More from LIFE -
overhead shot taken by the Japanese during the attack on Battleship Row.
Oklahoma is the top left ship in line,
Nevada is at the bottom of the page.
Historian Mike Wegner had this to say over at Steel Navy about this photo:
Mike Wegner wrote:
I recently picked up a war-time print of this photo that originated with a Japanese news agency. Nevada is much easier to see. However, I suspect that clouds were responsible for the dark area around her. Such shadows show up in an unpublished picture from the torpedo attack as well (Sorry, it is being saved for “Das Buch”).
By the way, her decks (and Tennessee’s) were painted. Take it to the bank. There are many photos that document this fact.
Incidentally, the uncropped version of this print appeared in Model Art’s Pearl Harbor special, Shinjuwan Kohgekitai. For clarity, I would recommend that you find the 1991 issue, rather than the 2001 reprint.
Other have mentioned that this is probably the last photo taken of Oklahoma before she capsized - you can see in the picture that she is starting to roll (as is West Virginia). Notice the float plane askew on the deck by the aft turret.
Here's a crop of
Okie &
Maryland:
Attachment:
File comment: Oklahoma starting to capsize, 12.7.41
oklahomasinking.jpg [ 28.68 KiB | Viewed 123551 times ]
According to the
chart that Tracy White put together on his
website,
Okie should have Insignia Red on her two forward turrets, and True Blue on her #4 turret. Hard to tell from this picture.
Nevada should have similar coloring on the forward turrets, but white on the top of turret 4. Again, the
Nevada is obscured, but it does seem like the top of turret 4 is much lighter than the other turret tops (you can see the outline of the turret 3 gun barrels over the turret). Here's a crop of
Nevada:
Attachment:
File comment: Nevada - 12.7.41
nevada12741.jpg [ 25.79 KiB | Viewed 123551 times ]
All these pictures make me want to get cracking on some of the PH battlewagons I have in the stash, espeically
Okie, which seems to be the forgotten battleship of the Pearl Harbor attack.
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Martin"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne
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