Show Text of Knox Sea Toll o Stat Statement ment t WASHINGTON Dec 15 UP P The text of Secretary Knox's statement detailing losses in iI the Japanese att attack k on Pearl Harbor follows I 1 F. F My inspection trip trip to the island enables me to present the general facts covering the attack which hitherto have been unavailable 1 The essential fact is that the Japanese purpose was to knock knockout knockout knockout out the United States before the war began This was made apparent apparent apparent ap ap- ap- ap parent by the deception practiced by the preparations which had gone on for many weeks before the attack and the attacks themselves themselves themselves them them- selves which were made simultaneously simultaneously simultaneously simul simul- throughout the Pacific In this purpose the Japanese failed 2 The United States services were not on on the alert against the surprise air attack on Hawaii This fact calls for a formal investigation investigation in investigation in- in which will be initiated immediately by the president Further action is of course dependent dependent dependent de de- pendent on the facts and recommendations recommendations recommendations made by this investigating Investigating investigating gating board We are all entitled to know it if a there was any error of judgment which contributed contributed contributed contrib contrib- to the surprise b if there was any dereliction of duty prior to the attack Bravery ra er Shown 3 3 My investigation made mad clear that after the attack the defense by both services was conducted skillfully and bravely The navy navy lost- lost fa a The battleship Arizona which was destroyed by the explosion explosion ex ex- of first its boiler and then its forward magazine due to a bomb which was said 19 have literally literally literally lit lit- passed down through the smokestack B The They old target ship Utah which has has' not snot been used as a combatant Shi ship P fo for many years a d which w wa vice as a training ng ship ship V gunnery gunnery gunnery gun gun- nery and experimental purposes C Three destroyers the Cassin Cassin Cassin Cas- Cas sin the Downes Shaw D Mine layer This was a converted formerly a passenger ship on the Fall River line and converted into a mine layer during the world warThe warThe warThe war The navy sustained damage to Four I I Text of K Knox Statement on Losses in Hawaii 1 Continued from rae Fag One On other vessels This damage varies from ships which have been already already al al- ready repaired and are arc ready for forsea forsea forsea sea or which have gone gono to sea to a f few fw w ships which will take from a week to several months to repair In the last category is the older battleship Oklahoma which has capsized but can be righted and repaired The entire balance balanc of or the Pacific fleet with its aircraft carriers its heavy cruisers Its light cruisers its destroyers destroyers de destroyers de- de and submarines are unInjured uninjured uninjured un un- un- un injured and are all at sea seeking contact with the enemy 4 The known Japanese materiel materiel materiel mate mate- riel losses were three submarines and 41 aircraft 5 Army losses were severe in aircraft and some hangars but replacements have arrived or are on their way 6 The up-to-date up figures of or navy killed and wounded are Officers Officers Of Of- 91 dead and 20 wounded enlisted men 2638 dead and wounded The secretary of the navy told in some detail of many individual actions of or outstanding courage He said In the navys navy's gravest hour of or peril the officers and men of the fleet exhibited magnificent courage courage courage cour cour- age And nd resourcefulness during the treacherous Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor The real story of P Pearl Parl arl Harbor is not one of individual individual indi indi- vidual her heroism ism although there were many many- such cases It lies in inthe inthe inthe the splendid manner in which all allhands allhands allhands hands did their job as long as they were able not only under fire but while fighting the flames afterward afterward after alter ward and immediately vage work and reorganization Tells of Heroism Prompt action saved m many ny lives JIves and a vast amount of material mate mate- rial Without exception all ships and stations rose to the emer emer- gency Less than four minutes alter after the first alarm guns of the fleet went into action against enemy enemy enemy ene ene- my aircraft Seconds later the first Japanese plane was shot downTo downTo down To a recruit seaman aboard a battleship probably goes the honor honorof of striking the first telling blow blowin blown in n the fleets fleet's defense Even before general quarter sounded this youngster single handedly manned a machine gun and blasted ar an an attacking torpedo plane as it leveled leveled lev lev- against his ship The dying captain o of a battleship battleship battle batUe- ship displayed the outstanding in individual