Arizona Oil Spill
by Jon Burch Photography
Title
Arizona Oil Spill
Artist
Jon Burch Photography
Medium
Photograph - Digital Capture/digital Painting
Description
The events that occurred on December 7, 1941 were tragic. Recently I visited the USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian Island of O'ahu and was amazed at what I saw. Even though this event that started World War II for the United States happened 72 years ago, the memorial visit was very intense. This gallery is a feeble attempt to try to change some very stark photographs I made of the still leaking oil from the Arizona (the 'Tears of the Arizona') on the water's surface into something maybe a little less ugly. I don't know if I have succeeded, you will have to make up your own mind. Each of the images was processed in Photoshop (perhaps overly) in a variety of different ways to change its appearance. If you happen to know someone who was on the Arizona on that day, I hope you will not take offense at my efforts.
The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters and the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941. The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States.
The base was attacked by 353 Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers. All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four being sunk. Of these eight damaged, two were raised, and with four repaired, six battleships returned to service later in the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one mine layer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,402 Americans were killed and 1,282 wounded. Important base installations such as the power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building were not attacked. Japanese losses were light: 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.
The attack came as a profound shock to the American people and led directly to the American entry into World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters. The following day (December 8), the United States declared war on Japan. Domestic support for non-interventionism, which had been strong,[16] disappeared. Clandestine support of Britain (for example the Neutrality Patrol) was replaced by active alliance. Subsequent operations by the U.S. prompted Germany and Italy to declare war on the U.S. on December 11, which was reciprocated by the U.S. the same day.
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Some digital effects were applied to this original image after the photograph was made. No electrons were harmed during the transition. Ordered images will not contain the FAA watermark.
Uploaded
February 20th, 2013
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