A surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on Dec. 7, 1942, forced the United States into World War II. Vice Admiral Chiuchi Nagumo led a thirty-three ship Japanese striking force under the cover of darkness to within 200 miles north of the island of Oahu, Hawaii. From there his carriers launched around 360 airplanes against the Pacific Fleet. The first bombs feel about 7:55 a.m. The chief targets for these planes were the eight American battleships among the 92 naval vessels anchored in the harbor.
When the attack ceased a little after 10:00 a.m., a little more then two hours after it had begun, the American forces had paid a fearful price. Twenty-one ships of the US Pacific Fleet were sunk or damaged: the battleships Arizona, Nevada, Tennessee, Maryland, Oklahoma, West Virginia, California, and Pennsylvania; the cruises Raleigh, Helena and Honolulu; the destroyers Downes, Cassin, Shaw, and Helm; the seaplane tender Curtiss; the target ship Utah; the repair ship Vestal; the minelayer Oglala; the tug Sotoyomo; and Floating Dry Dock Number 2. Aircraft losses were 188 destroyed and 159 damaged. The majority of these planes were hit before they had a chance to get off the ground. 2,403 Americans died and 1,178 military and civilian wounded.
Even though the Japanese destroyed many of the American's battleship and airplanes, they had failed to damage any American aircraft carriers. Only by a stroke of luck, they were absent from the harbor when the attack begun. The Japanese also did not damage the shore side facilities at the Pearl Harbor naval base. With America's new technology, they were able to save all but three of the battleships that were damaged by the Japanese. These three ships were the Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah. But above all, the shock and anger that the attack generated helped unite the divide nation, and that nation would go on and play an extremely important part in World War II. Today the US Arizona stands as a reminder of the events of that Sunday Morning.
