Pearl Harbor Day, 2020 -- December 7, 2020

 

Australian War Memorial, Photo No 008055.

79 years ago a sneak attack by forces of the Japanese Empire sank or damaged much of the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in the territory of Hawaii. The Japanese Empire came to regret doing this.

When the attack started, destroyer USS Cassin (DD-472) was in drydock next to destroyer USS Downes (DD-375). A Japanese bomb landed between the two destroyers, which started fires that eventually caused explosives to explode on both ships. The machinery and other equipment were salvaged and the Mare Island Naval Shipyard built two new ships, sharing the names and hull numbers of the Cassin and the Downs. Both new ships served in the Pacific throughout the war. 

The photo above  shows the original DD-372, on a visit to Australia in March, 1941. Below we see the new DD-372 at Mare Island on 20-Feb-1944.

navsource.org photo 0537213