harbor seal, most commonly seen seal of the Northern Hemisphere, Phoca vitulina. Harbor seals are found along coasts and in sheltered bays and harbors of North America, Europe, and NE Asia. They range farther south than any other northern seal, being found in North America as far S as New Jersey and S California. They range north to the southernmost limits of the ice cap. Also known as common seals, hair seals, and leopard seals, they enter rivers, and are even found in the Great Lakes. Small seals, they reach a length of up to 6 ft (180 cm) and a weight of up to 250 lb (110 kg). Their coats are gray with white spots or yellowish with gray or black blotches. Harbor seals are solitary hunters; they feed on fish, mollusks, and crustaceans, coming ashore to rest and sleep. They may gather in large numbers on rocks or beaches, especially at the mating season. They are polygamous and the female produces a single pup in early spring. Small colonies of several families each occupy particular locations in the water, usually near rocky shores or islands, and may remain there for many generations. Their greatest enemies are sharks and killer whales. Harbor seals are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, suborder Pinnipedia, family Phocidae.

harbor: see port.

Pearl Harbor, land-locked harbor, on the southern coast of Oahu island, Hawaii, W of Honolulu; one of the largest and best natural harbors in the E Pacific Ocean. In the vicinity are many U.S. military installations, including the chief U.S. Pacific naval base, Hickam Air Force Base, Pearl Harbor Naval Air Station, and Camp H. M. Smith, headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Command.

The United States first gained rights there in 1887, when the Hawaiian monarchy permitted a coaling and repair station. After the United States annexed Hawaii in 1900, Pearl Harbor was made a naval base. Harbor improvements and fortifications were later added, especially after the signing of the Berlin Pact in 1940 by the Axis nations.

On Dec. 7, 1941, while negotiations were going on with Japanese representatives in Washington, Japanese carrier-based planes swept in without warning over Oahu and attacked (7:55 A.M. local time) the bulk of the U.S. Pacific fleet, moored in Pearl Harbor. Nineteen naval vessels, including eight battleships, were sunk or severely damaged; 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed. Military casualties were 2,280 killed and 1,109 wounded; 68 civilians also died. On Dec. 8, the United States declared war on Japan.

There were many charges of negligence against those responsible for Pearl Harbor's defense. A special commission appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt accused the army and navy commanders at Hawaii of dereliction of duty in a report on Jan. 24, 1942. Later army and navy investigations concluded that no valid grounds existed for court-martial. A congressional committee, formed in Sept., 1945, absolved the army and navy commanders in a formal report on July 16, 1946, but censured the War Dept. and the Dept. of the Navy.

Pearl Harbor is now a national historic landmark; a memorial has been built over the sunken hulk of the USS Arizona. The battleship Missouri, site of Japan's surrender, is also preserved there as a memorial.

Keppel Harbor: see Singapore.

Indiana Harbor, Ind.: see East Chicago.

Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River: see National Parks and Monuments (table).

Dutch Harbor: see Aleutian Islands.

Calumet Harbor, artificial harbor on Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Calumet River, NE Ill., in S Chicago. The harbor, dredged to 27 ft (8 m), is formed behind a breakwater extending c.2 mi (3.2 km) into Lake Michigan. It is a unit of the Port of Chicago and a principal terminal for shipping on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. The chief products handled there were raw materials for steelmaking and iron products, but the industry has fundamentally declined. Calumet River (c.8 mi/13 km long) connects the harbor with Lake Calumet (c.2 sq mi/5 sq km) in S Chicago. Once a shallow body of water with marshy shores, the lake has been transformed into a modern deepwater port. Some heavy industry, grain-storage bins, and warehouses surround it. Canals connect the lake with the Calumet region of Indiana and with the Illinois Waterway.

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area: see National Parks and Monuments (table).

Benton Harbor, city (1990 pop. 12,818), Berrien co., SW Mich., on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the St. Joseph River opposite St. Joseph; inc. 1869. A long-time fruit industry, tourist, and industrial center, noted for appliance manufacturing, the city declined in the late 20th cent., experiencing severe job and population loss.

Bar Harbor, town (1990 pop. 2,768), SE Maine, on Mount Desert Island and on Frenchman Bay; settled 1763, inc. 1796. It was a famed New England resort during the 19th cent. Bar Harbor is a port of entry, with ferry connections to Yarmouth, N.S., during the summer. In 1947 a large part of the town was destroyed by fire. Jackson Memorial Laboratory for biological research and the College of the Atlantic are there. Nearby Acadia National Park is a major tourist attraction.

Inlet, southern coast of Oahu island, Hawaii, U.S. It lies 6 mi (10 km) west of Honolulu, forming a landlocked harbour connected with the Pacific Ocean. In 1887 Hawaii granted the U.S. the exclusive use of the harbour as a coaling and repair station, and in 1908 a naval station was established. In 1941 the harbour was attacked without warning by the Japanese air force, causing great loss of life and precipitating U.S. entry into World War II. It is now the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Learn more about Pearl Harbor with a free trial on Britannica.com.