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Rarely published photos from the attack
on
Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan
December 7th, 1941
(click on each photo for a larger version)
Pearl Harbor
On Sunday, December 7th, 1941 the Empire of Japan launched a
surprise attack against the U.S. Forces stationed at the deep water
Naval Base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
By planning his attack on a Sunday, the Japanese commander Admiral
Nagumo, hoped to catch the entire fleet in port. As luck would have
it, the Aircraft Carriers and one of the Battleships were not in
port. (The USS Enterprise was returning from Wake Island , where it
had just delivered some aircraft. The USS Lexington was ferrying
aircraft to Midway, and the USS Saratoga and USS Colorado were
undergoing repairs in the United States).
Despite of the latest intelligence reports about the missing
aircraft carriers (his most important targets), Admiral Nagumo
decided to continue the attack with his force of six carriers and
423 aircraft. At a range of 230 miles north of Oahu , he launched
the first wave of a two-wave attack.
Beginning at 0600 hours his first wave consisted of 183 fighters and
torpedo bombers which struck at the fleet in Pearl Harbor and the
airfields in Hickam, Kaneohe and Ewa.
The second strike, launched at 0715 hours, consisted of 167
aircraft, which again struck at the same targets.
At 0753 hours the first wave consisting of 40 Nakajima B5N2 "Kate"
torpedo bombers, 51 Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive bombers, 50 high altitude
bombers and 43 Zeros struck airfields and Pearl Harbor .
Within the next hour, the second wave arrived and continued the
attack.
When it was over, the U.S. losses were:
Casualties
USA : 218 KIA, 364 WIA.
USN: 2,008 KIA, 710 WIA.
USMC: 109 KIA, 69 WIA.
Civilians: 68 KIA, 35 WIA.
TOTAL: 2,403 KIA, 1,178 WIA.
Battleships
USS Arizona (BB-39) - total loss when a bomb hit her magazine.
USS Oklahoma (BB-37) - Total loss when she capsized and sunk in
The harbor.
USS California (BB-44) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and
Repaired.
USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and
Repaired.
USS Nevada - (BB-36) Beached to prevent sinking. Later repaired.
USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) - Light damage.
USS Maryland (BB-46) - Light damage.
USS Tennessee (BB-43) Light damage.
USS Utah (AG-16) - (former battleship used as a target) - Sunk.
Cruisers
USS New Orleans (CA-32) - Light Damage..
USS San Francisco (CA-38) - Light Damage.
SS Detroit (CL-8) - Light Damage.
SS Raleigh (CL-7) - Heavily damaged but repaired.
SS Helena (CL-50) - Light Damage.
SS Honolulu (CL-48) - Light Damage..
Destroyers
USS Downes (DD-375) - Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
USS Cassin - (DD-372) Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
USS Shaw (DD-373) - Very heavy damage.
USS Helm (DD-388) - Light Damage.
Minelayer
USS Ogala (CM-4) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.
Seaplane Tender
USS Curtiss (AV-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.
Repair Ship
USS Vestal (AR-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.
Harbor Tug
USS Sotoyomo (YT-9) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.
Aircraft
188 Aircraft destroyed (92 USN and 92 U.S. Army Air Corps.) |
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