Water stirs on the surface of the ocean.
FOUR YEARS LATER, THE WORLD IS AT WAR.
JAPAN HAS INVADED CHINA AND HITLER'S BLITZKRIEG HAS OVERRUN EUROPE.
THE UNITED STATES HAS REMAINED OFFICIALLY NEUTRAL.
A fleet of American ships sails over the Pacific Ocean, and among them, an aircraft carrier sails as on it's deck were many sailormen exercising. Either taking laps, push-ups, and Jumping-Jacks as they were all shouting indistinctly.
DECEMBER 7, 1941
USS ENTERPRISE
170 MILES WEST OF PEARL HARBOR
A sailor hangs a phone up and steps outside and approaches a training officer watching the team of men doing Jumping-Jacks.
"Come on. Step it up, ladies!" The training officer said to them.
The sailor then whispers to the officer.
"Clear the flight deck." He announced through a microphone. "Let's go."
The group begins to clear out.
In the air, two Douglas SBD Dauntlesses flew high above the carrier, in the one leading them was Lieutenant Richard H. "Dick" Best. And flying the second Dauntless was Henry "Hiccup" Haddock as he peels off into the landing groove, Best keeps his own course aligning with Enterprise.
"Prepare to brace!" He called out.
His radioman, James F. Murray, turns around and turns to the right wing noticing the flap wasn't deployed. And he turns to the left wing seeing the flap not lowered as well.
"Why aren't you using the flaps, sir?" Murray asked.
"Because someday we might have to land with our flaps shot away." Best said. "So we might as well practice now."
He then adjusts his Dauntless and dives towards Enterprise.
"This isn't how Ensign Hunt use to fly." Murray said.
"Which is why Ensign Hunt is not counting seagulls in San Diego, and you're here with me." Best said.
He then adjusts his plane aligned with the carrier.
"Looks like we got hit in our fuel tank, too." Best said pulling back the mixture control lever.
"Please don't, sir." Murray begged.
"This might save your life one day, Murray." Best said. "Engine's about to die."
He flips the ignition switch, and the SBD's engine turns off as it's propeller stops spinning as they were now free-diving.
On Enterprise's deck, Lieutenant Commander C. Wade McClusky appeared as Hiccup's Dauntless lands.
"Stand by to recover aircraft." Man announced on speakers.
McClusky then joins by Clarence E. Dickinson as he was signaling Best's plane as they both saw the angle it was in.
"What the hell is Best doing?" McClusky said. "He's out of the groove."
"It looks like he's engine cut out." Dickinson said as he kept signaling.
"Is it a stunt, or is he in trouble?" McClusky asked.
"I don't know." Dickinson said. "But he's going to hit the first wire like always."
"Not with that angle." McClusky protested.
Just several hundred feet to the carrier, Best works the foot pedals as the Dauntless shifts sideways.
"Why are we sideways?" Murray asked.
"To shave speed so we don't put a hole in the deck." Best said.
"Better not crash that damn plane." McClusky said.
Closing in on the carrier, Best pushed the lever up as the landing gear is deployed.
"Hey, hang in there, kid." Best said. "We're almost home."
He begins to adjust the plane as Dickinson continues signaling out, and then the Dauntless drops out of view behind the ship. And everyone stared in silence thinking they crashed.
And after a few moments of silence, The Dauntless suddenly shot upwards.
"Brace!" Best yelled.
The Dauntless then lands on the deck as Murray grunts as the tail hook catches a wire as they soon came to a halt. And crewmen rushed onto the deck as McClusky heads off, and Dickinson removes his hat.
The crewmen pushed the Dauntless further onto the deck as another guides them, and one soon signals them to hold the plane in place, and make a "tuck them in" gesture as two men placed wheel-blocks over the Dauntless' wheels. And Best hops out of his seat and walks down and pats Murray's arm and hops off his plane's wing as Dickinson and Hiccup were there.
"Fancy move." Hiccup said.
"Are you trying to get court marshalled?" Dickinson questioned.
"I had an electrical issue." Best simply said.
Dickinson and Hiccup stared unconvinced as Best chewed some gum.
"Could have happened to anyone." Best said as Murray climbed down and turns to him. "Hey! Good job."
Murray remained silent, and walks off.
"Well, it's not me you have to convince." Dickinson said. "McClusky's about ready to have your ass."
"Then I'll take it upstairs to the old man." Best said with no concern. "He knows what's coming. That's why we've been flying double scouting missions this whole trip."
"Yeah, this war is gonna catch up to us sooner or later." Hiccup said. "Whether we like it or not."
Below deck, people were speaking indistinctly with an alarm blaring as a platform was lifted up with a Dauntless and several men, as one of the men was Radioman First Class William Cicero Miller.
