Preview opening unveils USS Arizona exhibit

Oil Still Bleeds: A Relic and Remembrance of the Battleship USS Arizona Exhibit was unveiled Sept. 23 to a large crowd of invited guests, family members of veterans who served at Pearl Harbor, sponsors and elected officials.

The exhibit, in the north gun room at Fort Miles Museum in Cape Henlopen State Park, opened to the public Sept. 25 during Delaware Defense Day. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a relic from the USS Arizona, which was sunk Dec. 7, 1941, during a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The 11-foot, 650-pound relic was secured by the Fort Miles Historical Association.

The exhibit features a state-of-the-art interactive map of Oahu, Hawaii, where visitors can relive the experiences of 23 Delawareans stationed at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7. State-of-the-art touch screens tell the stories of each of the 23 heroes. More than 100 Delawareans were at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Two large video screens show footage from the attack with sound effects, and the sinking and final resting place of the Arizona, which is now a national memorial. Wall hangings throughout the room describe the history of Pearl Harbor, the Arizona and Delaware during World War II.

The exhibit is a collaborative effort of Horizon Philanthropic Services and the Fort Miles Historical Association. Horizon was able to raise $280,000 to create the exhibit. The premier sponsor is the Christian and Julie Hudson Foundation, with more than 60 other supporting sponsors.

Horizon Philanthropic Services senior associate and exhibit curator Heidi Nasstrom Evans said the 15-month display will open in stages, and include a lecture series and special guided tours for veterans groups.

Ceremony at the museum

Jim Pierce, president of the Fort Miles Museum, began the ceremony in a large tent outside the museum by thanking Fort Miles Historical Association president emeritus and association co-founder Gary Wray. “Your vision brought us to this tonight,” he said.

Pierce said the exhibit is a kickoff for the museum’s future plans for redesign, expansion and renovation. “This is a big milestone for us as we build a national museum,” he said.

FMHA board member Cliff Geisler, who headed the committee to secure the Arizona relic, said the artifact was cut off the sunken ship when crews removed all steel above the water line along battleship row, where the ship was sunk during a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, taking the lives of 1,177 sailors and Marines.

The removed wreckage was moved to a remote site on the Hawaiian base. After several requests by museums for an Arizona artifact, Congress passed a law in 1995 setting a path for donations following specific criteria, Geisler said. Aafter two years of work, he said, the relic was donated to the museum, and FedEx covered all shipping costs from Hawaii to Fort Miles.

The Arizona relic completes a mission of the association to create a bookends display of artifacts from the start and end of World War II. The attack on Pearl Harbor signaled the entry of the United States into the war, and a restored exhibit of a USS Missouri gun barrel at the museum’s entrance is symbolic of the end of the war. The Japanese signed surrender documents under the massive gun barrels on the USS Missouri.

Lewes Mayor Ted Becker said it has been remarkable to see the transformation of Fort Miles over the past 20 years. “This will be a world-class museum with national recognition,” he said.

Sen. Ernie Lopez, R-Lewes, said what the Fort Miles Bunker Busters and other volunteers have done is not just for today, but for many Delawareans in the future. “We are here to celebrate this treasure in eastern Sussex,” he said.

Rep. Ruth Briggs King, R-Georgetown, said she has visited the Arizona Memorial in Hawaii. “The same respect and honor is given to this site,” she said.

For more information, go to fortmilesha.org.

Exhibit plans over the next 15 months:
2021
Sept. 24-Oct. 31: Preview tours
2022
January-April: Stories of diversity lecture series
June 1: Public grand opening
October: Student Service Day
Nov. 11: Veterans Day ceremony
Dec. 7: Pearl Harbor Day and exhibit closing