Michael Carr, president and chief operating officer of the Battleship Missouri Memorial, showered gifts upon the milestone visitor, including a U.S. flag that Chmiel and her children helped raise over the “Mighty Mo”. Other Oahu attractions and companies joined the Missouri in congratulating the visitor with gifts.

Visiting Hawaii with her husband, Tim Saviello, and their two children, Chmiel and her family have several ties to Hawaii and the military. Chmiel’s father served in the U.S. Navy; Tim Saviello was born on Oahu at Tripler Army Medical Center, where his father worked as a doctor; and his sister-in-law, Erin Saviello, is currently serving in the U.S. Air Force.

The five aircraft, from the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, are now housed in an 85,000 square foot Hangar 79 that is also home to an F-14 Tomcat, an F-15 Eagle, a Bell UH-1 “Huey,” a Bell AH-1 Sea Cobra, and a Stinson L-5.

The project is being paid for by the USS Missouri Memorial Association, with some funds coming from a Department of Defense grant.

Just 3 years ago, a hull rivet rusted through, flooding a tank and popping open a hatch. Two surveys determined that a dry dock was necessary to repair other rusted areas. The ship will also be repainted in gray which makes warships difficult to see.

When the ship reopens for visitors, the admission will change to a flat rate of $20 for adults which includes a guided tour. Previously only 30% of visitors were taking the separately priced guided tour, but their satisfaction level was so much greater that the association decided to include the tour as part of the general admission.

The Missouri was Hawaii’s 12th most visited attraction in 2008 with 389,000 visitors.

Illustration of the new Pearl Harbor Visitor Center & Museum

The new Pearl Harbor Museum and Visitor Center is expected to be completed in December 2010.  The construction is being done in stages so that that portions of the museum can remain open and provide continuing access to the Arizona Memorial.

The new facility will include an additional six acres of land and the visitor center will expand to 24,000 square feet, doubling the current museum exhibition space. Have a look at illustrations of the new design.

The new Arizona Visitor center will:

• accommodate the increasing number of people that visit each year with expanded, comfortable, and ecologically aware facilities.
• provide in-depth interpretation of what happened at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 through comprehensive, state-of-the-art audio/visual displays; the use of rare, historical photographs, charts, maps, and more to extensively analyze events leading up to the attack through the post-attack salvage efforts; and new, “tactile” presentations allowing visitors to feel the history of Pearl Harbor.
• Make use of climate-controlled exhibit cases allowing many more of the priceless artifacts of Pearl Harbor history to be displayed.

Funds are still being raised to pay for the construction. To find out more about the new visitor center or make a donation online visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund website.