Caught by surprise, Americans could do little to fight back
The attack on December 7th came in two waves. The first, detected on radar by the Army station at Opana, was misidentified as an expected flight of B-17s arriving from the mainland. A quick response by the army could have had several American fighters in the air when the Japanese arrived over the military installations, but it was not to be. Several ships outside the harbor also spotted the incoming Japanese; their reports were disregarded while awaiting confirmation. The American air defenses were caught completely by surprise. Nonetheless, during the course of the first wave, which began just before 8.00 AM local time, a handful of American fighters managed to get off the ground and engage the Japanese. After action reports credited six Army Air Force pilots with destroying Japanese aircraft during the attack, most in defense of the several airbases attacked.
Aboard the Navy’s ships, few senior officers were present when the attack began. There were some exceptions, and in some cases, the senior officers arrived aboard in the early stages of the attack. Sailors manned anti-aircraft guns and quickly began shooting at the enemy swarming over them from all directions at once. Aboard USS Nevada, preparations to get underway advanced rapidly. Nevada was the only American battleship to get underway during the attack. As it attempted to leave the harbor it came under such heavy attack, sustaining such severe damage its captain was forced to run the ship aground to prevent it from sinking in the channel, which would have closed the port until the ship could be moved. Oklahoma capsized with such speed hundreds of its crew were trapped below decks. It was during the first wave USS Arizona exploded, raining flaming debris across the oil-strewn harbor.
Also Read: Operation K: The Second Attack on Pearl Harbor.