Pearl Harbor: 75 years later (tidbits and interesting facts)
Hey Monkeys,
It's December 7 today. I wanted to share some interesting facts about the day and hope that it helps you learn and reflect on the events that happened that day in Hawaii.
For those unfamiliar, 75 years ago the surprise military strike by Japanese forces on the U.S naval base at Pearl Harbor left the U.S devastated and with no choice other to participate in World War II after a long period of non-intervention.
The fate of the U.S.-- and the world-- would forever change after that day.
I do not know anyone affected by the attack, but I wanted to thank those monkeys whose grandfather or great-grandfather served in the U.S. military after this attack. These individuals faced a number of uncertainties and dangers while fighting in foreign lands that I can barely comprehend.
Without further ado, here are some interesting facts I found about Pearl Harbor/World War II:
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The attack commenced at 7:55 A.M. on Sunday, December 7, 1941
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The attack lasted 110 minutes, from 7:55 a.m. until 9:45 a.m.
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The Japanese launched their airplanes in two waves, approximately 45 minutes apart (there were TWO raids).
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Many U.S. servicemen were either still in their pajamas or eating breakfast in the mess halls when the attack on Pearl Harbor began.
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U.S. servicemen identified the invading planes as Japanese because of the “meatballs,” what they called the large, red circle (the Rising Sun) on the side of Japanese planes.
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All eight U.S. battleships were either sunk or damaged during the attack. Amazingly, all but two (the Arizona and the Oklahoma) were eventually able to return to active duty.
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A total of 2,335 U.S. servicemen were killed and 1,143 were wounded. Sixty-eight civilians were also killed and 35 were wounded
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The Japanese lost 65 men, with an additional soldier being captured.
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Only 28 Japanese planes were shot down and 5 midget submarines sunk
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Of the 1,177 crew members who died on the USS Arizona, there were 37 sets of brothers.
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Hitting America's aircraft carriers was an important part of the plan to keep the U.S. at bay. The first raid, while a victory for Japan, did not accomplish that. The point of going to war with America was not to try to conquer her. Rather, it was to consolidate Japan's conquests in Asia by crippling the American fleet. Admiral Yamamoto correctly concluded that the attack had only bought about six months time for Japan. If they could not defeat the American navy in that time, they would lose.
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There was a floating National Monument erected on the hull of the sunken Arizona in 1962.
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Oil still leaks from the USS Arizona. The USS Arizona held approximately 1.5 million gallons (5.7 million liters) of “Bunker-C” oil. The ship burned two and a half days, in which some of the oil would have been burnt up, but no one knows exactly how much. It is estimated that 500,000 gallons (1,892,706 liters) of it was within the hull. About nine quarts (8.5 liters) of oil still surfaces from the ship each day.
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The harbor continues to function as an active naval base. The Naval Station provides maintenance and training for surface ships and submarines as well as berthing and shore side support. It services many visiting submarines due to its location as the closest intermediate maintenance facility in that area of the Pacific. The base is located on Oahu, about 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from the U.S. mainland.
As always, feel free to share any stories regarding the Attack on Pearl Harbor. I'm always interested in learning more about World War II history.
