Washington, May 9 (IANS): The remains of an American sailor who killed during the Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbour in 1941 is set to return to his hometown in Iowa state for burial, officials said.

Fireman 1st Class William H. Kennedy was killed aboard the USS Oklahoma but his remains were not properly identified until earlier this year, reports Radio Iowa.

Kennedy's remains will be brought back for proper burial as planeside honorus will be conducted on the tarmac of the Des Moines International Airport on Thursday with the funeral in his hometown of Titonka on Friday.

Kennedy was identified by a Department of Defence programme that used DNA analysis to identify the remains from the Oklahoma.

Oklahoma capsized on December 7, 1941, when Japanese forces launched the sudden attack on te harbour Hawaii.

More than 400 crew died when the battleship capsized.

In the attack, 188 US aircraft were destroyed; 2,403 Americans killed and 1,178 others injured.