Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is a naval base in Oahu, Hawaii. It is the headquarters of the US Pacific Fleet.

Attack
When the US stopped supplying oil to Japan in 1941, Japanese military officials planned a massive campaign to seize oil-rich islands in the Pacific while also destroying the fleet at Pearl Harbor. After months of planning, on November 26, 1941, a fleet of 33 warships and auxiliary craft, including 6 aircraft carriers, set sail from Japan. American code-breakers incepted hundreds of messages regarding the attack, but were unable or unwilling to decode them.

In the early morning on December 7, 183 Japanese fighters took off for Pearl Harbor. A radar station detected the planes, however it was still in beta stage and a flight of B-17s was also inbound. 2000 Americans were killed and a few ships were destroyed.

What conservatives do not want to acknowledge was the Pearl Harbor did not go as badly for the Americans. Only three ships were permanently lost to the US Navy. Several components were salvaged from them, including the Arizona's aft gun turrets. Plus, with the battleships out of action, the navy had no choice but to put faith in aircraft carriers. The dry docks and oil refineries were also undamaged.