Meanwhile, about 34 Hellcats and Corsairs and 22 Helldivers and Avengers worked over some of the other Japanese destroyers. photographed the destruction. The fighters attacked first, strafing the anti-aircraft guns on the decks with machine guns and rockets. In addition, sick sailors and also the oldest sailors were sent to shore. burning just prior to disappearing beneath the waves. Yahagi lost 446; Asashimo lost 330; the seven destroyers, 391 officers and men. Experts believe that a fire raging in the most of the American pilots returned to their carriers, knowing The visibility was highly variable, but often not very good due to cloud cover. Only 10 American aircraft The Japanese lost three aircraft carriers and 426 aircraft; Yamato ' s only . Some who were shot down were later picked up by seaplanes or submarines. The Japanese admiral in charge of Operation Ten-Go, Vice-Admiral Seiichi It, disagreed with the plan which essentially was to sail into teeth of the American fleet without the benefit of any air cover and then beach on Okinawa and operate as a static defense in support of the island. Their solution was to bolt a shit load of 25mm open AA gun mounts where ever they could which left the sailor's firing them very exposed to enemy MG's. The USN would rake the hell out of just one side of a BB like Yamato and soften up the AAA for the torpedo planes and dive bombers to attack. A torpedo strikes HAMAKAZE starboard, aft of amidships and she jackknifes. The loss of these ships shocked the British government, and helped change procurement and employment strategies in both the United States and the United Kingdom. When the U.S. invaded Okinawa on April 1, 1945, the Japanese had no naval answer to the invasion force. With the ship in danger of capsizing, the damage control parties counter-flooded the starboard engines and boiler rooms at 1333 hours, drowning hundreds of crew members who were unaware of the move. At that point, the crews would go ashore to fight and die to the last man along with their army comrades. While still a token of national pride, the sinking of Yamato also symbolized the sad end of the once invincible Imperial Japanese Navy. Thank you to all our WWII vets. Yamato lies on the floor of the East China Sea, 200 miles north of Okinawa, blown apart by one of the most massive explosions ever to occur at sea. miles southwest of Kyushu, Japan. YAMATOs list increases to about 15 degrees and her speed slows to 12 knots. Twenty Avengers attacked from the port side (concentrating torpedo attacks from the port side was deliberate, with the intent to capsize the ship). concentrate their torpedoes on just one of Yamato's sides, an approach He suggests the order to abandon ship be given. One Helldiver was shot down. [27] While navigating the Bungo Strait, Yamato and her escorts were spotted by the American submarines Threadfin and Hackleback, both of which notified Task Force 58 of Yamatos position. He had friends wounded and killed, but the small carriers were never given credit for anything that happened. 3s USS ESSEX (CV-9), BUNKER HILL (CV-17), BATAAN (CVL-24) and CABOT (CVL-28). The executive officer reported to Captain Aruga that the damage control officers were dead and that counter-flooding could no longer correct the list, and recommended the ship be abandoned. Yamato Did Yamato sink any ships? In 1945 Carrier Air Group 17 consisted of VF-17, VBF-17, VB-17, and VT-17. One of the largest battleships ever built, Yamato entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in December 1941. I was in a ASW squadron that still had many veterans serving and flying. By this time, there wasnt much left of the Japanese navy that was still operational, and fuel was in critically short supply. The ships were to sink as many troop transports as possible, then beach themselves and continue firing as long as they had ammunition. How many Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk in ww2? He asked what the Japanese navy was doing. The fire in the area ofher forward 6.1 inch turret can be clearly seen (L42-09.06.05). Half of the dead at . In all, Yamato took 12 bomb and They would launch the worlds largest battleship, the Yamato with its enormous 18-inch guns, one light cruiser, and eight destroyers against the enormous American fleet. Yahagi capsized and sank shortly after 1400. At 1430 on 7 April 1945, more than 300 nautical miles north of Okinawa, Yamato blows up after capsizing. These were 50 aircraft from Essex and Bataan. A Corsair from ESSEX drops a 1000-lb GP bomb that hits the superstructure in the port bow area. Light cruiser YAHAGI, hit by 12 bombs and seven torpedoes sinks exactly one minute after the last bomb hits. strafe the battleship with bullets and drop 1,000-pound bombs. 