They were taking souvenir photos before getting on the ship but we opted out and just took our own photo. I loved Kevin in the sailor hat.
It was sort of unreal being on the battleship. Our tour guide wasn't that great but the ship was still impressive.
The guide did show us the spot on the ship (while in Tokyo Bay) where the Japanese signed the instrument of surrender bringing an end to WWII.
The Instrument of Surrender.
Towards the back of the ship they had an area where they often hold ceremonies and special events. We found the Kansas flag and couldn't resist getting a photo with it.
After the official tour we were able to wander below deck for as long as we wanted. I was impressed with how much of the ship we were able to see.Kevin checking out the snack shop.
Playing poker in the chiefs lounge area.
I really enjoyed seeing the models of the ship displaying the updates it underwent from when it was first commissioned in 1944 to its modernization in 1984.From the USS Missouri you get a very nice view of the USS Arizona Memorial.
A view of the Memorial from the boat.
Being on the Memorial and being able to see the sunken ship underwater was a very strange feeling. Just knowing how much life was lost that day in the water below us was sort of unreal. One of the rangers out there was very knowledgeable and I really enjoyed listening to him tell us facts about the ship.This is a part of the ship that is above water still. If you look in the water you can see the film of oil. Apparently two gallons a day leak out and there are still 500,00 gallons of oil remaining on the ship. Barnacles are eventually going to lead to the collapse of the ship in the water and at that point all of the oil will be released.
Seeing all of the names on the wall and knowing that they are below us was intense. Everyone was pretty quiet on that part of the memorial and for good reason.
This isn't my photo but I wanted to include it since it is such a fantastic aerial shot of the ship and Memorial.
A view of the USS Missouri from the Arizona Memorial. I love that they retired the ship at Pearl Harbor next to the memorials.
There is also an Aviation Museum and a submarine that you can tour when you visit Pearl Harbor. We may have to check that out someday.After leaving Pearl Harbor we headed back towards the North Shore in hopes of finding turtle cove so I could get my fill of sea turtles. We successfully found the cove and there were already two sea turtles basking in the sun. While we were there we got to see two more make there way to the sand as well as several others swimming in the water.
I knew they would be big but I was still blown away by their size. Scientists aren't really sure why so many turtles consistently come to this exact part of the island. There are activists and volunteers there 24/7 protecting the turtles since they are endangered. They had ropes up so we couldn't get too close, but they put signs up letting us know the names and facts about each one.
After our fill of turtles we headed up a little further north and stopped by sharks cove. It is basically a giant tide pool and we had a good time exploring. (There were no sharks there so don't worry).
Watching the water rush over the rocks was amazing. We really wished at that moment that we had brought our water shoes with us to make getting around a little easier (we left them in the car).
By the time we left shark's cove we were pretty hungry and ready for some shrimp. There are a lot of shrimp trucks on the North Shore since it is a big shrimp farming area. 
We split the shrimp scampi and it was delicious but I wish we hadn't been so full and had ordered the lemon shrimp as well.
I realize that these posts are somewhat long and I still have 3 days left from the trip to cover. We just did so much stuff that I want to share. Maybe these posts will make up for my lack of posting this year so far.
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