Pearl Harbor
The home of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and the last great stop on the road home.
United StatesThe Port
Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, is the headquarters of the United States Pacific Fleet and the most storied naval base in American history. Its sheltered lochs — ringed by the fleet’s piers, dry docks, and submarine base — have been the strategic anchor of American power in the Pacific for more than a century.
For a carrier returning across the Pacific, Pearl Harbor is the threshold of home waters: the great way station between the Far East and the U.S. West Coast, and for Constellation, the last major port of the cruise.
Hallowed Ground
Pearl Harbor is also a place of remembrance. The Japanese attack of 7 December 1941 drew the United States into the Second World War and is memorialized there at the USS Arizona, where much of the battleship’s crew still lies beneath the harbor. Ships entering and leaving render honors as they pass.
Constellation’s call came near the end of her deployment, often the moment for a Tiger Cruise — family members embarked to ride the ship home — on the final leg across to San Diego.
Ashore
For the crew, Hawaii was the green promise that home was only days away: the warmth of the islands, the solemn quiet of the Arizona Memorial, and the last liberty of a six-month cruise before the run east to San Diego.
See Pearl Harbor in the cruise book →Questions & Answers
Why did Constellation stop at Pearl Harbor?
Pearl Harbor, headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, is the traditional last port of call for carriers returning to the U.S. West Coast. Constellation called there near the end of the 1994–95 deployment, before the final leg home to San Diego.
What is the USS Arizona Memorial?
The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor marks the resting place of the battleship USS Arizona, sunk in the 7 December 1941 attack. Much of her crew remains entombed in the ship beneath the harbor.
What is a Tiger Cruise?
A Tiger Cruise lets family members ride a Navy ship for the final leg of a deployment. Constellation's homeward leg from Hawaii to San Diego was a traditional opportunity for such a cruise.