USS Tennessee Crew Saves Ship and Shoots Down Enemy Planes at Pearl Harbor

Heroic efforts of the crew of the battleship USS Tennessee saved the vessel from sinking and anti-aircraft gunners were credited with shooting down five Japanese aircraft during the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941.

At around 8:20 a.m., two bombs struck the Tennessee and a large oil fire erupted. The fire was successfully suppressed by the crew at 10:30 a.m., thereby saving the vessel from destruction.

Five of the crew were killed during the attack.

Besides the Tennessee, seven other battleships were struck, along with 13 other vessels and nearby airfields. The attack, which launched from six aircraft carriers and came in two waves, resulted in 2,403 killed and 1,178 wounded.

America's entry into World War II came the next day.

By Dec. 20, 1941, the Tennessee was seaworthy enough to sail to Puget Sound, Washington, for repairs and upgrades in armor and weaponry. The repairs were completed in May 1943.

World War II service included the Aleutian Islands campaign, the battles of Tarawa, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Bismarck Archipelago, Saipan, Guam, Tinian, Angular, Leyte, Surigao Strait, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

The Tennessee was assigned to the reserve fleet in 1946 and in 1959 was sold for scrap to Bethlehem Steel in Pennsylvania. Only the ship's bell was preserved and is displayed in the Museum of Scott County in Huntsville, Tennessee.