Special Report
The Fates of the Ships Involved in the Pearl Harbor Attack
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On a date that will live in infamy, Dec. 7, 1941, the United States suffered an incredible loss in the attack on Pearl Harbor at the hands of the Japanese. This ultimately propelled the United States to join the fight in World War II. Over 2,400 people lost their lives that day, and on the very next day, Dec. 8, the United States declared war. All ships that remained in Pearl Harbor prepared to mobilize and expand operations throughout the Pacific.
Although some of the ships stationed at Pearl Harbor were damaged or sunk in the surprise attack, many survived and went on to win military recognition and a storied naval legacy over the course of the war. Some of these boats stationed in Pearl Harbor during the attack would go on to be some of the most highly distinguished throughout the conflict. (Here is every aircraft carrier in U.S. Navy history.)
To determine the fates of the American ships and submarines involved in the Pearl Harbor attack, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed reports by the Naval History and Heritage Command, an organization dedicated to the preservation of U.S. Naval history. We ordered these ships and submarines alphabetically, excluding those not involved in direct combat roles. We included supplemental information from the Naval History and Heritage Command regarding the type of ship, its commission date, battle stars, and its fate.
The USS New Orleans, a heavy cruiser, was first introduced to the U.S. Navy service in 1934. It survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and went on to participate in some of the biggest battles of the Pacific Theater, including the Battle of Coral Sea, Battle of Midway, Battle of the Eastern Solomons, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Through these many battles, the USS New Orleans gained many accolades, including 17 battle stars — tied for the third most-awarded in World War II.
Battle stars are awards and recognition given to naval vessels for their active involvement and meritorious performance in a specific naval engagement, battle, or campaign. As these stars add up, vessels gain more prestige having survived and succeeded in multiple battles.
Each one of the ships or submarines that was present at Pearl Harbor has at least one battle star. The USS New Orleans and USS San Francisco have 17 battle stars each, the most on the list. Many other ships mentioned have more than 11 battle stars, a recognition of their illustrious history. (These are the most highly decorated U.S. Navy ships of World War II.)
Here are the fates of all the ships present during the attack on Pearl Harbor:
USS Allen (DD-66)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 1
- Commission date: Jan. 24, 1917
Fate: Sold for scrap September 1946
USS Arizona (BB-39)
- Type: Battleship
- Battle stars: 1
- Commission date: Oct. 17, 1916
Fate: Sunk at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941
USS Aylwin (DD-355)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 13
- Commission date: March 1, 1935
Fate: Sold for scrap December 1946
USS Bagley (DD-386)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 12
- Commission date: June 12, 1937
Fate: Sold for scrap September 1947
USS Blue (DD-387)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 5
- Commission date: Aug. 14, 1937
Fate: Sunk in Battle of Guadalcanal August 1942
USS Cachalot (SS-170)
- Type: Submarine
- Battle stars: 3
- Commission date: Dec. 1, 1933
Fate: Sold January 1947
USS California (BB-44)
- Type: Battleship
- Battle stars: 7
- Commission date: Aug. 10, 1921
Fate: Damaged at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, sold for scrap July 1959
USS Case (DD-370)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 7
- Commission date: Sept. 15, 1936
Fate: Sold December 1947
USS Chew (DD-106)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 1
- Commission date: Dec. 12, 1918
Fate: Sold for scrap September 1946
USS Conyngham (DD-371)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 14
- Commission date: Nov. 4, 1936
Fate: Atomic bomb test target July 1946
USS Cummings (DD-365)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 7
- Commission date: Nov. 25, 1936
Fate: Sold July 1947
USS Dale (DD-353)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 12
- Commission date: June 17, 1935
Fate: Sold December 1946
USS Detroit (CL-8)
- Type: Light cruiser
- Battle stars: 6
- Commission date: July 31, 1923
Fate: Sold February 1946
USS Dewey (DD-349)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 13
- Commission date: Oct. 4, 1934
Fate: Sold December 1946
USS Dolphin (SS-169)
- Type: Submarine
- Battle stars: 2
- Commission date: June 1, 1932
Fate: Sold August 1946
USS Downes (DD-375)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 4
