Arkansas’ three living survivors of the bombing of Pearl Harbor were honored at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum. The ceremony also served to welcome the newest addition to the museum, the ex-US Navy tugboat Hoga.
“The survivors from Arkansas who were in Pearl Harbor will be cutting the ribbon to allow access to the general public to the main deck of the Hoga today,” said Allison Hibblong, the museum's Director of Operations.
The Hoga, which arrived in North Little Rock just two weeks ago, is a 100-foot tugboat. It played an active support role when the USS Arizona and USS Nevada were bombed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The process to acquire the Hoga began 15 years ago under former mayor Patrick Hays.
The Hoga joins the USS Razorback submarine which was present in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945, the day of the official Japanese surrender. The North Little Rock museum is one of the few in the world with vessels present on both the first and last day of U.S. involvement in World War II.
The interior of the Hoga will undergo renovations before being open for full tours.
