On the 82nd anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, military servicemembers, families and one survivor of the attack gathered in the Charlestown Navy Yard to lay a wreath on the World War II-era destroyer U.S.S. Cassin Young and honor the fallen.

“At 7:55 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro at the ceremony in the U.S.S. Constitution museum. “That fateful Sunday morning the world changed, thrusting the United States into a global conflict that would reshape the very course of history.”

That day 2,403 sailors, Marines, soldiers, airmen and civilians lost their lives, Del Toro recounted, 1,178 were wounded, 169 aircrafts were destroyed, and three ships were sunk off the island of Oahu.

The Navy leader spoke alongside Boston Commissioner of Veterans Services Robert Santiago, Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans Services Jon Santiago, National Parks of Boston Superintendent Michael Creasey, and U.S.S. Constitution Commander Billie Farrell.

The commemoration featured a wreath-laying ceremony aboard the U.S.S. Cassin Young, named for the commander whose extraordinary actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor saved his ship and those aboard.

On the day of the attack, Young was in command of the U.S.S. Vestal, a repair ship moored to the U.S.S. Arizona. Young took personal command of an anti-aircraft gun but was knocked overboard in a blast, speakers said.

Young swam through a “blazing inferno” on the water between the two ships to get back to the Vestal, said Farrell. As his shipmate had the six sailors aboard the sinking Arizona climb over to the Vestal, Young made it back to the ship and sailed away from the Arizona to beach his ship, saving the crew.

The ceremony was also attended by one of the oldest survivors of Pearl Harbor, 103-year-old Freeman Johnson, who fought aboard the U.S.S. St. Louis as a Machinist Mate First Class in Pearl Harbor and served through 1945.

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“On this day, sir, we honor your service,” Robert Santiago said, reading a certificate of appreciation from the City of Boston to Johnson. “We honor your courage. And most of all, we honor your sacrifices on behalf of a grateful nation.”

Del Toro noted the importance of respecting and honoring those who’ve sacrificed and served in events like Pearl Harbor.

Forged on the “courage and sacrifice of generations of Navy personnel,” the secretary said, servicemembers are still upholding that reputation, even in just the last three weeks deterring attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.

“Our nation is built upon millions of individual acts of valor and courage at home and overseas throughout our history,” Del Toro said. “Each of us serving today carries the legacy of those who served before us, including those proud World War Two veterans.”