12 facts about Pearl Harbor
December 7 is a solemn day marked by remembrance of an event that lives on in the minds of many people - particularly those who are old enough to remember the ravages of World War II. On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, resulting in more than 3,500 American troops and civilians being wounded or killed. The Japanese attack brought the war much closer to home, shocking the country and the world.
In honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, here's a look at some interesting and surprising details about the attack and Pearl Harbor in general.
1. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor as part of a strategy to expand its empire into Southeast Asia for oil and other vital resources. Japan was threatened by U.S. opposition and the oil embargo placed on the nation by the United States.
2. Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, which is west of Honolulu. It often was visited by the Naval fleet of the United States.
3. Pearl Harbor lies approximately 3,800 to 4,000 miles from Tokyo, Japan. It is much closer to the U.S., at roughly 2,600 miles from Los Angeles, despite Hawaii often being described as centrally located in the Pacific.
4. To catch the Americans by surprise, Japanese ships maintained strict radio silence throughout their trek from Hitokappu Bay to a predetermined launch sector 230 miles north of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, according to the National World War II Museum. Planes lifted off at 6 a.m., followed by a second wave an hour later.
5. The first wave of planes arrived shortly before 8 a.m. that Sunday morning, with hundreds of Japanese fighters descending on the base.
6. Pearl Harbor Tours says many people do not know that Americans fired the first shot the morning of December 7. The Wickes-class destroyer USS Ward attacked and sank a Ko-hyoteki-class midget submarine near the entrance to Pearl Harbor. It was the first shot fired on that day.
7. Japan's plan was to destroy America's Pacific Fleet so the Americans would not be able to fight back. Radio silence only was broken once Captain Mitsuo Fuchida was perched above the American ships and shouted, "Tora! Tora! Tora! (Tiger!, Tiger! Tiger!)," the coded message informing the Japanese fleet that Americans were caught by surprise.
8. All nine battleships in Pearl Harbor sustained significant damage. All but the USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma and the USS Utah were eventually salvaged and repaired.
9. Half of the 2,403 U.S. personnel who perished at Pearl Harbor were aboard the USS Arizona. The sunken battleship serves as a memorial to all who died in the attack.
10. The Japanese suffered casualties during the attack. One hundred twenty-nine Japanese soldiers were killed.
11. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the catalyst for the U.S. to enter World War Two. On December 8, 1941, Congress approved President Roosevelt's declaration of war on Japan. Three days later, Germany and Italy (Japan's allies) declared war against the United States.
12. Japan misjudged the American resolve and resilience, as well as the Americans' capacity to wage a protracted war. Nearly four years later, World War II would come to a close after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 7 and August 9. More than 100,000 Japanese were killed and thousands more injured by radiation sickness.
The attack on Pearl Harbor is a day that has lived in infamy, marking not only a reason for the U.S. to get involved in World War II, but showing the world that Americans would not be bullied into submission.
