PEARL HARBOR PHOTOS & STATS

On Sunday, December 7th, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the U.S. Forces stationed at Pearl Harbor, 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.)

In spite 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 Harbour 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 (CA38) - Light Damage
USS Detroit (CL-8) - Light Damage
USS Raleigh (CL-7) - Heavily damaged but repaired
USS Helena (CL-50) - Light Damage
USS Honolulu (CL-48) - Light Damage

Destroyers

USS Downes (DD-375) - Destroyed. Parts salvaged
USS Cassin - (DD-37 2) 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

Harbour Tug

USS Sotoyomo (YT-9) - Sunk but later raised and repaired

Aircraft

188 Aircraft destroyed (92 USN and 92 U.S. Army Air Corps.)

PHOTOS STORED IN AN OLD BROWNIE CAMERA

These photos are from a camera stored in a foot locker of a sailor who was on the USS Quapaw ATF-110.