"old hoodoo" wrote in message ...
I have never heard of a single navy aircraft getting airborne at Pearl Harbor. Was this because all the naval aircraft were based
at a single facility? Has there ever been an accounting of what actually happened to immobilize the navy air?

The army managed to get up an assortment of fighters for at least a token defense.


Al


According to Morison, three Kanehoe based PBYs were aloft when the
attack started. One of these, working the Ward datum, sighted a sub
and dropped smoke pots at 0633. He also notes that one "combat plane
available for instant use" on Ford Island was launched "with
difficulty" during the attack and ordered to search a sector between
280 and 330 by Adm Bellinger. Apparently several utility types wre
lauched from Ford during this timeframe as well.
The hapless SBD's from Enterpise were aloft inbound to Ford and found
themselves in the fray as well. They left the boat between 0615 and
0637. Several were shot down by the Japs with the survivors landing at
Ford late in the attack while getting a Blue-on-Blue smackdown to
boot.
More were shot down in later searches by both enemy and friendly fire
that afternoon and evening.
(Later Admiral) Moorer went aloft in one of the 3 surviving PBYs just
after the attack.