TAMPA, Fla. — The attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan marked the event that catapulted the U.S. into a second World War in 1941. Here is a timeline of the attacks on Dec. 7, "a date which will live in infamy." (All times are Hawaii time, 5 hours behind Eastern Standard Time).
- At 6:10 AM, Minesweeper USS Condor sights a periscope
- At 6:10 AM, the first wave of planes took off from Japanese aircraft carriers, approximately 200 miles north of Oahu.
- At 6:45 AM, the first shots were fired by the USS Ward at a Japanese submarine. These were the first shots fired by the United States in World War II.
- At 6:53 AM, USS Ward radios Navy headquarters but the decoding process delays the message.
- At 7:02 AM, A radar station on Oahu spots unidentified aircraft heading toward Hawaii.
- At 7:20 AM, an Army lieutenant disregards this radar report because he believes it is a flight of U.S. B-17 bombers coming from California.
- At 7:40 AM, the first wave of Japanese aircraft reaches Oahu.
- At 7:49 AM, the Japanese aerial commander orders the attack on Pearl Harbor.
- At 7:55 AM, the Coordinated attack on Pearl Harbor begins.
- At 8:10 AM, the USS Arizona explodes.
- At 8:17 AM, the Destroyer USS Helm fires at and sinks a Japanese submarine at the entrance of the harbor.
- At 8:54 AM, the second wave of attack begins.
- At 9:30 AM, the USS Shaw explodes in a dry dock.
- At 10:00 AM, Japanese planes head back to carriers and ultimately back to Japan.