| On the morning of 7 December 1941, Tennessee was moored
starboard side to a pair of masonry "mooring quays" on Battleship Row, the
name given to a line of these deep water berths located along the southeast
side of Ford Island.
West
Virginia (BB-48) was berthed alongside to port. Just ahead of
Tennessee was
Maryland
(BB-46), with
Oklahoma
(BB-37) outboard.
Arizona (BB-39),
moored directly astern of Tennessee, was undergoing a period of upkeep
from the repair ship Vestal (WAR-4), berthed alongside her. The three
"nests" were spaced about 75 feet apart. |
| At about 0755, Japanese carrier planes began their attack. As
the first bombs fell on Ford Island, Tennessee went to general quarters
and closed her watertight doors. In about five minutes, her antiaircraft
guns were manned and firing. Sortie orders were received, and the battleship's
engineers began to get steam up. However, this quickly became academic as
Tennessee and West Virginia took crippling torpedo hits.
Tennessee capsized to port and sank, bottom up. West
Virginia began to list heavily, but timely counter flooding righted her.
She, nevertheless, also settled on the bottom but did so on an even keel.
Tennessee, though her guns were firing and her engines operational,
could not move. The sinking West Virginia had wedged her against the
two massive concrete quays to which she was moored, and worse was soon to
come. |
| At the Japanese torpedo bombers launched their weapons against
Battleship Row, dive bombers were simultaneously coming in from above. Strafing
fighters were attacking the ships' antiaircraft batteries and control positions
as high-level horizontal bombers dropped heavy battleship caliber projectiles
modified to serve as armor piercing bombs. Several bombs struck
Arizona; and, at about 0820, one of them penetrated her protective
deck and exploded in a magazine detonating black-powder saluting changes
which, in turn, set off the surrounding smokeless powder magazines. A shattering
explosion demolished Arizona's foreport, and fuel oil from her ruptured
tanks was ignited and began to spread. The torpedo hits on West Virginia
had also released burning oil, and Tennessee's stern and port
quarters were soon surrounded by flames and dense black smoke. At abut 0830,
horizontal bombers scored two hits on Tennessee. One bomb carried
away the after mainyard before passing through the catapult on top of Turret
III, the elevated after turret, breaking up as it partially penetrated the
armored turret top. Large fragments of the bomb case did some damage
inside the turret and put one of its three 14-inch guns out of operation.
Instead of Exploding, the bomb filler ignited and burned, setting an intense
fire which was quickly extinguished. |
| The second bomb struck the barrel of the center gun of Turret
II, the forward "high" turret, and exploded. The center gun was knocked out
of action, and bomb fragments sprayed Tennessee's forward superstructure.
Capt. Mervyn S. Bennion, the commanding officer of West Virginia,
had stepped out on to the starboard wing of his ship's bridge only to be
mortally wounded by one of these fragments. |
| While her physical hurts were relatively minor, Tennessee
was still seriously threatened by oil fires raging around her stern. When
Arizona's magazines erupted, Tennessee's after decks were showered
with burning oil and debris which started fires that were encouraged by the
heat of the flaming fuel. Numerous blazes had to be fought on the after portion
of the main deck and in the officers' quarters on the deck below. Shipboard
burning was brought under control by 1030, but oil flowing form the tanks
of the adjacent ships continued to flame. |
| By the evening of 7 December, the worst was over. Oil was still
blazing around Arizona and West Virginia and continued to threaten
Tennessee for two more days while she was still imprisoned by the
obstacles around her. Although her bridge and foremast had been damaged by
bomb splinters, her machinery was in full commission; and no serious injury
had been don to ship or gunnery controls. Ten of her 12 14-inch guns and
all of her secondary and antiaircraft guns were intact. By comparison with
most of the battleships around her, Tennessee was relatively
unscathed. |
| The first order of business was now to get Tennessee our
of her berth. Just forward of her, Maryland -- similarly wedged into
her berth when Oklahoma rolled over and sank -- was released and moved
away on 9 December. The forwardmost of Tennessee's two concrete mooring
quays was next demolished -- a delicate tasks since the ship's hull was resting
against in -- and had been cleared away by 16 December. Tennessee
carefully crept ahead, past Oklahoma's sunken hull, and moored at
the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard. |
| Temporary repairs were quickly made, From Turret III to the stern
on both sides of the ship, Tennessee's hull gave mute evidence of
the inferno that she had survived. Every piece of hull plating above the
waterline was buckled and warped by heat; seams had been opened and rivets
loosened. These seams had to be re-welded and rivets reset, and a considerable
amount of re-caulking was needed to mak hull and weather decks watertight.
The damage top of Turret III received a temporary armor patch. |
| On 20 December, Tennessee departed Pearl Harbor with
Pennsylvania
(BB-38) and Maryland -- both superficially damaged in the Japanese
attack -- and a screen of four destroyers. From the moment the ships put
to sea, nervous lookouts repeatedly sounded submarine alarms thus making
the voyage something more than uneventful. Nearing the west coast,
Pennsylvania headed for Mare Island while Maryland and
Tennessee steamed north, arrived at the Puget Sound Navy Yard on 29
December 1941, and commenced permanent repairs. |
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