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| USS Arizona sinking, 7 December 1941 |
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan against the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of 7 December 1941. It was one of the defining events of the Second World War because it brought the United States directly into the conflict against Japan and, shortly afterwards, Germany and Italy.
Road to Pearl Harbor
Tensions had been rising for years. Japan was expanding aggressively in Asia (including its war with China since 1937) and sought resources in Southeast Asia. The United States imposed economic sanctions and an oil embargo in response, cutting off critical supplies. Japanese leaders, including Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (who conceived the plan), viewed a preemptive strike on the U.S. Pacific Fleet as necessary to neutralize American naval power and buy time for their conquests.
Their plan was based on a dangerous assumption: that the United States would be unable or unwilling to recover quickly enough to stop Japan's expansion.
Japan's attack force, commanded by Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo, had sailed across the North Pacific in secret. It consisted of six aircraft carriers carrying hundreds of aircraft, supported by other warships and submarines.
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| Map of Pearl Harbor before the attack |
The day of the attack
0350 - Submarine
USS Condor sighted a foreign midget submarine near the enterance of Pearl Habor, and informs destroyer
USS Ward. USS Ward spent a hour searching for the foreign submarine in vain.
0610 - From the north of Hawaii, about 180 planes were launched from six Japanese carriers.
0645 - USS Ward eventually found the submarine and sank it. This was the first shots fired by the Americans during the Pacific War. USS Ward signaled a warning to Pearl Harbor, but the extent of the threat was not understood yet.
0700 - U.S. Army radar at Opana Point detects a large formation of aircraft approaching. The contact is dismissed as expected incoming B-17 bombers from the mainland
0740 - First Japanese wave reaches the north shore of Oahu. Ten minutes later, Japanese attack commander Mitsuo Fuchida signals “Tora, Tora, Tora” (complete surprise achieved).
0755 - Japanese strike the airfields across Hawaii, including Wheeler Field, Kane'ohe Naval Air Station and Hickham Field. The battleships stationed on Battleship Row are also hit. Battleship USS West Virigina takes heavy damage from 6-7 torpedoes.
0758 - Official “Air Raid Pearl Harbor—This Is Not Drill” message is broadcast.
0800 - Battleship USS Oklahoma and training ship USS Utah takes heavy hits and capsizes within 12 minutes.
0806 - Catastrophic explosion on battleship USS Arizona. An armor-piercing bomb penetrates near Turret II, igniting the forward magazines. The ship is devastated and sinks rapidly with 1,177 men killed (nearly half of all American deaths that day occur in these few minutes). Fires rage for days.
0825 - Several battleships are already sunk, capsized, or heavily damaged and settling (Arizona total loss with massive casualties; Oklahoma and Utah capsized; West Virginia and California sinking). Airfields are largely neutralized. U.S. anti-aircraft fire is increasing. Japanese aircraft losses so far are relatively light.
0840 - The second wave of Japanese attacks begin. About 170 Japanese planes arrive, and Battleship USS Nevada is the priority target. To avoid being a sitting duck, USS Nevada leaves Battleship row to move towards open ocean.
0854 - USS Nevada is hit with a bomb. To avoid sinking at the entrance of Pear Harbor, the crew manages to beach USS Nevada at Hospital Point.
At the same time, USS Pennsylvania is heavily damaged; destroyers Cassin and Downes heavily damaged/wrecked in drydock; light cruiser Raleigh and others damaged.
0930 - Destroyer Shaw explodes as its magazines are hit.
0945 - The Japanese withdraw and decide against launching a third attack.
The casualty reports were grim. The Americans suffered 2403 fatalities with 1178 wounded. Four (Arizona, Oklahoma, West Virginia and California) of the eight battleships were sunk. About 10 more ships were heavily damaged or sunk.
The Japanese lost about 29 aircraft and suffered 129 fatalities.
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| USS Nevada during the attack |
Aftermath
As stated earlier, this attack united American opinion to join World War 2 on the side of the Allies. Furthermore, this attack encouraged the United States Navy to rely more on their carriers, which turned out to be decisive during the Pacific War.
Eventually, all the battleships (except Oklahoma and Arizona) would be repaired and return to service. The wreckage of Arizona is used commerate this attack.
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