Two new documentaries about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, PEARL HARBOR – USS OKLAHOMA: THE FINAL STORY and PEARL HARBOR – INTO THE ARIZONA air in advance of the 75th anniversary of the December 7 attack.
“Pearl Harbor marked a pivotal moment for the United States,” said Beth Hoppe of PBS. “It catapulted America into World War II, which transformed a generation of young men and women and our country’s role on the world stage. As we mark the 75th anniversary of the attack, PBS is pleased to present two films that not only pay tribute to those who died and those who survived, but also shed new light on what happened during the assault and what has become of the men and ships of Pearl Harbor.”
PEARL HARBOR – INTO THE ARIZONA, airing at 8 p.m. on December 6, is a one-hour film about a landmark expedition to the USS Arizona, one of the most sacred war graves in the world. Since its sinking 75 years ago, no one has seen deep inside the ship, where more than 1,000 sailors lost their lives. This film follows an expedition team that uses an advanced ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) to explore the lower decks of the USS Arizona for the first time since it sank.
PEARL HARBOR – INTO THE ARIZONA features interviews with several Pearl Harbor survivors, including Don Stanton, one of the few remaining survivors of the USS Arizona. The special follows Stanton’s emotional journey back to the Arizona, where he joins the expedition team and watches a live video feed from the ROV as it explores inside his ship, a sight he never thought he would see again. Never before seen 8mm movies taken by Ensign Carl Weeden transport viewers back to the days aboard the Arizona prior to the attack and provide the human backstory to the ghostly reminders uncovered by the modern-day exploration.
PEARL HARBOR – USS OKLAHOMA: THE FINAL STORY is a one-hour film, airing on December 6 at 7 p.m., that looks at the attack on Pearl Harbor with a focus on the sinking of the USS Oklahoma. The film features first-person accounts from survivors who describe the attack in vivid, harrowing detail — from the moments just before the attack, through every detail of the terrifying hours, to the days afterward spent trying to rescue the sailors trapped aboard. But the story of the USS Oklahoma didn’t end on December 7, 1941. For 75 years, families have waited for remains of “unknown” sailors to be identified and returned, and many questions still surround a lingering mystery: Why did the USS Oklahoma sink and capsize so quickly? PEARL HARBOR – USS OKLAHOMA −THE FINAL STORY will tell the stories of these unidentified sailors’ final homecoming, and dive into the mystery of the little-known Japanese “midget subs” that may have been responsible for the Oklahoma’s fate. WCVE PBS in Richmond, Virginia, is the presenting public television station.
Two New Pearl Harbor Documentaries to Air December 6
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