Phoenix opened anti-aircraft fire from her berth northeast of Ford Island and escaped the Pearl Harbor attack without damage. She then joined St. Louis, the older cruiser Detroit, and destroyers in an improvised search for the Japanese carrier force. That sortie illustrates both the urgency after the attack and the danger of finding carriers without comparable air power. Phoenix soon escorted the first large post-attack convoy to Australia, guarding troops, crated P-40 fighters, munitions, and officers who formed the core of MacArthur's Southwest Pacific headquarters against a possible Japanese surface interception.
Chapter · 48:20-53:20
Phoenix escapes Pearl Harbor and guards the route to Australia
Phoenix survived the Pearl Harbor attack undamaged, joined the fruitless carrier search, and then escorted vital troop and aircraft convoys to Australia.