Historic pictures from a Navy pilot friend who was supposed to have been there that day. He's still alive and well at 85. He flew the 'Osprey' type float plane shown in a couple of the Photos. They were launched from the big 'Cruisers'

PEARL HARBOR BOMBING

Courtesy of Bernie Peterson, Club Treasurer

Text Details at the End of the Photos

Pearl Harbor

On Sunday, December 7th, 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 a00 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 Killed In Action,  1,178 Wounded In Action! .

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. L ater 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) - Ligh t 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. Partsslaed.
   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
  &nb sp;USS Vestal (AR-4) - S! everely 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.)