"USS Euryale Gorgon Newsletter, June, 2006, Pearl Harbor Revisited"

Pearl Harbor Revisited

submitted by Bill Bradfield and Tom Solosky

June, 2006

Coincidentally, I received the same pictures on the same day from both Bill and Tom!

Pearl Harbor Bombing

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 at 00 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 KIA, 1,178 WIA<

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. Later 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) - Light 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. Parts salvaged.
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
USS Vestal (AR-4) - Severely 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.)

Original photos of 12/7/41
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'.

Bill has provided clues to the pictures:
#1 Ford Island
#2 Hickham Field
#3 Can't identify but probably not USS Utah since no heavy hull blisters show
#4 and #5 Shots of Battleship Row ablaze.
#6 Subbase, with ASR (USS Coucal?, USS Chanticleer?, or USS Falcon? or similar ship) with diving bell on deck.
#7 Battleship (Number ?)
#8 PBY's on base
#9 Airfield damage (note float plane, from cruiser or battleship)
#10 More aircraft damage
#11 Drydock with DD's (USS Cassin and USS Downes ?)
#12 USS Pennsylvania with USS Cassin and USS Downes afire in drydock
#14 USS Arizona explodes
#15 Drydock with USS Cassin and USS Downes, and USS Pennsylvania in background.

These identities are based on obvious clues in a few cases and calculated guesses in others. For those better informed, please send in your ideas.--Bill