"Yesterday, December 7, 1941- A date which will live in infamy, the United States was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan... No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people, in their righteous might, will win through absolute victory" - President Franklin D. Roosevelt. December 7th 1941, a perfect sunny morning on the island of Oahu, many people still sleeping as what seemed like a typical Sunday in paradise. But at 6:45 am, the first shot was fired as the destroyer U.S.S. Ward spotted a Japanese midget sub, two miles from the entrance of Pearl Harbor and sank the submarine. The Ward then sent a message to Naval Headquarters telling of the encounter. At 7:02 am, the Army's Opana Mobile Radar Station picked up the largest formation of aircraft that the operators have seen, but were told "don't worry about it". Soon the Japanese planes were over Oahu as the attack began, men still in their bunks as the attack began all around them, many not knowing of their fate. As Japanese aircraft attack all over Oahu, many American sailors, airman and medics rush to action stations to fight the attackers, some armed with only a pistol. Back at Pearl Harbor, the battleships, the main battle wagons of the Pacific Fleet, sit helpless as Japanese bombs and torpedoes hit their mark on the capital ships as well as other American ships in the area. One bomb from a high altitude bomber, is dropped over the battleship U.S.S. Arizona, the bomb hits between the number I and number II main turrets, the bomb sets off the ships main magazine and tears the ship in two. The blast kills 1,177 of the ships 1,512 crew, nearly half of the casualties of the attack alone. As ships sink and sailors of stricken vessels abandon ship, the battleship U.S.S. Nevada is able to get underway and begins to sail for the harbor entrance. The Nevada then comes under fire from multiple Japanese aircraft, the captain of the Nevada is forced to beach the ship to prevent it from sinking in the small channel and blocking shipping traffic. As the attack continues, many sailors and medial personal begin to rescue the wounded and rush them to area hospitals to receive medical attention, while other sailors rush to Pearl Harbor to rescue their fellow sailors from the sunken ships. With their mission complete, the Japanese aircraft fly back to their carriers and the final third wave of attack is called off as the Japanese ships set sail back for Japan. In the coming days, search and rescues for survivors of the now stricken US Pacific Fleet continues as survivors bang on metal to alert the rescuers of their presence, as ships like the U.S.S. Oklahoma sit in Pearl Harbor, capsized as the ship continues to take on water with sailors still trapped in its hull. In the coming days, as Americans across the country learn of the tragedy at Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, addresses the nation that no matter how long it may take, the American people will win through absolute victory. 75 years later, we remember the men who died on that fateful morning and the men still entombed in the U.S.S. Arizona that now rests at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, as "Black Tears" still drip out of the Arizona's fuel tank. We remember the men who gave their all in the fight to preserve freedom and paid the ultimate sacrifice, as the battleship U.S.S. Missouri stands guard over the Arizona and her fellow sailors. (photos were taken by me from my trip to Hawaii) As a commemoration to the U.S.S. Arizona, Luckygreenbird and I built a replica of the ship on smp3 as a memorial for the men who served on the Arizona and the men and women who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
God bless all those who served. I may not be American, but the soldiers who gave their lives for the good of their country deserve recognition, as do the people who were killed in this atrocity.
Truly a day that will live in infamy. And if you ask me, they ship you two built could live in infamy as well! I stayed on Oahu for a month and a half a few years back, and I'll tell you there's no other place like the Arizona memorial. The USS Missouri is a monument of its own, however, and anyone visiting Oahu ought to go see it. A word of advice to anyone visiting Mightily Mo; go on the extended tour. The information the tour gives you and the engineering you see on the way is spectacular.
Funny you should mention that, Luckygreenbird and I also built the U.S.S. Missouri next to the U.S.S. Arizona
Wow, your recreatins look amazng!. Can you tell us where to find them ourselves, or do we just have to search the live maps?. Just out of curiocity, how long did those take you to build?!?
emc.gs/LBInd, it took about a week per ship to build, most of the time was spent was gathering materials and clearing out the water out of the ships.