"Going somewhere?" Best asked pointing to them.
"Yeah, they're sending the whole squadron into Pearl this morning." Dickinson said. "And I'll be drinking a beer on the beach with Roy by noon."
"And I'm not coming?" Best questioned.
"No. McClusky's holding back Scouting Six." Dickinson said. "It's probably 'cause you're such an asshole."
Best shook his head. "Yeah, you're lovin' this, right?"
Miller then approached them. "Morning, sir." He salutes to them. "Aircraft is spotted."
"Hey, take it easy on Miller." Dickinson said. "He's having a tough morning."
"It's my last day of sea duty, sir." Miller said. "And I'm the only one from my radio class who hasn't crashed."
"Don't worry, Miller." Best reassured. "I'm sure even Mr. Dickinson can fly you from here to Pearl without getting you wet."
"Yeah, smooth flying once you're airborne." Hiccup said.
Dickinson then laughs. "Hey. Me and Roy, we'll pour a little beer out on the beach for ya."
"All right, see ya later." Hiccup said and laughed.
They then walked off.
Music plays as a bag was placed down labeled, "LT. ROY PEARCE - U.S.N.", and Lieutenant Roy Pearce went through his locker, and a few photos were hanging. Two of them showing his wife and two sons, and another showing him, Best, Hiccup, and Dickinson together.
After grabbing what he needs, Roy closed his locker, and heads off to a door. He opens it and sees several sailors setting up chairs for a church session and Roy checks his watch just five to eight.
USS ARIZONA
PEARL HARBOR
"Well, you boys are taking your sweet time." Roy said to them. "Chaplain's gonna be here any minute."
"It's another hot one, sir." Said Seaman Sully Brown.
"Are you complaining, Sully?" Roy questioned.
"No, sir." Sully quickly said. "I just can't help wondering why I have to set up chairs for church, even though I don't believe in God."
Almost offended, Roy then went up to him.
"Well, that's because your religion is chasing tail." Roy said. "And the Navy ain't gonna pay you for that."
Sully then nodded.
Then what sounded like airplane engines whirring as one sailor at the tower was mopping the floor when he noticed something strange. A fleet of planes were in the air and some looked they were approaching Battleship Row, and then an explosion was seen from a nearby ship, the sailors watched as then gunfire was heard as another explosion struck a ship as one plane flying between ships opens fire as sailors ducked as another plane soars by as all Hell broke loose.
Roy and Sully saw the attacking places as well.
"Incoming!" Roy yelled.
Explosions struck two ships as planes continued flying by, and one flew between the Arizona and Vestal revealing to be a Japanese A6M Zero with it's unmistakable red dots on it's wings seen. The Vestal catches fire as the Zero at the deck of the Arizona as bullets flew striking any sailor unfortunate to be in it's path.
And the Zero flies off.
At their family house, Best's four-year old daughter, Barbara was playing in a sandbox and noticed something nearby as airplane engines were heard whirring as well as gunfire.
Inside at the kitchen, dishes rattled from rumbling as Ann Best noticed it, and turns to a window seeing flames from the nearby harbor as an explosion was heard.
Ann hurries outside as Barbara watches the attack unsure what to make of it.
"Barbara!" Ann called to her daughter. "Barbara!"
Ann soon saw what was going on as Zeros continued their attack on the ships.
"Barbara, come here!" Ann urged.
Barbara then turns to her mother and rushed over to her.
"Come on, sweetheart." Ann said.
They hurried back to their house as Ann looked to the air as airplanes were heard approaching.
Elsewhere, Hiccup's two children, eight-year old Zephyr and her younger five-year old brother, Nathan, were playing with toy planes.
"Oh, no! One of them is dropping a bomb!" Nathan playfully cried.
"Ka-boom!" Zephyr playfully cried throwing a rock at the ground.
But the second the rock hit the ground, a loud explosion was heard close by as the two froze.
"That was a good explosion, Zephyr." Nathan said almost impressed.
"Uh... that wasn't me." Zephyr said unsettled.
Then they heard real planes whirring rather close by.
Inside their home, a mug of coffee rippled from a light rumble as their mother, Astrid, noticed it and looked out the window.
"What the...?" Astrid frowned.
She then rushed outside as her daughter and son watched the nearby attack in fear.
"Kids!" Astrid called to them. "Kids!"
Astrid then finally saw what was happening as she was completely shocked as three Zeros flew overhead.
"Oh, my... Zephyr, Nathan, come here!" Astrid frantically said.
"Mommy!" Her two children cried rushing over to her.
"It's okay, come on." Astrid said. "Get inside."
They then hurried back to the relative safety of the house as a Zero flew overhead.
But the real targets was Battleship Row as Zeros, B6N Kates, and D3A-1 dive-bombers opened fired at the ships with bullets, bombs, and torpedoes.
