The Attack
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The USS Arizona burns and sinks after being hit by a Japanese bomber
First Wave
The actual attack consisted of two waves. The first wave started at 7:55 AM. In a matter of minutes,
the Japanese launched a half dozen torpedoes that hit the battleship West Virginia, killing over one hundred
people. Three of these people were in an air-tight compartment of the ship and because of days crossed out on a
calendar, are thought to have survived over two weeks after the attack. Commander Logan C. Ramsey recalls
seeing a plane flying low and thinking it was just a careless U.S. pilot until he saw something black drop out
of the plane. He knew it was a bomb and sent out an uncoded message on the telegraph to the ship bases
saying, “AIRRAID ON PEARL HARBOR. THIS IS NO DRILL.” The Japanese prevented many of the U.S.
planes from leaving the ground, and if they did get airborne, it was not long before they were shot down.
Thirty minutes later, with over 1,000 people dead, the first wave of the attack stopped.
Second Wave
Almost an hour later the second wave, consisting of 167 planes, commenced. About half of the planes were
dive-bombers, with the other half consisting of fighters and high-altitude bombers. A bomb was dropped on the
Arizona and set off over a million pounds of gunpowder, creating a huge explosion and killing 1,177 people.
At 10:30--about two and a half hours from the biginning of the attack--the Japanese planes and ships
returned to Japan, leaving 2,403 Americans dead.
Home
Background
Signs of the Attack
The Attack
Aftermath
The U.S. Responds
Bibliography