- Commission date: Jan. 15, 1937
Fate: Sold for scrap November 1947
USS Farragut (DD-348)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 14
- Commission date: June 18, 1934
Fate: Sold for scrap August 1947
USS Helena (CL-50)
- Type: Light cruiser
- Battle stars: 7
- Commission date: Sept. 18, 1939
Fate: Sunk at Kula Gulf July 5, 1943
USS Helm (DD-388)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 11
- Commission date: Oct. 16, 1937
Fate: Used as target in atomic tests, sold for scrap October 1947
USS Henley (DD-391)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 4
- Commission date: Aug. 14, 1937
Fate: Sunk by torpedo October 1943
USS Honolulu (CL-48)
- Type: Light cruiser
- Battle stars: 8
- Commission date: June 15, 1938
Fate: Sold for scrap 1959
USS Hull (DD-350)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 10
- Commission date: Jan. 11, 1935
Fate: Sunk in Typhoon Cobra December 1944
USS Jarvis (DD-393)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 3
- Commission date: Oct. 27, 1937
Fate: Sunk by Japanese aircraft Guadalcanal August 1942
USS MacDonough (DD-351)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 13
- Commission date: March 15, 1935
Fate: Sold December 1946
USS Maryland (BB-46)
- Type: Battleship
- Battle stars: 7
- Commission date: July 21, 1921
Fate: Sold for scarp July 1959
USS Monaghan (DD-354)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 12
- Commission date: April 19, 1935
Fate: Sunk in Typhoon Cobra December 1944
USS Mugford (DD-389)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 7
- Commission date: Aug. 16, 1937
Fate: Used as target in atomic tests, scuttled at sea March 1948
USS Narwhal (SS-167)
- Type: Submarine
- Battle stars: 15
- Commission date: May 15, 1930
Fate: Sold for scrap 1945
USS Nevada (BB-36)
- Type: Battleship
- Battle stars: 7
- Commission date: March 11, 1916
Fate: Atomic bomb test target July 1946, later sunk as a target July 1948
USS New Orleans (CA-32)
- Type: Heavy cruiser
- Battle stars: 17
- Commission date: Feb. 15, 1934
Fate: Sold for scrap September 1959
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
- Type: Battleship
- Battle stars: 1
- Commission date: May 2, 1916
Fate: Sunk at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941
USS Patterson (DD-392)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 13
- Commission date: Sept. 22, 1937
Fate: Sold for scrap August 1947
USS Pennsylvania (BB-38)
- Type: Battleship
- Battle stars: 8
- Commission date: June 12, 1916
Fate: Atomic bomb test target July 1946
USS Phelps (DD-360)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 12
- Commission date: Feb. 26, 1936
Fate: Sold for scrap January 1947
USS Phoenix (CL-46)
- Type: Light cruiser
- Battle stars: 9
- Commission date: Oct. 3, 1938
Fate: Sold April 1951
USS Raleigh (CL-7)
- Type: Light cruiser
- Battle stars: 3
- Commission date: Feb. 6, 1924
Fate: Damaged at Massacre Bay June 1944, sold for scrap February 1946
USS Ralph Talbot (DD-390)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 12
- Commission date: Oct. 14, 1937
Fate: Used as target in atomic tests, scuttled at sea March 1948
USS Reid (DD-369)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 7
- Commission date: Nov. 2, 1936
Fate: Sunk December 1944
USS San Francisco (CA-38)
- Type: Heavy cruiser
- Battle stars: 17
- Commission date: Feb. 10, 1934
Fate: Sold for scrap September 1959
USS Schley (DD-103)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 11
- Commission date: Sept. 20, 1918
Fate: Sold for scrap March 1946
USS Selfridge (DD-357)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 4
- Commission date: Nov. 25, 1936
Fate: Sold for scrap December 1946
USS Shaw (DD-373)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 11
- Commission date: Sept. 18, 1936
Fate: Sold for scrap July 1946
USS St. Louis (CL-49)
- Type: Light cruiser
- Battle stars: 11
- Commission date: May 19, 1939
Fate: Sold January 1951
USS Tautog (SS-199)
- Type: Submarine
- Battle stars: 14
- Commission date: July 3, 1940
Fate: Sold November 1959
USS Tennessee (BB-43)
- Type: Battleship
- Battle stars: 10
- Commission date: June 3, 1920
Fate: Sold for scrap July 1959
USS Tucker (DD-374)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 1
- Commission date: July 23, 1936
Fate: Struck minefield, sunk August 1942
USS Ward (DD-139)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 9
- Commission date: July 24, 1918
Fate: Sunk at Ormoc Bay Dec. 7, 1944
USS West Virginia (BB-48)
- Type: Battleship
- Battle stars: 5
- Commission date: Dec. 1, 1923
Fate: Damaged at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, sold for scrap August 1959
USS Worden (DD-352)
- Type: Destroyer
- Battle stars: 4
- Commission date: Jan. 15, 1935
Fate: Sunk January 1943
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