Special Report

The Fates of the Ships Involved in the Pearl Harbor Attack

Chris Lange

Published: December 11, 2023 8:34 am

Last Updated: December 11, 2023 9:31 am

On a date that will live in infamy, Dec. 7, 1941, the United States suffered an incredible loss in the attack on Pearl Harbor at the hands of the Japanese. This ultimately propelled the United States to join the fight in World War II. Over 2,400 people lost their lives that day, and on the very next day, Dec. 8, the United States declared war. All ships that remained in Pearl Harbor prepared to mobilize and expand operations throughout the Pacific.

Although some of the ships stationed at Pearl Harbor were damaged or sunk in the surprise attack, many survived and went on to win military recognition and a storied naval legacy over the course of the war. Some of these boats stationed in Pearl Harbor during the attack would go on to be some of the most highly distinguished throughout the conflict. (Here is every aircraft carrier in U.S. Navy history.)

To determine the fates of the American ships and submarines involved in the Pearl Harbor attack, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed reports by the Naval History and Heritage Command, an organization dedicated to the preservation of U.S. Naval history. We ordered these ships and submarines alphabetically, excluding those not involved in direct combat roles. We included supplemental information from the Naval History and Heritage Command regarding the type of ship, its commission date, battle stars, and its fate.

The USS New Orleans, a heavy cruiser, was first introduced to the U.S. Navy service in 1934. It survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and went on to participate in some of the biggest battles of the Pacific Theater, including the Battle of Coral Sea, Battle of Midway, Battle of the Eastern Solomons, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Through these many battles, the USS New Orleans gained many accolades, including 17 battle stars — tied for the third most-awarded in World War II.

Battle stars are awards and recognition given to naval vessels for their active involvement and meritorious performance in a specific naval engagement, battle, or campaign. As these stars add up, vessels gain more prestige having survived and succeeded in multiple battles.

Each one of the ships or submarines that was present at Pearl Harbor has at least one battle star. The USS New Orleans and USS San Francisco have 17 battle stars each, the most on the list. Many other ships mentioned have more than 11 battle stars, a recognition of their illustrious history. (These are the most highly decorated U.S. Navy ships of World War II.)

Here are the fates of all the ships present during the attack on Pearl Harbor:

USS Allen (DD-66)

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 1
• Commission date: Jan. 24, 1917

USS Arizona (BB-39)

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr

• Type: Battleship
• Battle stars: 1
• Commission date: Oct. 17, 1916

USS Aylwin (DD-355)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 13
• Commission date: March 1, 1935

USS Bagley (DD-386)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 12
• Commission date: June 12, 1937

USS Blue (DD-387)

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 5
• Commission date: Aug. 14, 1937

USS Cachalot (SS-170)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Submarine
• Battle stars: 3
• Commission date: Dec. 1, 1933

USS California (BB-44)

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Type: Battleship
• Battle stars: 7
• Commission date: Aug. 10, 1921

USS Case (DD-370)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 7
• Commission date: Sept. 15, 1936

USS Chew (DD-106)

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr/Public Domain

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 1
• Commission date: Dec. 12, 1918

USS Conyngham (DD-371)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 14
• Commission date: Nov. 4, 1936

USS Cummings (DD-365)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 7
• Commission date: Nov. 25, 1936

USS Dale (DD-353)

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 12
• Commission date: June 17, 1935

USS Detroit (CL-8)

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Type: Light cruiser
• Battle stars: 6
• Commission date: July 31, 1923

USS Dewey (DD-349)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 13
• Commission date: Oct. 4, 1934

USS Dolphin (SS-169)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Submarine
• Battle stars: 2
• Commission date: June 1, 1932

USS Downes (DD-375)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 4
• Commission date: Jan. 15, 1937

USS Farragut (DD-348)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 14
• Commission date: June 18, 1934

USS Helena (CL-50)

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr

• Type: Light cruiser
• Battle stars: 7
• Commission date: Sept. 18, 1939

USS Helm (DD-388)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 11
• Commission date: Oct. 16, 1937

USS Henley (DD-391)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 4
• Commission date: Aug. 14, 1937

USS Honolulu (CL-48)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Light cruiser
• Battle stars: 8
• Commission date: June 15, 1938

USS Hull (DD-350)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 10
• Commission date: Jan. 11, 1935

USS Jarvis (DD-393)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 3
• Commission date: Oct. 27, 1937

USS MacDonough (DD-351)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 13
• Commission date: March 15, 1935

USS Maryland (BB-46)

Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr

• Type: Battleship
• Battle stars: 7
• Commission date: July 21, 1921

USS Monaghan (DD-354)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 12
• Commission date: April 19, 1935

USS Mugford (DD-389)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 7
• Commission date: Aug. 16, 1937

USS Narwhal (SS-167)

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Type: Submarine
• Battle stars: 15
• Commission date: May 15, 1930

USS Nevada (BB-36)

Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr

• Type: Battleship
• Battle stars: 7
• Commission date: March 11, 1916

USS New Orleans (CA-32)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Battle stars: 17
• Commission date: Feb. 15, 1934

USS Oklahoma (BB-37)

USS Oklahoma BB-37 in Panama C... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Harley Flowers

• Type: Battleship
• Battle stars: 1
• Commission date: May 2, 1916

USS Patterson (DD-392)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 13
• Commission date: Sept. 22, 1937

USS Pennsylvania (BB-38)

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Type: Battleship
• Battle stars: 8
• Commission date: June 12, 1916

USS Phelps (DD-360)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 12
• Commission date: Feb. 26, 1936

USS Phoenix (CL-46)

Source: sdasmarchives / Flickr

• Type: Light cruiser
• Battle stars: 9
• Commission date: Oct. 3, 1938

USS Raleigh (CL-7)

USS Raleigh CL-7 1932 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Harley Flowers

• Type: Light cruiser
• Battle stars: 3
• Commission date: Feb. 6, 1924

USS Ralph Talbot (DD-390)

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 12
• Commission date: Oct. 14, 1937

USS Reid (DD-369)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 7
• Commission date: Nov. 2, 1936

USS San Francisco (CA-38)

Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr

• Type: Heavy cruiser
• Battle stars: 17
• Commission date: Feb. 10, 1934

USS Schley (DD-103)

Destroyer USS Schley (DD-103) (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Northridge Alumni Bear Facts

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 11
• Commission date: Sept. 20, 1918

USS Selfridge (DD-357)

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Public Domain/Flickr

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 4
• Commission date: Nov. 25, 1936

USS Shaw (DD-373)

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 11
• Commission date: Sept. 18, 1936

USS St. Louis (CL-49)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Light cruiser
• Battle stars: 11
• Commission date: May 19, 1939

USS Tautog (SS-199)

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr

• Type: Submarine
• Battle stars: 14
• Commission date: July 3, 1940

USS Tennessee (BB-43)

USS Tennessee BB43 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Harley Flowers

• Type: Battleship
• Battle stars: 10
• Commission date: June 3, 1920

USS Tucker (DD-374)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 1
• Commission date: July 23, 1936

USS Ward (DD-139)

Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Public Domain/Flickr

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 9
• Commission date: July 24, 1918

USS West Virginia (BB-48)

USS West Virginia 1930 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Harley Flowers

• Type: Battleship
• Battle stars: 5
• Commission date: Dec. 1, 1923

USS Worden (DD-352)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Type: Destroyer
• Battle stars: 4
• Commission date: Jan. 15, 1935