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The united
states government first obtained exclusive use of the inlet and the right
to maintain a repair and coaling station for ships here in 1887. The
harbor was surveyed then and later, but improvements were not begun until
after the United States annexed the Hawaiian Islands in 1898. |
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A few minutes
before 8 AM, on Sunday, December 7,1941, Japanese aircraft initiated a
surprise attack on the united States Pacific fleet at Hawaii's Pearl
Harbor. The Japanese hoped to cripple the American fleet, whish they
perceived as the principal threat to victory in a war against the united
states. Within a few hours the Japanese had destroyed four battleships
and damaged four more, including the USS Arizona. |
| Almost 200
American aircraft were destroyed, and approximately 3,000 naval and
military personal were killed or wounded. |
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