On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise naval and air attack on the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, seeking to cripple American power and clear the way for offensives across Asia and the Pacific. Planned under Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and carried out in two waves from six carriers, the assault damaged all eight U.S. battleships present, sank four, wrecked or damaged other vessels, destroyed more than 180 aircraft, and killed 2,403 Americans. Although the strike was tactically successful, key facilities and U.S. carriers escaped damage. The attack immediately propelled the United States into the Second World War and made Pearl Harbor a defining site in modern military history.