Today, Americans observe National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, a solemn occasion to honour and remember the lives lost in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii — a strike that forever altered the course of world history.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, a wave of Japanese warplanes launched an unexpected assault on the US Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor. What began as a seemingly peaceful Sunday turned into a tragedy: 2,403 Americans were killed and around 1,178 wounded, while dozens of ships and hundreds of aircraft were destroyed or damaged.

The attack damaged or sank multiple warships — including battleships and destroyers — and crippled the Pacific Fleet. Eight of the nine US battleships present were damaged or destroyed.

More than just a military disaster, the atta

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