Ripley's Aquarium

Assalaamu Alaykum world.  Here is a new travel post.  These pictures were taken in Gatlinburg, TN which I found disappointing.  I thought with being in the Smokies that it would be more nature and it was nothing but buildings, tourist traps and Dollywood nearby.    I went to Gatlinburg with my mom and grandmother from April 7th to April 8th 2017.  

The first three pictures are of outside Sleep Inn where we spent the night.

Elephant statue at Sleep Inn, Gatlinburg, TN

Outside The Graystone Lodge On the River in Gatlinburg, TN on April 7th.

Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN.  Across the road from the hotel and has trolleys that take you around Gatlinburg and to Pigeon Forge. Do not recommend the trolly, they take forever to get to the stop.

-Japanese Admiral Harp Tadarchi

Steel Trap
The Oklahoma was struck by a torpedo within the first 10 minutes of the attack.   As seawater rushed in, she capsized, trapping hundreds of her crew within while sinking into the mud.  Only 22 men were saved from inside the steel hull, while hundreds of others remained trapped below.   Banging could be heard for a day...and then there was silence.  Four hundred twenty-nine crewmen gave their lives.

AGAINST ALL ODDS
Lieutenants Welsh  (25) and Taylor (21), both new fighter pilots, managed to take-off, re-arm, refuel and take off again in their P-40P Warhawks.  Outgunned 100 to 1, they survived and had the most killed, 4 and 2.

In 1941, the Japanese Zero was the best fighter in the Pacific.   Though underequipped and less experienced, US pilots chased them down in F-30 Fighters and P-40 Warhawks.

Twelve unarmed B-17 bombers coming in from the mainland were surprised to arive in the middle of the attack and were forced to land.

FDR AND PARALYSIS
In 1921, at the age of 39, FDR was diagnosed with infantile paralysis, better known as polio.  At that time, polio had no known cure and often resulted in full or partial paralysis.  He went through years of painstaking physical rehabilitation and eventually could walk short distances with the help of leg braces and a cane.   He remained wheelchair-dependant for the rest of his life, although the public did not know the full extent of his disability.   This was in part because, at his request, the only photos shown of him at the time were seated in an open car or standing behind a podum.

CONSERVING RUBBER
FDR gives a 'fireside chat' asking every American to conserve and ration materials that were urgently needed for the war effort.

"LOST GROUND CAN ALWAYS BE REGAINED-LOST TIME NEVER!" Franklin D. Roosevelt
DON'T SLOW UP THE SHIP!
Avoid time off!  Avoid time out!

"I want to talk to you about rubber..."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt

"A date which will live in infamy."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt

America met the tragedy of Pearl Harbor with defiance and resolve.  The following day, a heoric race to resurrect the Pacific fleet began.  In the end, all ships, save two, were returned to service.

THE MANHATTAN PROJECT
In 1959, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt, warning him that a nuclear weaon was theoritically possible-and that the Nazis may develop one first.  FDR promptly ordered a feasability study.
The Manhattan Project is kicked into high gear eleven days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  It employs 130,000 peopel and costs $2 billion-a staggering $26 billion in today's dollars.
Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, "The father of the A-bomb," headed the Manhattan Project's team of theoritical physicists.  He brought together the brightest minds in physics to work on creation of the atomic bomb.

FLAG SURRENDER
Japanese cloth hat used to surrender during WW2.   Framed and stretched so that it looks like a flag.

Instrument of Surrender

THUNDERFISH
IMPERIAL JAPANESE TYPE-91 TORPEDO

Pearl Harbor was assumed to be safe from serial torpedo attacks because it is only 40-feet deep. Typically, an aerial torpedo plunges to a depth of 150 feet before turning up to its target.
First Striker-The craft depicted here, a B5N2, bears the markings of a "Kate"
Three's Company-A "greenhouse" canopy covered the crew.   The radiomen/gunner operated a rear-facing 7.7 mm Type 92 machine gun, some later models also had a Type 92 in each wing.
Long Enough, Strong Enough-The 34-foot 6-inch fuselage was the most a carrier's deck elevators could accomodate.
Fatal Fish-85N's carried the Type 91 torpedo, a peregon of reliability and power.   Alternatively, Kates could have 1,760 lbs  of other munitions
Motor Muscle-The 1,000-horsepower second-generation Sekae engine pushed the Kate's top-speed to 235 mph.   The Kate had a ceiling of 27,100 feet and range of 1,237 miles.

MODIFIED THUNDERBIRD
Specially designed wooden fins were fitted to the tail and dropped into Pearl Harbor's shallow water from an altitude of 66 feet (20 m) at 180 mph (300 km/h).  The result was devestating.