7, 1945 south of Kyushu. Although 16 warships were hit, Yamato sustained only minor damage from a number of near misses and from one bomb that struck her bridge. The Japanese also noted eight Hellcats circling the force with impunity because of no Japanese fighter cover, and remaining outside anti-aircraft range. Numerous Helldivers from Bennington and Hornet attacked from Yamatos port side and numerous near misses splashed all around the battleship, which was moving at flank speed (27 knots), before she was finally hit by two 1,000-pound armor-piercing bombs at 1240. began to flood. [1][26] Led by the man who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor, Minoru Genda, the appearance of these fighters, which were equal or superior to the F6F Hellcat in performance, surprised the attackers, and several American planes were shot down. . She lies in two main parts in some 1,000 feet of water. that ultimately led to the supership's demise. In total, 97 combatants were killed and 122 wounded. At 1014, the Yamato force sighted the two Martin Mariner PBM flying boats, and also noted that Hackleback was still trailing (the Japanese had made so many course changes during the night that the sub was able to cut the corner and maintain contact on the force). Agroup of five low-flying Avengers (VT-17) from HORNET (CV-12) start a torpedo run from the port, bearing 70 degrees. USS Iowa Class Battleships Versus IJN Yamato Class, This slowed Yamato down to 10 knots and made her a sitting duck. 1,187 crewmen of DesRon 2s light cruiser YAHAGI and the four destroyers are also lost. Design and construction Main article: Yamato-class battleship As soon as the Japanese fleet left port on April 6 at 1600 hours, and proceeded through the Bungo Strait, (many WWII film buffs will recall the strait from Run Silent, Run Deep), they were immediately picked up by two American submarines (Hackleback and Threadfin). The Yahagi was too tempting a target for the hundreds of attacking aircraft. The explosion was heard over 120 miles away. Just then, eight F6F Hellcats appear and begin circling over the force to maintain contact until the main formation arrives. The first attack wave retires. In total, the U.S. lost 12 men. 1). This Is A Great Article Of An Historic Event. Flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet, she was lead ship of the Yamato class. It. According to the plan, Yamato, light cruiser Yahagi, and eight destroyers would form a Surface Special Attack Force (the term special attack was understood to mean suicide) and sortie on 6 April 1945. Mitscher correctly assumed that the Japanese were operating without air cover and would be sitting ducks for his huge airwing. Though incredibly powerful, Yamato suffered from a relatively low top speed as its engines were . She continues to throw up a screen of desperate flak fire. As luck would have it, he said, the big ship was turning to port, thereby exposing the full broadside expanse of, PO Box 1077 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 37133 United States, P.O. The largest battleships ever built were Yamato and Musashi of the Imperial Japanese Navy. 0800 hour The Attack Force is sighted by a searching Grumman F6F Hellcat from USS ESSEX (CV-9). VFA-25 (1983 and continuing). The once-proud Japanese Imperial Navy that Americans feared would threaten the West Coast, was largely driven across the Pacific and now operated mainly from its home waters. Mitscher, CTF 58, was embarked on Bunker Hill. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ Eight Japanese destroyers and one cruiser, the Yahagi (left), tried to assist Yamato in fending off her attackers. Additionally, 1,178 people were wounded. She rolls slowly over her port side on her beam ends. 3. Captain Hara on Yahagi reported that the large formations of aircraft circled around the task force just outside anti-aircraft range for a number of minutes, some in clockwise rotation and some in counter-clockwise rotation, as strike leaders organized strikes on particular targets free of interference from Japanese fighters. A bomb impact in the dispensary killed many of the wounded who had been gathered there, along with many of the medical personnel. The Mariners were subordinate to Patrol Bombing Squadron 21 (VPB-21), operating from the tender Chandeleur (AV-10), which had arrived at Kerama Rettoon 28 March. How many planes were lost attacking the Yamato? As she came under attack on that April morning, the The attack of hundreds of US air force against Japan made Japan's biggest battleship Yamato sink. U.S. aircrew claimed additional bomb and torpedo hits in this first wave, but these were mostly near misses. They pounced on her like sharks in the water. Her secondary armament was significantly altered during the war by removing two of her four triple 6.1-inch turrets in favor of increased anti-aircraft armament, which, by 1945, included 12 dual 5-inch gun mounts, 54 25-mm triple mounts (162 guns), and smaller machine guns. Senior U.S. Navy commanders in the Pacific, including Admiral Raymond Spruance, Commander U.S. Fifth Fleet, knew what the battleship Yamatos mission was before almost anyone on Yamato did. The Yamato-class ships were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing 72,800 long tons (74,000 t) fully loaded and armed with nine 46-centimetre (18.1 in) main guns. Two dud rockets hit FUYUTSUKI. sent to engage Yamato made it into position above her and soon began to Captain Aruga lashed himself to the binnacle to do the same. (Remember, the US lost 10 planes and 12 men sinking Yamato out of more than 300 aircraft) There is no logical reason to do this. The arresting wire system can stop a 54,000-pound aircraft travelling 150 miles per hour in only two seconds, in a 315-foot landing area (a 24,500-kg aircraft travelling at 241 kph in a 96-meter landing area). ), and when they were lost.the bu numbers listed as lost on 4.7.1945 is very extensive!!!!! At 1234, Yamato opened fire with her two forward main battery turrets, lobbing sanshikidan shells at the U.S. aircraftto no effect. He gave the go-ahead for the strike but ordered the battlewagons to proceed in the event the Japanese fleet got through the airstrike. This great vessel had a . At 1830, destroyer Isokaze sighted Threadfin on the surface. 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