Photo: WBZ NewsRadio Archive
QUINCY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Greater Quincy residents and veterans gathered at the USS Salem at the Quincy Fore River Shipyard for a special ceremony in honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on Saturday.
This year marked 83 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii during World War II in 1941. Congress designated Dec. 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day to observe the 2,403 military soldiers and civilians who were killed during the attack and the two U.S Navy battleship that sank – USS Arizona and USS Utah.
For Nella Townsend, attending the ceremony this year was an emotional one.
“[This is the] first time I’ve been on this ship without my father,” she said addressing the crowd. “His eyes used to light up every time we used to talk about the USS Salem and his time he spent here.”
Her father, John Townsend, passed away in June and served aboard the ship during the war.
The USS Salem is the world’s only preserved Heavy Cruiser and was decommissioned in 1959. Today, it is managed by the United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum. The ship is undergoing refurbishment work at the moment and has been closed to the general public for the 2024 season.
Along with the Town of Braintree Veterans Services Office, the museum and the City of Quincy opened the ship to the public Saturday for the ceremony from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Quincy Veteran’s Council’s Heikki Pakkala told WBZ NewsRadio that Peal Harbor Remembrance Day is just as important as the rest. “We want to remember them and honor them as we do every World War II veteran,” he said.
WBZ NewsRadio's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App | TikTok