TINCANBANDIT's Gunsmithing: Interesting Firearm Photos XLVI: Pearl Harbor

Today marks the 79th anniversary of the "date that will live in infamy", when the Empire of Japan picked a fight with the wrong country.

The islands of Hawai'i are more than 3,700 miles from Japan, making it unlikely that the Japanese, or anyone else for that matter would attack our Navy in Hawai'i. It was a bold attack and one that only bought the Empire of Japan time, its demise was secured once the first bomb dropped that morning in December.

This first photo shows the early part of the attack, just before 8 AM Sunday December 7th, 1941. Ford Island with "battleship row". This is believed to be the first bomb dropped. You can see the explosion just off the bow of the USS Oklahoma and the Japanese plane pulling away

Another picture showing "battleship row", from left to right: The USS Nevada, USS Vestal & USS Arizona, USS West Virginia & USS Tennessee, USS Oklahoma & USS Maryland. USS California is by itself on the extreme right of the photo.

The USS California after being torpedoed

This iconic photo is that of the Destroyer USS Shaw exploding after her forward magazine took a direct hit

Another picture of the same explosion, the Shaw was moored opposite Ford Island & battleship row

A small craft looking for survivors off the starboard side of the USS West Virginia . Captain Mervyn Bennion saved the ship by ordering the port side to be flooded, allowing the ship to settle on its keel on the floor of Pearl Harbor, he did this while mortally wounded from shrapnel. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Between the West Virginia and Ford Island is the USS Tennessee, which suffered only minor damage

Another iconic photo from that day, the USS Arizona lists to its side after being bombed.

USS Oklahoma after being capsized

USS Nevada, escaped its moorings during the attack and was underway when hit, the vessel was assisted by the USS Hoga

Following the attack and rescue operations, the Navy began to repair and rebuild. Here is the effort to right the USS Oklahoma

There were more than 100 US ships docked in Pearl and Honolulu harbors on December 7th 1941, of those, only 21 suffered damage and all but three were returned to service.

Here are the stories of the battleships:

The USS California was hit and sunk at her mooring on Ford Island, they lost 100 sailors, she was repaired and returned to service in January 1944. She fought in many naval engagements including the battle of Leyte Gulf

The USS Nevada was able to get under way after the start of the attack, she was struck several times and suffered enough damage that she was beached at Hospital point, 60 of her sailors perished. She was returned to service in October of 1942. The Nevada was able exact revenge for the attack on Pearl Harbor. After participating in the D-Day invasion she attacked the Japanese on Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

The USS Pennsylvania was in dry dock at the time of the attack, she lost 9 service members and remained in service. After her repairs were finished she went the Aleutians and then to the battles at the Marshall and Philippine Islands.

The USS Tennessee was hit by two bombs, she was mostly protected by the USS West Virginia, she lost 5 souls. She extracted her revenge at many naval battles including the Marshall Islands, Tarawa, Guam, Saipan, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

The USS Maryland was also in an inside position, protected by the USS Oklahoma, she was also hit twice and lost 4 of her crew. She went on to fight in the battles of Leyte Gulf, Saipan & Okinawa.

The USS West Virginia was hit by 2 bombs and 7 torpedoes, she sank at her moorings. She lost 106 of her men, in July of 1944 she was returned to service. She participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima and Okinawa....and she was in Tokyo Bay on September 2nd, 1945 witnessing the enemy who attacked her surrender.

The USS Utah, was no longer a battleship, but a training ship, it fooled the Japanese and was hit by 2 torpedoes, it sunk and capsized taking 64 of its crew with her. There was an unsuccessful attempt to raise her. She remains in Pearl Harbor, on the opposite side Ford Island from the Arizona

The USS Oklahoma was sunk and capsized after being hit by 5 torpedoes, she lost 429 men. After being refloated it was sold at auction and was being towed to San Francisco when it sunk in a storm.

The USS Arizona suffered the most casualties, after being hit by four bombs, her forward magazine exploded. She took 1,177 souls with her. She remains on the sea bed in Pearl Harbor along with 1,102 of her crew, a memorial was built and dedicated on May 30th, 1962. Parts of her did live on to fight, her main guns from turret 2 were repaired and refitted to the USS Nevada and used to fire on the Japanese during the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

In all we lost 2,335 Servicemen and women and 68 civilians in the attack. In 1994 December 7th was pronounced a National Holiday of Remembrance.

Please out of respect for our servicemen and women, fly Old Glory at sunrise.

Today the Arizona and Utah are watched over by their younger sister the USS Missouri. If you didn't know, the Missouri finished the fight by hosting the signing of the unconditional surrender of the Empire of Japan on September 2nd, 1945 in Tokyo Bay. Today you can visit the locations where WWII started and ended in the same day.

The USS Utah Memorial

The USS Arizona Memorial is visited by more than 2 million people per year

I have stood on the deck of the USS Missouri, in the spot where the Japanese signed the surrender. It was stationed near my home in WA for a time. Also the father of a good friend was on the deck of the Missouri the day the Japanese surrendered, he is 96 today and still drives.

I have also been to the Pearl Harbor USS Arizona Memorial three times. One of my family members is entombed on the Arizona. I don't know the exact relation except that we share the same last name.

He was Marine Private Paul Edward Herrick of Kenosha, WI.