Quote:
Originally posted by zntke711
I know this is news but I think this one should be discussed. What does everyone thing about that? I would never have thought of Hawaii being a target.
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Until 7:55 am on December 7, 1941, no one thought of Hawaii, much less Pearl Harbor as a target either, despite all the intelligence warnings to the contrary.
Had the plan come into fruition it would have been on the level of a masterstroke: flying a fully-loaded 747 out of Honolulu International, then practically making a 180-degree turn to slam into the naval base. Hawaii ANG F-15 interceptors from Hickam would have virtually no time to scramble out of their hangars, and shipboard anti-aircraft systems (which are normally not engaged in port) couldn't react in time, either.
However, it would have taken a massive intelligence operation just to keep track of the ship movements themselves and to try and catch 'em in port unawares to inflict the maximum amount of damage. Modern naval ships are well protected against attack through effective damage control; though they would have probably sustained heavy damage and be put out of commission for a while.