There were plenty of indicators that Japan could attack Hawaii and Pearl Harbor. But in 1941 many in the American military, government and public didn’t want to believe that it would happen. Read more
It seemed to be one more bit of damning evidence on a day full of American military mistakes. On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, two Army signals soldiers operating a mobile radar at Opana station, 532 feet above sea level near Kahuku Point, saw the biggest blip they had ever seen on their oscilloscope. Read more
About 60 airplanes were on the ground at Hickam Field, the headquarters of the Hawaii Air Force, and a flight of 12 B-17s was expected to arrive from Hamilton Field, Calif., on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. Read more
From its captain on the bridge to three young sailors below deck, the USS West Virginia was engulfed in heroism and tragedy when six Japanese torpedoes crippled and sank the battleship, killing 106 of its men. Read more
The attack on Pearl Harbor had barely begun when the battleship USS California was struck by two Japanese torpedoes. A later bomb blast further disabled the vessel, which started taking on water. Read more
The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, home of the USS Arizona Memorial, consistently has been a top tourism draw for Hawaii, but attendance has been declining over the past few years. Read more
Japan’s devastating attack on Pearl Harbor and Oahu aroused emotions in America as no other event in its history ever had, the authors of “At Dawn We Slept” wrote. Read more
The 1,760-pound Japanese armor-piercing bomb dropped from 10,000 feet onto the USS Arizona would wreck the ship, kill most of the crew and catapult the old battleship into the national consciousness. Read more
The anti-aircraft and target training ship USS Utah, berthed on the west side of Ford Island, was hit by two torpedoes and capsized, killing 64 of its crew. Read more
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Pearl Harbor was full of death and destruction — that of more than 2,000 men and the oil, debris and twisted, blackened hulls of formerly formidable warships that the fallen sailors and Marines had served on. Read more
The end of the USS Arizona as a battleship came within the first 15 minutes of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Read more
“The head of my (transportation) section went on a sailing trip to Molokai on Friday while I served a double shift.” Read more
“I heard what sounded like muffled explosions from a considerable distance away.” Read more
“I was on the deck of the Arizona when we became aware of the attack.” Read more
In the 1930s and preceding the attack on Pearl Harbor, Imperial Japan had a big problem: It was dependent on American oil to fuel its expansionist aspirations. Read more
Oahu was an impregnable fortress. Japan wouldn’t dare attack the United States, a first-rate nation, and its Pacific Fleet in Hawaii. Possibly elsewhere, such asin the Philippines, but certainly not Hawaii. Read more
At about 7:46 a.m. Dec. 7, 1941 — several minutes before they hit Pearl Harbor — Japanese fighters were poised to attack Naval Air Station Kaneohe and its 33 PBY Catalina reconnaissance flying boats. Read more
Within about five minutes of the Pearl Harbor attack, Navy ships began putting up a tremendous anti-aircraft barrage, according to the U.S. Army Center of Military History. Read more
Stuck in dry dock beyond its scheduled Dec. 6 departure date, the USS Pennsylvania was reported to be one of the first ships to return fire on Japanese raiders. Read more
The bravest of the brave are awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration by the U.S. government. It is bestowed by the U.S. Congress to members of the armed forces who distinguish themselves through “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty” while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States. Read more
