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Anachro -> Dec 7. 1941 (6/20/2018 7:15:22 PM)
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Dec. 7 1941
Pearl Harbor
quote:
Morning Air attack on Pearl Harbor
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 86
B5N2 Kate x 132
D3A1 Val x 102
Japanese aircraft losses
B5N2 Kate: 17 damaged
B5N2 Kate: 5 destroyed by flak
D3A1 Val: 13 damaged
D3A1 Val: 2 destroyed by flak
Allied aircraft losses
P-36A Mohawk: 1 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
P-40B Warhawk: 2 destroyed on ground
R3D-2: 1 destroyed on ground
PBY-5 Catalina: 2 destroyed on ground
B-17D Fortress: 1 destroyed on ground
B-18A Bolo: 1 destroyed on ground
A-20A Havoc: 1 destroyed on ground
O-47A: 2 destroyed on ground
Allied Ships
BB Washington, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
BB New Mexico, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 2, on fire
DMS Zane, Bomb hits 1
BB Tennessee, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 2, heavy damage
BB California, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
BB Nevada, Bomb hits 11, Torpedo hits 4, heavy fires
BB Arizona, Bomb hits 14, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
DM Breese, Bomb hits 1, on fire
BB Idaho, Bomb hits 5, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
BB Mississippi, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
AV Wright, Torpedo hits 1
BB Oklahoma, Bomb hits 9, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
CA Minneapolis, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1
DD Selfridge, Bomb hits 1, on fire
DD Downes, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
CA San Francisco, Bomb hits 1
Repair Shipyard hits 8
Airbase hits 27
Runway hits 75
Port hits 25
Port fuel hits 2
Magazine explodes on BB Idaho
As he brought his ship around to help with firefighting efforts, Captain Gary Hoover of the Helena could hardly believe what he was witnessing. With sirens blaring and smoke continuing to bellow forth from the wrecks of Battleship Row, only one conclusion could be drawn: disaster had struck Pearl Harbor. Ten mighty battleships had been in the harbor in the morning and now all ten were in various states of mortal peril.
The California and Arizona were marooned where they had been anchored, as black oil seeped from their sides to cover the bay in a thick sheen. The Washington was slowly sinking into the bay, her crew fighting a an epic battle to keep her afloat. However, it was the Idaho that caused the most shock and confusion. Whereas she had previously been proudly anchored alone in the back of the row, now she simply was not there. Forty-five minutes into the attack, a torpedo had struck her side and breached the magazine initiating a massive explosion that took the ship and most of her crew of 1,081 officers and men down with her. Nothing remained but an unrecognizable mass of steel. Nearby, the destroyer Downes had suffered a similar if less catastrophic fate.
Admiral Kimmel had been caught with his pants down and heart of the Pacific Fleet had paid the price. There was already talk that he'd be replaced and amidst the anger of the present, no one really felt sorry for him. Japan had initiated a massive build-up in recent years and vigilance should have been maintained. That a carrier fleet could approach Oahu without detection was dereliction of the worst sort.
He'd be replaced, that Hoover knew, but he quickly banished the thought from his mind. For now, all he could focus on was the present and the arduous task of preparing for the fight ahead. The Idaho and her crew would be remembered, he was sure, and would make a fitting battle cry in the same vein as "Remember the Alamo!" or "Remember the Maine!", but the time for that would come later.
Not only had the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, they had also landed troops on Malaya and bombed the Philippines and Wake Island. Who knew where they would strike next? While the enemy held the initiative, there was little the United States could do but react. The time for a true, sustained offensive was still far off. Nonetheless, it was Hoover's hope that the initiative would be wrested from the enemy as soon as possible. The cold fury in his heart demanded retribution...sooner rather than later.
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