When a Ship Becomes a Building (Not a good thing)

Next Wednesday, December 7, 2016 marks the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  On December 7, 1941, a little after 8 am in the morning, hundreds of Japanese ships approached Hawaii from the east, and began the attack.  It lasted only about 2 hours, and by the time the Japanese left, 20 ships, and 300 aircraft had been destroyed.  2,000 American soldiers and sailors were killed in those two hours, and another 1,000 wounded.  The day was described by President Franklin Roosevelt as a "Day that will live in Infamy," and as every one who is at least as smart as a fifth grader knows, was the event that pulled America into World War II and ultimately led to victory of the allied forces of the US, Great Britain, Canada, and Russia, among others.

As I thought about the anniversary of this most tragic event, and all the history spawned from it, eventually my property manager brain found the hook I needed so I could indulge my impulse to write about it here.

One of the ships that was sunk that day, the battleship Arizona, was left at the bottom of the harbor after the attack. The ship's 1,177 sailors and Marines were "buried at sea" with the ship, and the site has become a museum in the US National Park Service for Americans to visit and honor their sacrifice.

So it is that a ship became a building. By creating a museum of this historic and sacred place, the Park Service has given us all a window into the horror of war, and perhaps that view will help make another world war unthinkable.  This photo I found of the site shows the floating "museum" sitting just above the ship in the harbor, as a boat is unloading visitors.  Apparently parts of the museum extend below the surface of the water so visitors can see the ravaged ship up close.


I can't imagine what it must be like for the Park Service to maintain this "building" but I'm sure it is a property management challenge unlike anything my team faces.  I appreciate the effort by the Park Service to help us all to remember our history.  I hope everyone takes a minute to remember the sacrifice of the brave men who died that day so that as Americans we can live in freedom today.