Navy Prior Service Station Baltimore

“December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan” - President Roosevelt.

Today is the 81st anniversary of the attack on Naval Base Pearl Harbor, during which 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 were wounded. Despite the heavy casualties, there were acts of heroism throughout the attack as Marines and Sailors reacted quickly to defend the base.

Although eight U.S. Navy Battleships, three cruisers, and over 180 aircraft were damaged or destroyed, the survival of the base’s repair docks, fuel farms, aircraft carriers and submarines allowed American forces to rapidly return to operations in the Pacific Theater. Just six months later, Allied forces would win a strategic victory at the Battle of Midway, turning the tide of the war in the Pacific.