Pearl Harbor Day

RustyRatRod said

If they snuck in to attack, couldn't they just as easily have snuck in to take recon? And with no war going on at the time, those battle ships would have probably been parked. I guess we'll likely never know. I can tell you this. Daddy and anyone who I grew up around who served in WWII never forgave the "Japs".

Click to expand...

They absolutely reconned pearl harbor. They had a naval intelligence officer masquerading as an embassy employee, that hired plane trips over the harbor.
But the photo shows the Vestal moored next to Arizona.... which didn't happen till 12/6.
Neosho, also shown in photo, arrived in PH on 12/6 also. Had the planes hit her, it might have made the Arizona explosion look small. She was loaded with tens of thousands of gallons of aviation fuel.
(Fast Fleet oiler Neosho was mistaken for an aircraft carrier at Coral Sea, and was sunk by an attack of 70+ Japanese planes . Her solo destroyer escort, mistaken for a cruiser, was also sunk, with all hands. RIP)