This photo shows the aftermath of the bombing at Pearl Harbour in December 1941. This photo is significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, the vessel that was bombed was a US naval ship. By the ship being stationed in Hawai’i, it shows that the US was using the island as a strong military base, possibly as a way of exerting control. Secondly, this photo marks the entrance of America to the Second World War which would also have involved Hawaiian peoples. This was a turning point in the war, and it’s interesting that Hawai’i was put at the centre of this due to American control. This helps link to the militarisation of Hawai’i by the United States, and the role this played in World War Two.

United States, Office for Emergency Management

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

https://www.loc.gov/item/2017700024/

7 December 1941

Georgia Day

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
https://www.loc.gov/item/2017700024/

N/A

Visual - photograph

20th century Hawai'i