Case 4 shows how some of the ships at Pearl Harbor began to react and strike back against the Japanese. Getting under way while under attack, they attempted to maneuver through the Japanese bombs and the sinking ships that blocked the channel in order to gain the open sea. Other ships, including the repair ship USS Medusa, began to try to rescue men from the stricken and sinking war ships; two destroyers, the USS Hull and the USS Monaghan, actually managed to attack and sink several small Japanese submarines that attempted to enter Pearl Harbor and add to the American losses. The case contains the telegram ordering the Monaghan to sea that morning; it also contains a portrait of John Gilpin, who was the communications officer aboard the Monaghan . The case also follows the fortunes of several other ships that had been hit earlier, including the battleships USS Pennsylvania, USS Arizona, and USS Maryland. The front page of the Honolulu Star’s 2d extra edition for December 7th, 1941 shows how the news spread throughout the islands.
