Pearl Harbor Facts – 42 Interesting Facts About Pearl Harbor

Attack on Pearl Harbor Facts

Secrecy was of utmost importance since if the fleet was discovered accidentally the whole operation would have been jeopardized.

The operation was first named “Operation Hawaii” However for reasons unknown; it was changed to “Operation Z.”

The attack was composed of 353 planes, and the Nippon forces was led by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo

The attack started when the Japanese Commander Mitsuo Fuchida called out, “Tora! Tora! Tora!” which in English meant, “Tiger! Tiger! Tiger. It was a coded message to the Japanese armada to start bombing since they had caught the Yankees totally by surprise.

The Japanese bombers had the typical roundels on their tail, which was referred by the US Servicemen as “meatballs,” the red circle which represented the Rising Sun

There were eight US battleships which included all the ships of the Pacific fleet.

All the ships were sunk or damaged. Leaving three ships, all the rest were repaired and saw action during WWII. The two ships were abandoned because of their obsolete technology.

Most of the battleships were sitting in shallow waters and could, therefore, be salvaged and returned to the fight.

Only three ships, Arizona, Utah, and Oklahoma, were total losses, West Virginia and California, USS Tennessee, Maryland, Nevada, and Pennsylvania —were raised, repaired returned to service.

Submarine bases, repair and refueling facilities and fuel storage tanks were strangely ignored during the attack, making the American recovery easier.