individual individual in- in heroism of the day A As Ashe Ashe he emerged from the conning tower tower tower tow tow- er to his bridge the better to tc I fight his ship his stomach was wa laid completely open by a shrapnel burst He fell feU to the deck Refusing Refusing Refusing Re Re- fusing to be carried to safety he continued to direct the action When the bridge became a blazing Inferno two officers attempted to tc remove him But he ordered them to abandon him and save themselves them them- selves The latter found themselves themselves themselves them them- selves blocked by flames Only the heroic efforts of a third officer enabled them to escape He climbed through the fire to a higher level from which he passed one line to tc toan toan an adjoining battleship and another another another an an- other to his trapped shipmates By t this ls frail means they made their way to safety Exemplary Valor Entire ships ship's companies showed exemplary valor and coordination Drama was thus crowded into a afew afew afew few seconds on board an aircraft tender moored at the naval air station target of the enemy's fiercest bombing a and n d strafing With the ship already on fire from repeated high altitude attacks her antiaircraft batteries downed a plane which crashed in flames on deck At this moment her captain captain cap cap- tam tain observed the shadow of or an enemy two-man two submarine approaching approaching approaching ap ap- ap- ap within a few yards of the vessel It was placed under fire Hits were scored immediately immediately immediately immedi immedi- and the submarine exposed her conning tower At that Instant in in- slant stant a destroyer stood down channel channel channel chan chan- nel passed directly over the submarine submarine submarine sub sub- marine and sank it with depth charges Doubtless saved from this crafts craft's torpedoes the tender then shot down a second plane pane which fell on land near by Men fought with the cool confidence confidence confidence con con- that comes from complete indoctrination for battle In Irs one case a single blue ja jacket ket manned a inch five-inch antiaircraft gun after alter his 10 battery mates had been shot down by a strafing attack He would seize a shell from the fuze- fuze pot place it in the tray dash to th the other side of the gun and ram it home He would then take his position on the pointers pointer's seat and fire After Alter the third such round a terrific explosion blew him over the side of the battleship He was rescued Dash Into Flames At the several ever l naval air stations stations stations sta sta- attacked crews dashed into the flames enveloping planes set ablaze by incendiaries stripped off free machine guns and with them returned the enemy's fire In at least one instance an enemy n my craft was shot down Two Tw cruiser scouting seaplanes their speed and maneuverability reduced by heavy pontoons deI destroyed destroyed de de- de- de an attacking Japanese I pursuit ship of or thrice their speed Simultaneously throughout the navy yard examples of personal heroism developed Several workmen workmen workmen work work- men of Japanese ancestry deserted their benches to help the marine defense battalion man machine machine- gun nests Two of them with hands blistered from hot gun barrels re re- re qui red emergency treatment Cool as ice the men who manned the navy yard signal tower from which flashed orders to the anchored fleet carried out their assignment under a hail of or machine machine machine ma ma- chine gun fire and ana bombs from the enemy as well as shrapnel from their own forces force's antiaircraft antiaircraft antiaircraft craft batteries None left his dangerous dangerous dan dan- dan I post First to observe the I invaders through their long long- glasses from their high vantage point they sent out the astounding astounding astounding astound astound- ing air raid warning by visual sig sig- nals Then they settled into the complex business of transmitting the scores of orders to the ships that fought back at the attackers from their berths or prepared to stand out to sea Return to Battle BaUle Men from ships out of ot action managed at any cost to return to the battle There were the survivors survivors survivors sur sur- of the the capsized ship who swam through blazing oil to clamber damber clam dam ber her aboard other ships and join gun crews Crews from another disabled vessel swam into mid- mid channel where they were hoisted aboard outward bound destroyers Proof that getting back into battle took pre precedence over their own wn lives was the fact that the comparative comparative comparative com com- safety of the shore lay only a few yards away Lying in a hospital be bed when the first air raid alarm sounded one officer officer of of- of-I of leaped up brushed aside I nurses and nd ran across the navy yard to his ship He fought with such gallantry and zeal despite his illness that his captain recommended recommended recommended rec rec- him for