From Our Files

Chronicling the Islands since 1888.

December 7, 2006 marks the 65th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Published in the September 1945 issue of Paradise of the Pacific, predecessor to HONOLULU Magazine, these strikingly similar photos contrast the start and end of World War II.

The photo above captures the explosion of the USS Shaw, a destroyer drydocked at Pearl Harbor during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack. Despite severe damage, the U.S. Navy was able to repair the ship, according to the U.S. Naval Historical Center. From 1942 to 1945, the Shaw participated in the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, the Guadalcanal Campaign and other military operations. Considered too old for the postwar fleet, the ship was decommissioned in October 1945 and scrapped in July 1946.

“How Pearl Harbor went wild at the news of the Japanese defeat,” writes Paradise of the Pacific. The photo above, taken from Fleet Admiral C.W. Nimitz’ rear headquarters overlooking the harbor, shows fireworks at the harbor on Aug. 13, 1945. “The pyrotechnics are from Very pistols fired from ships, and red tracer bullets. Scores of huge searchlights in the area criss-crossed the sky during the spontaneous celebration.”

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