On the morning of Sunday, December 7, 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
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 (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-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.)