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Photo #  NH 97446: USS Ward's number three gun and its crew, which fired the first shot of the Pacific War, 7 December 1941.

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- EVENTS -- World War II in the Pacific --

Pearl Harbor Raid, 7 December 1941 --
Other Raid-related Events

There are a number of important events related to the Pearl Harbor raid that are not covered elsewhere in this presentation. Among them is the first shot of the Pacific War, fired by the destroyer USS Ward before dawn on 7 December 1941. Ward was patrolling in a restricted zone off the entrance to Pearl Harbor when the minesweeper Condor reported that she had spotted a submarine periscope at 3:42AM. Nearly three hours later, a PBY patrol plane also sighted a periscope and marked the spot with a smoke pot. Ward came over, fired her guns at the sub and dropped depth charges, reportedly sinking it.

This was one of five Japanese midget submarines that were attempting to enter Pearl Harbor to participate in the attack. The destroyer radioed a report of the incident to Pearl Harbor, another destroyer was ordered out to assist her, and Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Husband E. Kimmel was informed. However, presumably because hostile submarine activity around Hawaii was expected in the event of war, while air attack was not, Ward's incident, more than an hour before the Japanese planes arrived, did not occasion a general alarm.

Another raid-related matter is that of several casualties among uninvolved civilians outside the raid objective areas. At the time, these were attributed to indiscriminate "terror" attacks by Japanese flyers. In reality, however, they mainly resulted from American shells bursting on impact with the ground -- and unfortunate, and probably unavoidable, consequence of the great volume of anti-aircraft cannon and machine gun fire provoked by the Japanese raid.

This page features views of miscellaneous subjects related to the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

For additional pictorial coverage of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, see:

  • The Pearl Harbor Raid, 7 December 1941 -- Overview and Special Image Selection.


    If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

    Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

    Photo #: NH 97446

    USS Ward (DD-139)


    "A Shot for Posterity -- The USS Ward's number three gun and its crew-cited for firing the first shot the day of Japan's raid on Hawaii. Operating as part of the inshore patrol early in the morning of December 7, 1941, this destroyer group spotted a submarine outside Pearl Harbor, opened fire and sank her. Crew members are R.H. Knapp - BM2c - Gun Captain, C.W. Fenton - Sea1c - Pointer, R.B. Nolde - Sea1c - Trainer, A.A. De Demagall - Sea1c - No. 1 Loader, D.W. Gruening - Sea1c - No. 2 Loader, J.A. Paick - Sea1c - No. 3 Loader, H.P. Flanagan - Sea1c - No. 4 Loader, E.J. Bakret - GM3c - Gunners Mate, K.C.J. Lasch - Cox - Sightsetter." (quoted from the original 1942-vintage caption)
    This gun is a 4"/50 type, mounted atop the ship's midships deckhouse, starboard side.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command.

    Online Image: 83KB; 740 x 610 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 75537

    USS Ward (DD-139)


    Plaque placed on the ship's Number Three 4"/50 gun to commemorate its sinking of a Japanese midget submarine off Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.
    Since 1956, this plaque has been on exhibit on the State Capitol grounds at St. Paul, Minnesota.

    U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.

    Online Image: 104KB; 570 x 765 pixels

     
    Photo #: NH 95582

    USS Ward (APD-16)


    Crewmen pose with their ship's battle "scoreboard", soon after the Biak Invasion, circa June 1944. Nearly all of these men had served in Ward since the beginning of the War, and were present when she sank a Japanese midget submarine just outside Pearl Harbor on the morning of 7 December 1941.
    For the original caption, including identification of those present, see: Photo # NH 95582 (complete caption).

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command.

    Online Image: 91KB; 740 x 600 pixels

     
    Photo #: 80-G-604950

    Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941


    Three civilians were killed in this shrapnel-riddled car by a bomb dropped from a Japanese plane eight miles from Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The attack took place in a residential district, near no military objective.
    Note: The above information is entirely from the original December 1941 caption.
    The actual circumstances:
    The occupants of the automobile were members of the McCabe family. They lost their lives when a U.S. five-inch anti-aircraft shell exploded nearby while they were driving through Honolulu, en route to their workplaces at Pearl Harbor.

    Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

    Online Image: 110KB; 740 x 600 pixels

    Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

     


    For additional pictorial coverage of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, see:

  • The Pearl Harbor Raid, 7 December 1941 -- Overview and Special Image Selection.


    NOTES:

  • To the best of our knowledge, the pictures referenced here are all in the Public Domain, and can therefore be freely downloaded and used for any purpose.

  • Some images linked from this page may bear obsolete credit lines citing the organization name: "Naval Historical Center". Effective 1 December 2008 the name should be cited as: "Naval History and Heritage Command".


    If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."


    Return to Naval History and Heritage Command home page.

    Page made 19 November 2000
    Coding updated 17 April 2009