Download On December 7 th , 1941 the Pacific Naval Fleet at

Collin Mellor
English 2010
Report
Pearl Harbor
On December 7th, 1941 the Pacific Naval Fleet at Pearl Harbor was attacked by the
Japanese. They dropped many bombs and launched many torpedoes at American ships and
planes. This left many Americans in shock and bewilderment. The main point the attack raised
for the Americans was, did the damage at Pearl Harbor cripple the Pacific fleet? The attack was
very devastating to the Pacific fleet many men were killed and many ships were sunk. There
were also many Air Force aircraft that were destroyed from high level bombers. Many hospitals
were filled with dying air and seamen. The doctors had to choose which of the men could be
saved. It was a very heavy toll taken by the United States military that day. The U.S. Fleet lay in
complete ruin, black crude oil and fuel leaking from ships all around the harbor.
The main ships in the Pacific fleet were at Pearl Harbor the day of the attack with many
little ships as well. In an article online Rosenberg says, “The main target of the Japanese was to
be the aircraft carriers; however, since all three U.S. aircraft carriers were out to sea, the
Japanese focused on the battleships.” This was good for the United States because their aircraft
carriers were still intact after the attack. According to Rosenberg the Japanese picked another
target “There were eight battleships at Pearl Harbor that day, which included all the battleships
of the U.S. Pacific fleet except for one (the Colorado).” The United States lost all of their
battleships in the Pacific fleet except for one. There were many little ships at Pearl Harbor as
well that were affected. With all of the main battleships destroyed in the Pacific fleet accept for
one, it would cause the United States to have major issues in battles with Japan and other
countries. Most of the Atlantic fleet helped in the invasion of Europe to help stop Germany.
There were also the airfields that lay in complete ruin from raining bullets from above
and bombs blowing apart planes and hangers. From a personal Interview with Grover Childs, he
remembers the hangers at Hickam airfield looking like Swiss cheese because there were so
many bullet holes in the sides of them. Many planes were destroyed that day. Dudley says “At
air bases across the island, planes parked wing to wing in neat rows blew apart as fires
blossomed from hangers and vehicles.” This describes how close the planes were parked, in the
airfield. Since the planes were parked so close to each other it made them easier targets for the
enemy to destroy.
The majority of the planes that were at Pearl Harbor were destroyed Dudley says “Of
the slightly more than 400 American planes on Oahu, bombs bullets destroyed some 350—
most never rose against the enemy.” The planes that were grounded didn’t even have a chance
to make it into the air. The airfields suffered major losses and it was a grueling site. Dudley
describes the airfields. “Smoke drifted skyward from the bloodied burning tarmacs to mix with
the greater conflagration at Pearl Harbor.” This was just part of the damage that was caused
that day.
The main part of all the carnage happened at the harbor itself. Dudley describes some of
the damage “Their, torpedoes and armor piercing bombs slammed the great gun line of the U.S.
Pacific fleet, anchored in pairs along battleship row.” Many of the ships at Pearl were also
parked close together like the planes which also made them easier targets. The ships were
parked in rows, that is why the formation is called battleship row. One of the ships that took a
lot of damage during the battle was the U.S.S Oklahoma. Dudley says “The Battleship
Oklahoma, struck by five torpedoes, capsized. As it slowly rolled into the mud, men abandoned
ship in the face of strafing zeroes.” The Oklahoma was damaged really badly and it left men to
swim and fend for themselves. They had to try and get to safety without getting shot by
Japanese Zeros.
Another ship that took heavy damage was the U.S.S Arizona. Stevens Says “Barely 10
minutes into the raid, a 1,790-pound armor-piercing bomb crashed through Arizona’s decks and
ignited the forward ammunition magazine. A gargantuan explosion shattered the Ship and
snuffed out the lives of 1,177 crew members.” This killed the majority of the men who died at
Pearl Harbor that day.
Other ships were also damaged in the battle of Pearl. Mark Potts says “Almost 7
decades after the attack Arizona’s fuel tanks are still leaking.” Stevens says, “California and
West Virginia sank. Maryland, Tennessee and Nevada sustained severe damage. Pennsylvania
the Pacific fleet’s flag ship, was smashed in dry-dock.” All of these ships were damaged badly at
the battle of Pearl Harbor. Many of the ships had sunk in the harbor. In the article by Stevens it
says “Tennessee and Maryland, anchored inboard on Battleship Row, caught two bombs each.”
