The USS Panay Incident: Japanese Planes Attacked an American Ship, Killing U.S. Sailors and Civilians Four Years Before Pearl Harbor

Norman Alley was napping on deck when Japanese bombs started falling. The Universal News cameraman grabbed his camera and began filming as explosions ripped through the USS Panay on Dec. 12, 1937. Across the river, three Standard Oil tankers burst into flames. Japanese dive bombers flew close enough overhead for Alley to see the pilots’ faces. The United States and Japan were not at war.