On December 7, 1941, the world exploded in a firestorm of destruction. Bombs rained from the sky as Japanese fighters swooped low over Pearl Harbor, strafing ships and sowing chaos. The deck of the mighty USS Pennsylvania quivered with each deafening blast.

In Dry Dock Number 1, Pennsylvania was spared the torpedoes that took apart her sister battleships at anchor on Battleship Row. But there was no escape from the hellish inferno consuming the harbor.

Acrid black smoke choked the lungs as fires raged unchecked. The destroyers Cassin and Downes, ahead of Pennsylvania in the dock, erupted into flames as Japanese bombs found their mark. A 1,000-pound torpedo tube from the disintegrating Downes flew through the air and crashed down on Pennsylvania’s forecastle as men were thrown off the deck.

Even though she was partly disabled at the lift dock, Pennsylvania’s sailors had no intention of staying idle. They rushed to battle stations and manned the anti-aircraft guns, filling the sky with tracer fire in a desperate attempt to fight back against the swarms of Japanese attackers. Fifteen Pennsylvania crewmen perished that day, with another 38 wounded. But through courage and sheer grit, damage control teams contained the destruction. Though battered, Pennsylvania endured.

All around, the carnage was unimaginable. The guts of the American Pacific Fleet lay ripped open and bleeding. Battleships Oklahoma and West Virginia capsized. Arizona exploded in a volcanic eruption and sank to the bottom, taking 1,177 sailors with her to a watery grave. Over 2,400 Americans were lost or wounded on this date, which will live in infamy.

But as the nation reeled on its knees, the Pennsylvania and her crew stood unbowed, a defiant fist raised against the onslaught. One of the only large warships to emerge under her own power, the resilient battleship would set forth to avenge her fallen comrades and exact retribution from the Japanese aggressors. Through fire and fury, Pennsylvania’s guns would thunder for vengeance across the vast Pacific.

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