Cruise Passengers to Help Celebrate Anniversary of the Battle of Midway

Cruise Passengers to Help Celebrate Anniversary of the Battle of Midway When Regal Princess arrives in Midway on June 4, passengers will have the unique opportunity to relive history by attending a historic ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of one of the most famous Pacific battles of World War II. Passengers on the Hawaii & Midway Islands Anniversary sailing will join Midway veterans, local officials, military leaders, media and representatives of the Department of the Interior and Fish and Wildlife Service for a celebration featuring the commander of the Pacific fleet, the governor of Hawaii, the secretary of the interior and other dignitaries as they pay tribute to this important turning point of the war. Although the island usually limits the number of passengers ashore at one time, for this ceremony all passengers aboard Regal Princess will be welcome to attend. Passengers attending the ceremony will be part of a moving event featuring the Navy band, color guard, and a wreath presentation and remarks by numerous dignitaries who have flown to this usually isolated location for the occasion.

The Battle of Midway raged from June 4-7, 1942 when Japanese naval forces attempted to capture the U.S. Naval Air Station on the island. This historic fight turned the tide of the war when U.S. forces destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers in what became Japan's last major offensive. Midway served as a naval station until 1993. Today the three islands that make up the Midway atoll are operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a protected wildlife sanctuary which is part of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Midway makes up one of the Western-most coral outcrops of the Hawaiian Islands, and is an important bird sanctuary serving as home to the largest nesting colony of Laysan and black-footed albatross in the world.