The USS Arizona Memorial is fully open following the completion of preservation work

The Attack on Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy.
Just before 8 a.m. local time on Sunday, December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft launched from six carriers struck the U.S. Pacific Fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor. Within two hours, eight battleships were damaged or destroyed, 188 aircraft lay in ruins, and 2,403 Americans had been killed. The first wave hit at low altitude with torpedo bombers; the second arrived twenty minutes later with high-level bombers and fighters strafing what was left.

The articles in this collection examine the attack from every angle: the diplomatic breakdown that preceded the first wave, the radar warning, the strikes on Battleship Row, and the strategic miscalculations the Japanese command made before, during, and after the raid — including the fateful decision not to launch a third wave against the harbor's fuel tanks and dry-dock facilities. Whether you're researching the chain of events, the human toll, or the immediate aftermath, you'll find primary-source accounts, ship-by-ship damage reports, and historian-led analysis here.

When you're ready to walk the harbor itself, book a guided tour of the USS Arizona Memorial and Battleship Missouri — the two sites that bookend America's entry into and victory in the Pacific War. For visitors short on time, the Pearl Harbor Excursion short tour covers the essentials in a single morning, with round-trip transportation from Waikiki.

The attack reshaped the twentieth century in under 110 minutes, drawing a divided isolationist America into the largest war in human history. The articles below help explain how, and why, those minutes still matter.

Remembering Pearl Harbor - 76 Years Later

December 07, 2017 ·  
A droplet of oil spreads on the glassy surface of the harbor. Beneath it, a rusting wreckage, a memory of bombs, torpedoes, and machine gun fire. The destruction of the USS Arizona is among the most powerful images produced during the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Each year, the World War II […]
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December 7, 1941 - The Other Oahu Targets

November 30, 2017 ·  
On December 7th, 1941, a striking force of the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base on Oahu. During the course of the two-hour attack, over 2,400 Americans were killed, though not every casualty was on the naval base. Though the Japanese bombers and fighters focused primarily on the […]
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Milestones on the Road to Pearl Harbor

November 27, 2017 ·  
On December 7th, the United States will once again commemorate the anniversary of the tragic attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base. Seventy-six years ago, the nation experienced a terrifying day when a fleet of Japanese fighters and bombers flew into Oahu airspace. The attack that followed left over 2,400 American servicemen and civilians dead. […]
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The Japanese Weapons of Pearl Harbor

November 17, 2017 ·  
There were a lot of military assets involved in the Pearl Harbor attack, from the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters to the vessels lined up at Battleship Row. Working in Japan’s favor was not just the fact that nobody at the American naval base knew they were coming, but also some of the armament at its […]
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Know Before You Go: The Essentials of Pearl Harbor Pt. 1

November 10, 2017 ·  
You’ve made all the arrangements for a journey back in time at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, and now's the tie to ensure you have some essential knowledge about the December 7th, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The exhibits, museums, and memorials do a great job of detailing the events […]
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The Most Important Thing to See at Pearl Harbor

October 24, 2017 ·  
It would be unrealistic to assume that everyone who comes to Pearl Harbor has the desire—and the time—to see everything the site has to offer. There are dozens of stories to read about, multiple memorials to see, and countless artifacts on display, but not everyone is a history buff wanting to experience it all. If […]
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The Lucky Vessels of Pearl Harbor

October 11, 2017 ·  
Just under 100 ships were stationed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese flew in and launched a surprise attack on the unsuspecting naval base. While the main targets for attackers were the eight battleships along Battleship Row and in nearby drydocks, that didn’t keep the surrounding vessels safe from Japan’s bombs and torpedoes. With bombs […]
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The Notable Names of Pearl Harbor

October 09, 2017 ·  
Any event that looms as large in the timeline of American history as the attack on Pearl Harbor is bound to leave a number of names and details that define it. From the types of armament used by Japan’s assaulting forces to the American ships targeted and damaged during the attack, there is a lot […]
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America's Fatal Miscalculation

September 20, 2017 ·  
When you have an enemy committed to goals that go against everything you you stand for, one of the worst things you can do is underestimate just how dedicated they may be to their cause. That Japan wanted to take over territories throughout East Asia and the Pacific was not a secret to the United […]
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A Different View of the Pearl Harbor Attack

September 13, 2017 ·  
On December 7th, 1941, the United States suffered one of the worst attacks from a foreign power that the nation had ever known. Fires erupted throughout the naval base as bombs struck the battleships and other warships of Pearl Harbor. Smoke billowed high, making the effects of the attack visible even to those further inland […]
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