Start your free trial today. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. About a. They were shouting to one another. When Japanese bombers appeared in the skies over Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, , the U. But there Samuel Fuqua Missouri-born Samuel Fuqua had a front row seat to the devastation at Pearl Harbor from aboard USS Arizona, a battleship that was heavily bombed during the first wave of the attack.
Paul Kennedy was expecting to sleep in on the morning of December 7, He had been on deck duty on board the U. Sacramento at Pearl Harbor until 4 a. So, when alarms sounded at around 8 a. The instability created in Europe by the First World War set the stage for another international conflict—World War II—which broke out two decades later and would prove even more devastating. Rising to power in an economically and politically unstable Germany, Adolf On the morning of December 7, , Japan launched a sneak attack on the U.
On the infamous morning of December 7, , Japanese fighter pilots made final arrangements for their deaths. Pearl Harbor gave him more than enough cause to declare war on Japan and its allies in Europe. Rather, the attack constituted a critical juncture in the history of U.
The war effort required a massive mobilization of the U. By the time of its conclusion in , the U. Japan and large parts of Germany were under U. But extricating the U. In Eastern Europe , the Soviets began to establish political control over the countries that they occupied, like Poland and Czechoslovakia.
These actions fueled consternation in the U. Fear of communism appeared to be vindicated when, in , North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel intent on forcibly unifying the Korean Peninsula under communist rule. This act of aggression catalyzed a massive military buildup by the Truman administration. Containment of communism became the organizing principle of U.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was essentially the breaking point. On December 8, , just one day after the attack, the United States declared war on Japan. As a result, on December 11, , Germany and Italy retaliated with a declaration of war on the United States, as they were allied to Japan under the Tripartite Pact or the Axis Pact of President Franklin D.
Although the Japanese attack was overwhelming, it was not complete, nor did it achieve what they had hoped. No United States aircraft carriers were present at the time of the attack, and they neglected to damage the shoreside facilities of the naval base, which later went on to play a crucial role in the Allied victory at the end of the war. Additionally, all but three ships damaged in the attack were raised, repaired, and later used in victorious war efforts.
American soldiers and sailors had enjoyed another peaceful Saturday night, and early risers were waking up to a sunny Sunday morning. A sighting of unidentified planes by radar station operators minutes before the attack was discounted by an officer at the command center headquarters, squandering time that could have been used to prepare defenses. Suddenly, planes bearing the red sun swept in, and the bombing began. Before the day was over, 2, Americans were dead, and our Pacific Fleet was in ruins.
Even in this time of crisis, however, records were being created on board the ships docked in Pearl Harbor—records that are now part of the holdings of the National Archives. These are firsthand accounts from the logbooks of the U. Navy's ships and stations compiled from to And they provide some insight into the events of the day—before, during, and after the attack— through the eyes of those who witnessed it.
The day—the one that President Franklin D. Roosevelt said would "live in infamy"—started out routinely, as the deck logs show.
To maintain an accurate description of events as they happened, the assigned officer placed entries into the log every four hours. The intervals are found at the beginning of each entry as seen in the excerpts below.
For instance, before the first entry from each ship you will see the number 4—8 or a variation thereof. This represents the time period from 4 a. Navy ship deck logs are the "running record" of all events that occur aboard a naval vessel. Deck logs were, and are, kept for both legal and administrative reasons. Generally, the deck logs document a ship's movements and encounters along with the accidents, injuries, deaths, disciplinary actions, and provisions of her crew.
In addition, the names of the ship crew members were also included in the logs when mustered in or when charged with a crime. The vast majority of these entries document routine functions carried out aboard a ship, yet those entered at Pearl Harbor on December 7, , also capture elements of the shock and confusion brought by the Japanese attack.
On the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, the logs begin with routine entries, noting the reception and inspection of provisions. At around a. By a. The deck log reports that they shot down at least three enemy planes. A cease-fire was reported at a. Although heavily damaged, the USS Maryland was also active in the rescue efforts. Meanwhile, the USS California was nearly destroyed, and its crew was ordered to evacuate as burning fuel oil on the surface of the water threatened the ship.
However, the flaming oil slick cleared the ship, and the crew returned to battle mode. Held general quarters, manned all guns, commenced breaking out powder.
Commenced emergency repairs on main engines to get underway. Captain on the bridge. At opened fire with 5" guns 4 and 5 in local control at Japanese planes over Ford island and with all machine guns on attacking planes as they flew low past the nest heading to Northward from vicinity of Ford Island. At opened fire with 5" guns 1 and 2 in director control at horizontal bombers passing overhead in direction of Schofield Barracks.
At opened fire with fwd 5" and machine guns at planes strafing nest from direction of Pearl City. At planes crossing low ahead of nest to NE were taken under fire; one burst into flames and crashed in clump of trees in Aiea Heights and exploded. At plane diving toward Ford Island from NE was shot down by combined fire of nest. At opened fire at planes strafing ahead and astern. At one plane attacking on stbd bow was shot down by nest and crashed in directions of Schofield Barracks. At opened fire on planes diving from port side of nest.
Rounds fired gun 1, 20; gun 2, 24; gun 4, 30; gun 5, 40; machine guns rounds.
0コメント