Overview of Attack
6:10 a.m.- Japanese planes are already in flight and ships are making their way to Pearl Harbor.
7:02 a.m.- The privates on duty look at the radar and see 50 or more aircraft coming for Oahu, Hawaii. They then call the Fort Shafter information center, the hub of the radar network.
7:20 a.m.- An army lieutenant, who is at Fort Shafter, gets the report that was sent out. By this point in time the planes are 70 kilometers away. He thinks it is a U.S. operation and because of security reasons, he says "Well, don't worry about it."
7:55 a.m.- The first attack on Pearl Harbor begins and the dive-bombers strike the Army Air Forces' Wheeler Field, north of Pearl Harbor, and Hickam Field, which is near Ford Island's Battleship Row. Most of the U.S. planes on the ground are destroyed.
8:10 a.m.- 1,177 men are killed when an armor-piercing bomb is dropped and hits the Arizona and setting off more than 1 million pounds of gunpowder, creating a huge fireball. Within nine minutes, the Arizona is at the bottom of the ocean.
8:54 a.m.- The second attack on Pearl Harbor begins with 35 fighters, 78 dive-bombers, and 54 high-altitude bombers.
10:00 a.m.- Some Japanese pilots want another strike, but superiors say the attack was successful and the Japanese do not strike again.
7:02 a.m.- The privates on duty look at the radar and see 50 or more aircraft coming for Oahu, Hawaii. They then call the Fort Shafter information center, the hub of the radar network.
7:20 a.m.- An army lieutenant, who is at Fort Shafter, gets the report that was sent out. By this point in time the planes are 70 kilometers away. He thinks it is a U.S. operation and because of security reasons, he says "Well, don't worry about it."
7:55 a.m.- The first attack on Pearl Harbor begins and the dive-bombers strike the Army Air Forces' Wheeler Field, north of Pearl Harbor, and Hickam Field, which is near Ford Island's Battleship Row. Most of the U.S. planes on the ground are destroyed.
8:10 a.m.- 1,177 men are killed when an armor-piercing bomb is dropped and hits the Arizona and setting off more than 1 million pounds of gunpowder, creating a huge fireball. Within nine minutes, the Arizona is at the bottom of the ocean.
8:54 a.m.- The second attack on Pearl Harbor begins with 35 fighters, 78 dive-bombers, and 54 high-altitude bombers.
10:00 a.m.- Some Japanese pilots want another strike, but superiors say the attack was successful and the Japanese do not strike again.
Ships that were Attacked
There were eight battleships at Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. Seven of these battleships were lined up in what was known as Battleship Row. The Pennsylvania was in dry docks for repair.
- The Nevada- Was hit by a torpedo a little after a half an hour within the attack. It tried to make its way to the harbor's entrance, but that made it a target for the Japanese, who caused further damage causing the ship to ground itself.
- The Arizona- 1,177 men were killed when a bomb was dropped onto the ship. The bomb set off more than 1 million pounds of gunpowder causing a massive explosion. There is a memorial today over the Arizona's wreckage.
- The Tennessee- It was hit by two bombs and oil fires damaged the ship; however, it stayed afloat.
- The West Virginia- It was hit by up to nine torpedoes and sank.
- The Maryland- It was hit by two bombs but did not suffer too much damage.
- The Oklahoma- It was hit by up to nine torpedoes and then leaned to one side so heavily that it turned almost completely upside down. A large number of the men on board were trapped, and rescue efforts were only able to save 32 of the men.
- The California- It was hit by two torpedoes and a bomb. Because the flooding was so bad the ship sank three days later.