Pearl Harbor Deck Logs and Witnesses

Published on Jul 9, 2017
On December 7, 1941, United States citizens were stunned by the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. This Inside the Vaults video short from the National Archives highlights the deck logs that chronicle the events of the attack from the point of view of the men on board the ships in the harbor. The logs — created as routine administrative documents — give modern readers a sense of the shock, surprise and confusion felt by the soldiers and sailors who experienced this pivotal moment in American history. National Archives employees Lopez Matthews and Eliza Mbughuni read from the firsthand accounts in U.S. Navy deck logs.