USS Shaw (DD-373) Explodes After Bomb Hits

USS Shaw (DD-373) explodes in Drydock YFD-2 after almost-simultaneous hits from three Aichi D3A1 dive bombers that were attacking USS Nevada (BB-36) as she attempted to sortie out of Pearl Harbor. Shaw was wrecked forward of her first stack. Nevada, already hit by an aerial torpedo in the first few minutes of the attack, left her berth at 0840 Hours and attempted to clear the channel and enter the open sea. Since Pearl Harbor had one channel to enter and leave the harbor, the Japanese air crews were briefed to attack any ship in the channel, to sink her in position and bottle up the United States Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor. Nevada was repeatedly hit and near-missed, causing her elderly structure to begin leaking. Coming around to face back up the channel towards Pearl Harbor, she grounded in shallow water near Hospital Point. Shaw was at first thought to be a total loss, but within a few weeks, fitted with a false bow, she sailed in January 1942 at for repairs at Mare Island Navy Yard in Washington. Nevada was salvaged and in April 1942 sailed for the United States for a year-long repair operation.