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.)