Bombers Over Battleship Row

Bombers Over Battleship Row. USS Arizona Memorial. The Japanese raided Pearl Harbor and other military targets on Oahu with carrier-launched aircraft which included fighters, horizontal bombers, torpedo planes, and dive bombers. The planes struck here in two waves, beginning at 7:55 a.m., with a 15 minute lull about 8:30. , Finding the American aircraft carriers absent, the Japanese zeroed in on U.S. battleships. Seven of them were lined up beside the mooring blocks (quays) visible across the channel in front of you. It was here, on “Battleship Row” that Japanese bombs destroyed USS Arizona. Twenty other vessels were sunk or damaged., As the Japanese planes winged back to their carrier, smoke from burning battleships darkened the sky here. The U.S. Pacific Fleet had suffered a serious blow, but not a fatal one. The American aircraft carriers, submarines, destroyers, and most of the cruisers escaped damage. The Navy’s shipyard, fuel storage tanks, submarine base, and communications facilities---all strategically important---remained untouched. (Inscription beside the photo in the lower center) In the foreground, USS Arizona burns on Battleship Row after being hit by as many as seven bombs. One 800-kilogram bomb ripped through the battleship’s upper decks and detonated a magazine, destroying the forward section of the vessel. The explosion blew men from decks of neighboring ships. Tragically, 1,177 of Arizona’s crew were killed., Battleships USS West Virginia and USS Tennessee are visible behind Arizona., (Inscription under the photo in the upper right) , The remarkable photo above, taken from a Japanese plane, shows Battleship Row under attack. Note the oil slicks and shock waves caused by torpedo hits. Canvas awnings on sterns and bows appear as white patches. The forward section of USS Arizona has not yet exploded.