12/8/2018
December 7, 1943: Today is the second anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack and this is our second day in Pearl. We are tied-up alongside the sunken Arizona. Tomorrow we will have our first liberty. We will be going out every week for three or four days of practice firing.
December 8, 1943: Today I had my first liberty in Honolulu and it is full of Sailors. The area is one large military installation and civilians work around the clock. The trip to Honolulu is by liberty boat from the ship to the Navy yard, through the main gate at the yard to the railroad station. The train is a narrow gauge train and is packed with Sailors. The train travels through pineapple and sugarcane fields. The military installations are quonset huts and tents. The trip to Honolulu is under one hour. Liberty is two days off and one day on. Wikikaki [sic] Beach is beautiful with great sandy beaches and having drinks at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and drinking beer at the breakers. Frank Studenski