This month's Iconic Image is...
The explosion of the USS Shaw
Intro:
This photograph was taken on December 7, 1941. It shows a massive explosion in the background of the image and billowing black smoke from distant fires. In the middle of the image, one can see the faint outline of a ship. This photograph would become a symbol of one of the most infamous days in American history. It would also come to symbolize the nation's incredible ability to repair and recover from terrible tragedies.
Part I
The day of December 7, 1941, began like any other day for the people of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands. A large fleet of American battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and a few submarines were stationed at the island's navy base, Pearl Harbor. At 7:55 AM however, American sailors and marines began to notice a large number of planes appear in the sky. The planes were Japanese fighters and bombers that began to attack the American ships while they were still anchored in the harbor. Within just minutes, dozens of ships were on fire.
The main targets for the attackers were the eight American battleships anchored within the harbor. Their large size and moorings made them easy targets for the attackers' torpedos and bombs. At 8:06, a single bomb penetrated through the deck of the USS Arizona all the way to the magazine and detonated. The explosion ripped the ship in two and killed 1,177 out of its 1,512 man crew. What remained sank to the bottom of the harbor.
Another battleship (USS Oklahoma) was hit by three torpedos and began to roll to her port side. When two more torpedos slammed into her, the ship completely capsized. In just 12 minutes she rolled over until her masts dug into the mud on the bottom. Dozens of her sailors became trapped within her hull (only 34 would be rescued after the attack). Those that were fortunate enough to escape were strafed by the attackers as they attempted to swim ashore. In all, the USS Oklahoma would lose 429 of her crew.
Part II
One of the destroyers that was anchored in Pearl Harbor was the USS Shaw (DD-373). When the attack began the Shaw was anchored to the auxiliary floating dry dock, YFD-2. Three bombs hit the ship during the attack. Two of them struck the forward machine gun platform, and one went through the port wing of the bridge. Attempts to control the fires proved to be futile, and the crew quickly fled the ship. Half an hour after she was hit, the fires reached the ship's forward ammunition magazines and caused a massive explosion that completely tore off her bow. Almost immediately after the explosion, the destroyer sank.
The moment of her detonation was captured by a photographer on the shore showing the massive fireball spreading into the sky and shooting debris in all directions. Behind the exploding Shaw, the billowing black smoke from burning ships easily dwarf the destroyer. The image clearly captures the devastation and the damage of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. The identity of the photographer is unknown.
Epilogue
The Attack on Pearl Harbor caused terrible damage to the American Navy. A total of four battleships had been sunk and another four severely damaged. Four destroyers (including the Shaw) were also sunk or damaged along with three battle cruisers, an ex-battleship (USS Utah), a minelayer, a seaplane tender, a harbor tug, a repair ship, and the floating dry dock (YFD-2). In addition, more than 300 American planes were destroyed or damaged at the airfields. Approximately 2,335 soldiers, sailors, and marines were killed and 1,143 were wounded. A further sixty-eight American civilians (including eleven children) were also killed in the attack.
The next day at 12:30 PM, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave his famous Day of Infamy Speech and asked the American Congress to declare war on Japan. Less than an hour later at 1:10, the Congress did so. Four days later, Nazi Germany declared war on the United States. As a result, World War II officially became a global conflict.
Despite all of the damage that had been inflicted on the American Navy in the attack, nearly all of the damaged ships were successfully raised and repaired. Only three ships, (USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, and the USS Utah) were deemed total losses. One of the ships that was repaired was the USS Shaw.
Although she was initially thought to be a total loss, the ship's machinery had only suffered minor damage. In mid-December, the destroyer was lifted out of the water onto the harbor's marine railway and measured for a temporary bow which was attached in January of 1942. In February the Shaw sailed from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco, California, to undergo further repairs and rearmament. On August 31, 1942, the ship returned to Pearl Harbor with a new crew and ready for action. The Shaw went on to participate in the military campaigns of Guadalcanal, the Santa Cruz Islands, Saipan, Cape Gloucester, Guam, and the Philippines. She rescued survivors from stricken ships, escorted convoys, covered infantry, and guarded against Japanese submarines. During World War II, the Shaw was awarded eleven battle stars (awards to the crews of American ships for service in war). The ship was decommissioned in October, 1945, and sold for scrap in July of 1946.
The image of the explosion of the USS Shaw became one of the most famous and symbolic photographs of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. It captures the ferocity of the attack and its tragic consequences. However, one thing that it also came to symbolize was how the attack was ultimately a failure. As devastating as it was, the Japanese had severely underestimated the power of the American war-machine. The fact that nearly every American ship was repaired and returned to service proved that in the long term, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor did not succeed in destroying the American Navy nor did it even damage it in the long run. All it really did, was bring the United States into World War II and unleash the full might of its military on the Axis Powers. That is what the image truly represents.
https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/wars-and-events/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor-raid/attacks-in-the-navy-yard-area/uss-shaw-during-the-pearl-harbor-attack.html
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_USS_Shaw_DD373.html
https://ww2db.com/ship_spec.php?ship_id=1843
https://www.erbzine.com/mag5/0508.html
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