Sunlight painted a serene picture across the Pacific’s waters as sailors exchanged stories and laughs over morning cigarettes. The tranquil scene was disrupted by a distant, growing hum — the unmistakable drone of approaching aircraft.
Pearl Harbor’s sailors could not have imagined the horror they were about to experience when their calm morning was abruptly torn apart. Metallic shrieks and the roar of exploding bombs thundered all around them.
The imposing USS West Virginia quickly found herself in the crosshairs, assailed by a barrage of bombs and torpedoes that ripped through her sturdy decks.
Ash-covered sailors fought bravely against the flames’ relentless advance. Water roared in through torn steel while desperate hands tried stemming the flood, their fingers raw and bloodied.
The pungent tang of burning salt water, oil, and seared flesh created a dreadful experience that would haunt the battleship’s survivors for the rest of their lives. Gunners fired skyward at the swarm of Japanese warplanes even as the West Virginia groaned and shuddered.
But, in the end, even her valiant resistance wasn’t enough. The once-proud West Virginia succumbed, settling mournfully into the harbor’s shallow embrace. But like the American spirit, the colossal warship would rise again. Before the war was over, it would bring vengeance to those who had sunk her…
