December 7, 1941

The Pearl Harbor Naval Base on the Hawaiian island of Oahu is the hub of United States Pacific naval power. Most of the Navy’s major commands have headquarters there. Yet even after fifty-seven years, its name is still synomous with the surprise Japanese attack of “December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy.” The United States suffered 3,700 casualties, along with damage to twenty-one ships and 300 planes.

Attack at Pearl Harbor
“The surprise was complete. The attacking planes came in two waves; the first hit its target at 7:53 AM, the second at 8:55. By 9:55 it was all over. By 1:00 PM the carriers that launched the planes from 274 miles off the coast of Oahu were heading back to Japan.” This single page description of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor includes quotes from eyewitnesses and some amazing photographs.

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Tags: hawaii, pearl harbor, december 7 1941, naval base, world war ii