Just before 8 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service conducted a surprise military strike on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii. Of the eight U.S. Navy battleships present, all were damaged, with four sunk. All but USS Arizona were later raised and six were returned to service and went on to fight in the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer. A total of 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded. “A day which will live in infamy” as President FDR would called the attack, led to this country’s formal entry into World War II the next day.
