Pearl Harbor Tool Check Tag
Described as a “a date which will live in infamy” by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the December 7, 1941 surprise military attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii led to United States entry into World War II.
The Japanese attack consisted of fighter aircraft, bombers and torpedo planes launched in two waves from six aircraft carriers, as well as five midget submarines. Eight U.S. battleships were damaged, with four being sunk. The attack also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer. Airfields in the area were also strafed, with 188 U.S. aircraft being destroyed. American fatalities as a result of the attack totaled 2,402, with almost half being due to the massive explosion of the U.S.S. Arizona’s forward magazine after it was hit by a shell.
Fortunately for the U.S., the American aircraft carrier fleet in the Pacific was at sea. If the carriers had been at anchor in the harbor and sustained significant damage during the attack, the Pacific Fleet’s ability to conduct offensive operations would have been crippled for possibly more than a year. As it turned out, the strategic use of aircraft carriers and submarines eventually halted and reversed the Japanese advances. Viewed in hindsight, the Japanese also made a strategic mistake during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Admiral Naguma, in charge of the carrier battle group, decided to withdraw after conducting two waves of aircraft attacks. A third attack wave would have targeted much of the harbors military facilities, including fuel and torpedo storage units, maintenance and dry dock facilities. If this third wave attack had been authorized and successful, there is little doubt that it would have significantly hampered the U.S. far more than the loss of the battleships.
The Japanese attack consisted of fighter aircraft, bombers and torpedo planes launched in two waves from six aircraft carriers, as well as five midget submarines. Eight U.S. battleships were damaged, with four being sunk. The attack also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer. Airfields in the area were also strafed, with 188 U.S. aircraft being destroyed. American fatalities as a result of the attack totaled 2,402, with almost half being due to the massive explosion of the U.S.S. Arizona’s forward magazine after it was hit by a shell.
Fortunately for the U.S., the American aircraft carrier fleet in the Pacific was at sea. If the carriers had been at anchor in the harbor and sustained significant damage during the attack, the Pacific Fleet’s ability to conduct offensive operations would have been crippled for possibly more than a year. As it turned out, the strategic use of aircraft carriers and submarines eventually halted and reversed the Japanese advances. Viewed in hindsight, the Japanese also made a strategic mistake during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Admiral Naguma, in charge of the carrier battle group, decided to withdraw after conducting two waves of aircraft attacks. A third attack wave would have targeted much of the harbors military facilities, including fuel and torpedo storage units, maintenance and dry dock facilities. If this third wave attack had been authorized and successful, there is little doubt that it would have significantly hampered the U.S. far more than the loss of the battleships.
The item in my collection is a tool check tag used at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard during the World War II era. It is just under 1-1/2” diameter, and is marked with the identification number 511527.