promotion There was the case of or the de de- de- de tender which lay alongside I Ia a dock undergoing major overhaul powerless and without armament Unable to assume an active defense defense defense de de- de- de role she concerned herself with the vital task of or rescue with her available ships ship's boats One naval reserve ensign volunteered volunteered volunteered volun volun- as skipper of a mot motor 0 r launch With four men he proceeded proceed proceed- ed across Pear harbors harbor's reverberating reverberating reverberating channel through a hail of enemy machine-gun machine fire a and a d shrapnel They saved almost men from one battleship men battleship men who had been injured or blown overboard into the oil-fired oil wa wa- The attack on this vessel was wasat wasat wasat at its height as these rescue operations operations operations oper oper- proceeded Suddenly t the h e launch's propeller jammed Cited by Captain Cooly the ensign directed the work of disengaging the screw as flames licked around its wooden hull meantime also supervising the up of more victims from the harbor His captain cited him for initiative resourcefulness resourceful resourceful- ness devotion to duty and personal bravery displayed Four motor torpedo boats had been loaded aboard a fleet tanker for shipment Their youthful ensign ensign ensign en en- sign captains put their power- power driven turret machine guns into immediate action accounting for forat forat at least one enemy raider plane To the unsung heroes of the harbor auxiliaries must go much of or the credit for helping stem the onslaught Even the lowly garbage lighters shared the grim task One came alongside a blazing ship which threatened momentarily to explode Calmly the commander led fire fighting both aboard the warship and on the surface surface surface sur sur- face of or the harbor He kept his tiny vessel beside the larger one for 24 hours Mens will to fight was dous One seaman had been confined confined confined con con- fined to his battleships battleship's brig for misconduct a few days earlier When an explosion tore open the thedoor thedoor thedoor door he dashed straight to his battie battle battle bat bat- tle tie station on on-ah antiaircraft gun On the submarine base dock a bluejacket carrying a heavy machine machine machine ma ma- chine gun for which there was no mount immediately available shot the weapon from his arms staggering staggering stag stag- gering goring under the concussion of the rapid fire Quick Thinking Quick thinking in the dire emergency probably saved many lives lives and and ships An aviation machinists machinist's mate aboard one ship saw that flames from the huge vessel threatened a repair ship alongside He ran through the blaze and single hand edly slashed the lines holding the two two ships together Freed the crast craIt Grew drew clear Only in the final moments when remaining aboard appeared utterly hopeless would men leave their ships Then they went re re- re Once ashore instead of finding some dry place to recuperate ate from their terrific pounding they pitched emergency quarters as near their vessels as possible And with portable guns they continued continued continued con con- to fight later they stood guard at the same camps as repair repair repair re re- re- re pair operations began on their ships setting regular ship-board ship Watches Some Under tinder Overhaul Like all aU treacherous attacks the bombing of Pearl Harbor by bythe bythe bythe the Japanese caught certain vessels vessels ves yes sels of the fleet under periodic overhaul While in this condition of repair such ships were not able to utilize their offensive powers to the greatest effectiveness These ships therefore turned to with a awill awill awill will at many useful purposes One ship rescued with its boats boals hundreds hundreds hun bun of survivors thrown into the water by the force of explosions explosions explosions meanwhile the surface of the water was becoming a raging inferno from burning oil Other ships sent their repair parties to help the fighting ships keep afloat Others sent ammunition ammunition ammunition ammu ammu- parties to maintain the flow low of powder and antI shells to the guns Without doubt the whole spectacle spectacle spec spec- tade was the greatest spontaneous exhibition of cooperation determination determination determination deter deter- and aud courage that the I American navy has been called upon to make The crew of one ship followed It around on its outside outside outside out out- side as it capsized firing their guns until they were under wa wa- ter Those same men stood on the dock and cheered as one of the more fortunate ships cleared the harbor and passed by en route after the Japanese Of all the accounts submitted on that memorable memorable memorable mem mem- day the record shows a continual demonstration of or courage courage cour cour- age bravery and fearlessness of which the American nation may maywell maywell maywell I well be proud |