ASME Hawaii Section Members Participate in Annual Pearl Harbor Boat Tour

For most tourists visiting from the mainland or Japan, the itinerary of places to see include the world famous Waikiki beach, Hanauma Bay and, of course, the Arizona Memorial. But with the 3rd anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center behind us, tourists and local visitors of the Arizona Memorial are ever so reminded of the freedoms that we enjoy today because of the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, and those brave men and women currently serving in our armed forces.

Thus, it was a great honor for some of our ASME Hawaii section members to participate in the annual Pearl Harbor Boat Tour held on September 9, 2004. This private tour was conducted by Mr. Stanford Yuen, P.E., Executive Assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs, Navy Region Hawaii, and was free of charge. Attendees from the ASME Hawaii section include Jay Higashi and his five year old son Ryan, and Chairman Raymond Liu. In addition, other attendees include members of the St. Louis Alumni Association, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and members of various Chinese benevolent societies. In all, there was an attendance of over 100 people.

The tour began at 4:00pm and included an educational narration by Stanford Yuen of Ford Island and Pearl Harbor, highlighting major features of the December 7^th attack; Ford Island Bridge; the role that the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility plays in the Pacific; Fleet & Industrial Supply Center (FISC); Submarine Base; Active & Mothballed Ships; Historic Sites (Hospital Point); Housing; close-up of the Battleship USS Missouri; and memorials USS Utah and USS Arizona.

Additional points of interest include West, Middle and East Loch shoreline as well as the Waipio and Pearl City Peninsula. But the highlight of the tour was the private visit to the USS Arizona Memorial. It gave the visitors a chance to observe the remains of the sunken hull of the USS Arizona and Memorial Wall with all the names of the sailors who perished and those still entombed within the sunken hull.

The tour ended at 5:30pm and was enjoyed by all and reminded us all that our freedom that we enjoy is not “free” and we should not take it for granted.

The ASME Hawaii section would like to thank Mr. Stanford Yuen, P.E. for reserving limited amount of seating to the section membership and providing an excellent narration of the tour.