On December 7, 1941, Japanese carriers in the Pacific launched 353 aircraft in a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy's fleet docked in Pearl Harbor, causing massive casualties. There are many myths and stories surrounding this "date which will live in infamy."
One commonly misquoted fact is the number of U.S. battleships sunk in the attack. Many people claim that all eight battleships stationed in Pearl Harbor were sunk, however that is stretching the truth quite a bit.
Even sources that seem like they should be reliable can't agree. According to PearlHarbor.org, three were sunk, Naval History & Heritage claims four, National Geographic lists two as "half sunk", and eSSORTMENT says five.
So, what is the truth?
All of the listed sources agree that the Arizona and the West Virginia were sunk during the attack. The Oklahoma, the Utah, and the California are also cited.
According to the official site of the USS Arizona, "The blast that destroyed ARIZONA and sank her at her berth alongside of Ford Island consumed the lives of 1,177 of the 1,400 on board at the time."
While not specifically using the word 'sink', the official USS West Virginia site notes that "West Virginia was abandoned, settling to the harbor bottom on an even keel."
Part of the disagreement seems to be in the definition of "sunk". Pearl Harbor was shallow, so it was impossible for a ship to fall completely below the water level. Several were put out of commission during the attack, but all except the Arizona and the Utah were repaired and returned to seaworthiness.
Officially (according to the Navy) there were 3 battleships who were sunk that day - the Arizona, the Utah, and the Oklahoma.
Comments
Never knew that before!
Sorry, but you got this wrong too. Oklahoma not only sank, she turned turtle. She was eventually refloated but sank while being towed back to the states. She was just as sunk as Arizona. And Utah was not technically still a battleship. She was a target ship, although at one time she had been a battleship. West Virginia most definitely sank too.
@Bill I'm not sure where the disagreement is on the Oklahoma. As the article states, according to the Navy the Oklahoma sank.
She was raised and put in dry dock, then sold in 1946 and sank on her way to San Francisco.
Arizona, Nevada, West Virginia, Oklahoma and California. That's 5. Count 'em. Doesn't matter how deep the water is, when the ship is sitting on the bottom she's sunk.
Scott- My mistake. I don't know why I thought the article failed to mention Oklahoma. Must have been too early. I agree with Pat Watson, too, I personally would have to put the number at 5. When a ship hits bottom she is sunk, regardless how deep the water.
YOU ARE A LIER THAT IS NOT TRUE
@Bill and Pat: Yes, 5 would seem to be a perfectly valid answer as well. From the discussion here, obviously there are several different ways to look at the definition of the word "sunk" which explains why there is so much variance in the different sources.
@Bill and Pat: Not to stir up more controversy, but I'd just like to point out that simply "touching bottom" is not enough, as a ship that runs aground in shallow water would probably not be considered "sunk"... perhaps it needs to have dropped lower in the water, causing it to sit on the bottom?
I think I can add some help. It's safe to say, a ship which "sunk" is no longer watertight. Meaning no matter the depth, it will go to the bottom, even if bottom is only 5 ft deep!!!!
There were eight US battleships in pearl harbor during the attack the TOJOS HAD TO SINK THEM
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