On the Arizona, Roy and Sully kept low as Zeros flew by and sailormen laid on the deck either dead or badly wounded. Only a few managed to avoid getting shot.
"Get the wounded below deck!" Roy ordered. "Everyone else, battle stations!"
The sailors begin to help the wound sailors as Sully was left panting but quickly got to his feet.
The fleet of Japanese Zeros continues open fire on the harbor as men on the ground ran for cover as the ships were being struck.
Roy watches the attack as Sully caught up to him as an explosion struck a ship and a Zero soars by firing bullets, and a projectile was heard whistling as they looked back and an explosion struck the ship.
"Get down!" Roy yelled grabbing Sully.
They quickly ducked as the explosion knocks two catapult OS2U-1 seaplanes off and one flew by them.
Unaware of the attack, Edwin's wife, Dagne grabs a coffee pitcher and heads to the dining room as Edwin was reading a newspaper.
"Comin' to church?" Dagne asked.
"I have to go to the office." Edwin said.
"It's Sunday." Dagne said pouring some coffee.
Edwin turns to her.
"You work too hard." Dagne said.
Then the phone was heard ringing as Edwin got up, folds his paper and sets it on the table and got to the phone answering it.
"Layton residence." He answered.
His face then read fear and shock as an air raid siren was heard blaring.
"I'll meet you outside." Edwin said and hangs up the phone.
"Edwin, what's happening?" Dagne asked knowing something was wrong.
"The Japanese are attacking us." Edwin said.
Moments later, he rushed outside as a car comes to a halt.
"Did you reached the office?" Lieutenant Paul C. Crosley asked.
"No. The switchboard was jammed." Edwin said and got in as the siren continues. "Go."
They then quickly drove off.
Meanwhile, the Zeros continued firing at the ships as many of them have patches of fire. On the Arizona, two men fired an A.A. gun at the passing planes.
"Sully, get up!" Roy said grabbing Sully's hand and pulls him up. "Come on! Get up!"
He helps Sully to his feet as they then hurried up some stairs.
"We need to get to the gun directors." Roy said. "They're firing way too low."
They got to the platform as Sully then saw a Zero 10,000 feet high releasing a bomb, and the projectile falls through the air whistling as the 1,763-pound bomb punctures through the deck a few yards in front of them like a stone.
Sully panics and rushed off as Roy saw it as well.
"TAKE COVER! GET DOWN!" Roy yelled as they got behind the wall.
The two men ducked as well as an explosion rips through the hole as smoke spews heavily as then a massive explosion rips out through the Arizona's hull as the bomb has landed in a lower magazine room setting off more than 500 tons of gunpowder. The explosion tossed the ship's bow 12 to 15 feet high as the shockwave flew out for two miles, and extinguished the flames of the USS Vestal as the smoke flew forward from the Arizona.
Brakes screeched as the car comes to a halt, and Edwin steps out and looks down at Pearl Harbor in flames as the Zeros continued their relentless attack as smoke billows from the damaged ships.
"Drive!" Edwin said and got back in.
Back on the Arizona, Roy wakes up and turns to Sully.
"Hey. Hey." Roy said shaking Sully.
He continues shaking Sully as he groans waking up.
"Are you okay?" Roy asked.
He soon got to his feet seeing the Arizona in flames, and Sully rose up and grabs the rim, but ends up burning his hands on the hot metal and groans in pain. Then yelling was heard as Roy looked as well as Sully seeing a man in flames screaming and fell into the gap created by the explosion as well as another and third. And Roy watched as a tear dropped as then metal was heard creaking as the Arizona jostled as it was beginning to sink.
"We have to get off the ship." Roy said. "Come on." He heads off as Sully remained frozen. "Hurry up, kid."
On the Vestal, Seaman Joseph Leon "Joe" George approached the side as a Zero flew by firing bullets as he saw them and grabs a rope.
"We gotta jump." Sully said.
"You go in that water, you're dead." Roy said seeing the flaming oil in the water between the two ships and oil pouring out from the Arizona.
Joe tossed the rope out as Roy caught it begins tying his end to the stairs, and Joe begins securing the other end to the railing. And Roy and another sailor finished securing their end of the rope.
"Sully! You first, Sully!" Roy said.
"I can't!" Sully cried. "My hands..."
Roy then grabs Sully's shirt tightly. "You wanna live? You get to that goddamned ship, you hear me?"
Sully remained silent.
Meanwhile, unaware of what was happening, Dickinson and another Dauntless were heading to the island when he noticed flak clouds as distant gunfire and explosions were head.
"What is it, sir?" Miller asked.
"Looks like Coastal Artillery went stark mad." Dickinson said. "I bet you somebody's gonna catch hell for it."