These two ships were both on Battleship Row. Both of them received two bombs. Dudley then
says, “California, not as lucky in positioning, felt the blasts of two torpedoes and two bombs
before it’s deck slid beneath the waters, a hundred sailors and marines died with it.” The next
ship damaged at Pearl was the Pennsylvania. Dudley says, “Pennsylvania in dry-dock across the
harbor suffered only one bomb hit, but the destroyers sharing it’s dock suffered severe bomb
and fire damage.”
There is another ship that also received great damage that day. It was the U.S.S Utah.
Dudley says, “The retired battleship Utah capsized, entombing more than 50 men.” One
battleship was kind of a lone wolf because it wasn’t next to another battleship was the Nevada.
Dudley says, “Nevada anchored alone at one end of the row, managed to steam for the harbor
mouth, but a torpedo and six bombs forced its deliberate grounding with 60 dead.” The Nevada
was able to get underway bit it was quickly cut down by bombs and torpedoes had to stop and
anchor.
With all of the damage sustained at Pearl Harbor what would the Pacific fleet do? Was
the damage so bad that the ships were a complete loss? A salvage crew was put together that
would try and fix the damage at Pearl Harbor. In an article written by Karen Jensen it talks
about rebuilding the harbor. Jensen says “Within days of the Japanese attack the salvage team
was sent in to fix what they could. Jensen describes the West Virginia “On December 7 th 1941
bombs shattered the battleships decks and torpedoes tore giant gashes into its port side while
it was moored at Pearl Harbor. Sinking the great ship up to its main deck and burrowing its keel
in the muck at the harbor bottom. Then Jensen describes the repairing process. “Within six
months, the battleship was patched up, pumped out and afloat again. It rejoined the fleets late
in the war, finally assuming a place of honor next to the U.S.S Missouri in Tokyo bay were the
surrender ceremony took place.” The West Virginia was at the Tokyo surrender ceremony.
That shows how well the repair team was able to do their job. Jensen describes the
salvage unit, “Within days, more than a thousand men, part of the U.S. Navy Salvage Repair
Unit, arrived to begin the work. Thousands more civilians followed.” This proves that many
people were willing to help with the repairs. All people showed up even civilians who just
wanted to help the salvage effort. Jensen then says, “The rent metal, oily water, trapped
poisonous gases, unexploded ordinance, and debris of every imaginable form, including human
bodies.” This shows the terrible working conditions that the salvage crew had to work in. An
article says the Japanese attack was a mistake. Grimsley says this about the attack “Most of the
vessels damaged or sunk were subsequently repaired and returned to action, where as any
warships lost in the central pacific disappeared beneath thousands of feet of water.” Since the
harbor was so shallow the Americans were able to recover and repair their ships.
The Salvage effort at Pearl Harbor was nothing short of amazing. Jensen describes the
effort “Yet within two years, all twenty-one ships that had been damaged save only for the
Arizona and Utah, had been raised or salvaged –a testament to the skill, dedication and
ingenuity of the men confronted with the task.” All but two of the American ships were
salvaged and recovered from the bottom of the harbor. Jensen says “The navy had no interest
in publicizing this potentially morale-boosting story, however. Not wanting to reveal to Japan
the full extent of the blow dealt to the Pacific fleet.” The fleet recovered and was fixed before
the end of the war.
Works Cited
Childs, Grover. Personal Interview, 9/9/12
Dudley, Wade G. "Hallowed Ground... A Date Which Will Live In Infamy." Military History
28.5 (2012): 32. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 3 Oct. 2012.
Grimsley, Mark. "…The Pearl Harbor Attack Had Failed?." World War II 25.6 (2011): 75-76.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Oct. 2012.
Jensen, Karen. "Rebuilding Pearl." World War II 22.4 (2007): 42. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 3
Oct. 2012.
Potts, Mark. "A Respectful Stillness At Pearl Harbor." World War II 23.6 (2009): 22-24.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Oct. 2012.
Rosenberg, Jennifer “Facts About the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941”,
About.com, 20th Century History, 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012
Stevens, Joseph E. "Remembering The Day Of Infamy." Military History 18.2 (2001): 14.
MasterFILE Premier. Web. 3 Oct. 2012.