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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.