Suddenly gunfire was sounded as Dickinson looked and saw flying bullets.
"INCOMING!" He yelled.
The second Dauntless was struck heavily and caught fire and descends as two A6M Zeros appeared firing at them.
"Miller, break radio silence." Dickinson yelled. "Get that radio working!"
Miller quickly turned his radio on. "Pearl is under attack. This is no shit."
He quickly turns around and lifts the windshield up and brought the 30 cal guns out and Dickinson zig-zags the SBD to avoid getting hit as the Zeros continued firing. Miller fires at the Zeros and shoots at the lead Zero as it caught fire and peels off, and the second Zero continues firing and struck Miller as he limps.
"Miller, you okay?" Dickinson asked.
Defenseless from behind now, the Zero continues firing until Dickinson's Dauntless catches fire in it's engine. And Dickinson tries to work the lever but lost complete control.
"Miller, bail out!" Dickinson yelled.
The Dauntless glides into a descent as the Zero flies off no longer seeing them as a threat.
Dickinson quickly unstraps himself and got up to face Miller.
"Miller! Miller!" Dickinson yelled and bangs on the window. "Miller!"
Soon realizing he was dead, Dickinson looks back seeing they were fast approaching the ground. And with nothing he can do for Miller, he bails out of his plane.
Back on Enterprise, Best and Hiccup head into radio room knowing something was wrong.
"What the hell is going on?" Best asked.
"Pearl is shooting at our guys, sir." A Radioman said.
"What do you mean Pearl's shooting at our guys?" Hiccup questioned.
"Then maybe it isn't Pearl." Best said. "Look, call Dickinson."
"We had a transmission that he was under attack and then nothing." The radioman said.
"What?" Hiccup stared.
A typewriter works typing, "-AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR - THIS IS NO DRILL." And a second radioman grabs the sheet.
"Sir." He hands it to Best.
Best reads it as well as Hiccup as they were both then shocked.
"Oh, no." Hiccup said.
"Get this to the admiral." Best ordered handing it back to the radioman.
"Alert everyone." Hiccup added.
The radioman heads off as Best and Hiccup were worried.
Back at Pearl Harbor, Sully was monkey-crawling across the rope as best he could with his burnt hands. And two others were behind him as a passing Zero flies by firing at them, and a second Zero came in and fires as one sailor behind Sully was struck and screams as he fell into the flaming water.
Another sailor next to Roy was struck by another Zero as they flew by, and Roy saw they were sitting ducks on that rope.
"KEEP GOING, SULLY!" Roy shouted.
He then heads up to the A.A. gun.
Sully struggles across the rope as Roy got to the A.A. gun and grunts turning it and starts firing at any passing Zero to provide cover for them.
Meanwhile, the car rushes to the Naval base as many men ran, and others helped those who were wounded, and Edwin got out and saw a diving Zero coming at them.
"GET DOWN!" Edwin yelled.
Everyone got down as the Zero fires at the street and a second Zero flew in firing as well. Once gone, Edwin left the car and hurries into the building. He got inside as men hurried by as clamoring fills the halls.
"Oh, come on." Edwin groaned.
He then got to the main room.
"There's the main who tried to warn us." Admiral Husband E. Kimmel said pointing to Edwin. "If it's any satisfaction to you, Layton, you were right."
"Sir, it's no satisfaction to me whatsoever." Edwin said.
Suddenly an explosion from a bomb strike shakes the building as they ducked down as the attack continues outside.
Back at Battleship Row, Sully and the remaining sailor were still hanging over the rope as Joe tries to reach for Sully's hand. But a passing Zero shoots at them, and Roy fires the A.A. gun at the plane and soon struck the Zero as it's left wing broke off as it fell into the water.
"You bastard." Roy glared heavily.
Joe reaches out for Sully's hand as Sully tries to reach him, but he grunts as he tries to move closer. But the end of the rope behind them was in flames and soon snaps as they fell and the sailor behind Sully screams as they hit the side of the Vestal and lost his grip and fell into the flaming water. Sully hangs on for dear life to the rope as Joe quickly pulls him up and Sully grunts as Joe pulls him onto the deck and part of his jeans was in flames as Sully pants and Joe quickly pats it out.
Then Roy was heard screaming loudly as they turned to the A.A. gun as Roy was out of sight and heard screaming was he was being burned alive. And Sully looks at the ship as Roy's screams stops as the damaged Vestal heads off as the once proud Arizona sinks into her final resting place.
Author's Note:
Amazingly, Joe's heroic action wasn't known until 2017.
Today marks 83 years since that day of what happened on Pearl. Recently, I found the the Arizona's explosion of over a million pounds of gunpowder is the detonation equivalent of approximately 100 tons TNT.
And here's to honor Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.