Thus, when two SBD Dauntless aircraft flown by the pilots of VS-6 spotted the Japanese Submarine I-70 on the surface, there was no question what would be done. Halsey’s anger channeled the fury of everyone in his task force, and as time went on, it would be something that infused the entire war effort. Those who crewed Enterprise’s planes were equally spoiling for a fight, they had lost fellow Aviators, and many had heard the startled last transmissions of their fellow fliers as they were shot down when approaching Oahu on that Dec. Now, Enterprise would act as Guardian for the Hawaiian Islands, again patrolling as a moving airbase, sending scout planes to all quadrants armed and ready for war. Remaining only long enough to take on extra supplies, by calling an all-hand’s drill, Enterprise was able to resupply within 7 hours and be under way again before Dawn. Halsey, ashore but still looking every much like the fighting Admiral he was. Finally, he would have been aware of the great personal cost experienced by his Naval Academy classmate Admiral Kimmel, who he had known for nearly a half century. He had also taken losses to his Enterprise Air Group, his boys, both to enemy and friendly fire. Halsey had lost friends, classmates, and men he had trained, all to an attack he could do nothing to stop. Halsey represented the spirit of Revenge of the US Navy, a desire to take out those responsible, a hatred to his very core. For all intents and purposes, the American war effort was like a boxer entering a ring, entering and expecting a fight, but getting a knockout punch right before the bell rang.Īboard Enterprise, Vice Admiral Halsey’s anger at what had been done to His Navy simmered like a pressure cooker, growing into a deep abiding hatred for the Japanese which would stew for the rest of his life. US Forces in the Philippines had already lost half their bomber strength, and a third of their fighters. Farther to the West across the International Dateline, Wake Island lost 8 out of 12 of the Wildcats Enterprise had just delivered to Japanese Land Based Naval Bombers from the Japanese occupied Marshall Islands. The Pacific Fleet Battle Line was all but eliminated, while Oahu, the hub of the US military in the Pacific saw the majority of it’s air power eliminated. 8, 1941, the entire American Strategic situation in the Pacific was in shambles. ![]() ![]() The war was on, and Enterprise had drawn her first blood in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.īy the time the USS Enterprise CV-6 (The Big E) returned to Pearl Harbor on the evening of Dec.
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