Facts about Pearl Harbor
- 13
Ninety percent of Pearl Harbor's 188 aircraft were destroyed or damaged on the ground, with only 43 American planes managing to become airborne during the assault.
- 12
In the hours following the attack, American forces recovered 29 Japanese aircraft wreckage pieces from Pearl Harbor's waters, providing crucial intelligence about enemy aircraft capabilities.
- 11
Fifteen battleships were moored at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, yet only eight were present during the attack because three were undergoing repairs and four were temporarily deployed elsewhere.
- 10
Midget submarines launched by Japan during the Pearl Harbor attack killed two American sailors aboard the USS West Virginia, marking the first combat deaths caused by Japanese submarines in the Pacific War.
- 09
Over 1,100 American servicemen died in the attack, yet Japan's losses totaled only 129 personnel, making Pearl Harbor a devastating tactical victory despite strategic miscalculation.
- 08
Within hours of the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 7, 1941 a date which will live in infamy and asked Congress for a declaration of war against Japan.
- 07
Admiral Husband Kimmel commanded Pearl Harbor's defense forces and faced court-martial proceedings after the attack, though historians debate his responsibility for the surprise.
- 06
The battleship USS West Virginia was raised and completely rebuilt after sinking at Pearl Harbor, returning to combat in 1944 as an entirely reconstructed vessel.
- 05
Seventy-seven percent of Pearl Harbor's 1,102 deaths occurred aboard the USS Arizona, making it the single deadliest warship loss in United States naval history.
- 04
Fewer than two hours elapsed before the Japanese completed their attack on Pearl Harbor, with the entire assault lasting from 7:48 AM to 8:55 AM on December 7, 1941.
- 03
Three hundred sixty-four Japanese aircraft launched from six aircraft carriers to attack Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, with 29 fighters lost during the assault.
- 02
Approximately 1,102 of the 1,177 USS Arizona casualties remain entombed within the sunken battleship beneath Pearl Harbor's waters today.
- 01
On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces sank or damaged eight battleships at Pearl Harbor, killing 1,177 sailors aboard the USS Arizona alone.