Pearl Harbor 75th Commemoration - 7 December 2016
On 8 December 1941 U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress at 12:30pm to respond to the attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. President Roosevelt described 7 December 1941 as "a date which will live in infamy". Within an hour of the President delivering his speech to Congress a formal declaration of war against the Empire of Japan was passed by Congress at 1:10pm. Just two days later a declaration of war against Germany and Italy was also passed by Congress. The United States was now officially in World War II. The sleeping giant was awaken by what happened 75 years ago at Pearl Harbor.
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Pearl Harbor
Image Source SnapShot from Google Earth
The United States government obtained exclusive rights to the inlet which would become the Pearl Harbor naval base in 1887. Pearl Harbor was established as a major naval base in 1919. The naval base was the headquarters of the United States Pacific Fleet. At the time of the attack the Hawaiian islands were a territory of the United States (they would not become a state until 21 August 1959) with a strategic Pacific naval base on the island of Oahu west of Honolulu.
Operation AI: Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Empire of Japan's Operation AI commenced at 7:48 in the morning Hawaiian time. The Imperial Japanese navy used six aircraft carriers to launch two waves of fighter planes, bombers, and torpedo planes consisting of a total of 353 planes.
Battleship Row
Moored alongside the east side of Ford Island was battleship row. This presented the Imperial Japanese planes with a prized target of opportunity. There were seven battleships, Arizona, California, Maryland, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia lined up together. The battleship Pennsylvania was not moored alongside Ford Island but in a dry dock at the time of the attack.
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This is what it looked like during the attack from a vantage point to the southwest of Ford Island.
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The battleship Utah was a target ship for the U.S. Navy moored on the west side of Ford Island. It was sunk during the attack too.
After the Attack
Three days after the attack this was the aerial view over Pearl Harbor's Battleship Row.
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Battleships
Five battleships, Arizona, California, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and the Utah were sunk. The California was later raised and return to service in January 1944. The Oklahoma was refloated in November of 1943 but later capsized and lost while being towed to the mainland in May of 1947. The West Virginia was raised and returned to service in July 1944. The Utah was a total loss. The Arizona was also a total loss.
Four battleships, Nevada, Tennessee, Maryland, and Pennsylvania were not sunk but damaged. The Tennessee and Maryland were both returned to service in February of 1942. The Nevada was beached and returned to service in October of 1942. The Pennsylvania which was in dry dock during the attack was not seriously damaged and remained in service.
Also Damaged and Destroyed
The Japanese Imperial planes also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were also destroyed during the attack. Fortunately the Japanese did not attack the power station, shipyard, fuel and torpedo depots, and headquarters building.
The Japanese lost 29 aircraft and five midget submarines.
Loss of Life
The Japanese lost 64 servicemen in the attack. One Japanese sailor was captured during the attack.
In the attack on Pearl Harbor 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 Americans were wounded. The greatest loss of life, 1,177 souls, was on the USS Arizona.
USS Arizona Memorial
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The USS Arizona was commissioned in 1916 and sunk on 7 December 1941 where it rest to this day.
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Today the most recognized symbol of the attack on Pearl Harbor is the USS Arizona Memorial. The Memorial rests over the sunken battleship.
75th Commemoration of the Pearl Harbor Attack
This year, 7 December 2016, marks the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. Events starts on 1 December and go through 11 December with the main ceremonies on 7 December at Pearl Harbor. More information can be found at 75th Anniversary website and in the full schedule of events.
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