US warplanes sank the Musashi on 24 October 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, believed to be. settled on the seafloor 1,200 feet down and about 50 He reports the formation at bearing 180, heading north, and splitting into two groups. Cloud cover precluded accurate firing of the Then it was supposed to beach itself, run aground, and use the ship as a makeshift fort. At 0657, destroyer Asashimo, with Captain Kotaki, DESDIV 21, embarked, sent a signal that she was having engine trouble and began to fall behind. Sieber was officially credited with two bomb hits on the Yamato and received the Navy Cross for his part in helping sink the huge ship that day. She ships about 3,000-tons of seawater. (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. YAMATOs No. The Japanese opened up with everything they had, which looked terrifying, but U.S. pilots quickly figured out that Japanese anti-aircraft fire was wildly inaccurate. Turret #1 can also be seen upfront. Three of the torpedoes hit in quick succession, and Yamato took on another 3,000 tons of water and a 7-degree list. A lookout spots American planes 25 degrees to port, levation 8, range 4,375 yards, moving to port. He saw four Avengers go in low, dropping their torpedoes in a spread on Yamatos beam. 1 magazine causing a huge explosion with a mushroom smoke cloud that was visible for 100 miles away. At 1107, Yamatos Type 13 air search radar detected a large aircraft formation inbound at the radars maximum range of 63 nautical miles, and noted the aircraft formation was splitting into two groups. Still kicking but dont know why. 1s USS HORNET (CV-12), HANCOCK (CV-19), BENNINGTON (CV-20), BELLEAU WOOD (CVL-24) and SAN JACINTO (CVL-30) and from Task Group 58. Submarine Hackleback (SS-295) then picked up surveillance, issuing four contact reports during the night as Yamato transited southwesterly along the coast of Kyushu. Just after 1240 on 7 April, Yamato maneuvers frantically under the initial attackby USS Bennington (CV-20)and USS Hornet (CV-12) aircraft as a bomb explodes offher port side. Here, an Two immense catapultsas tall as six-story buildings when raisedlaunched the planes, and an equally enormous crane lifted them from the water upon their return to the ship. (The actual U.S. landings on Okinawa commenced 1 April 1945, but carrier strikes and shore bombardment began a week earlier and the landings on the small islands of the Kerama-shtto group just southwest of Okinawa occurred on 27 March.). At 1430 on 7 April 1945, more than 300 nautical miles north of Okinawa, Yamato blows up after capsizing. A near miss on Hamakaze disabled her starboard shaft and then, at 1247, torpedo hits amidships blew her in half. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. ), U.S. submarines were already waiting for Yamato, with orders to report rather than attack, although with the force transiting at 22 knots and frequently zig-zagging, successful attack in all but the luckiest circumstances was unlikely. In addition, sick sailors and also the oldest sailors were sent to shore. The first torpedoes pass by harmlessly, but the remaining two strike her port amidships. About a year before he died he told us about this battle against the Yamato and that he was involved in the attack, but no details. Support Veteran Journalism . (Based on erroneous San Jacinto report, Samuel Eliot Morison misidentifies this ship as Hamakaze, but a photo shows a Yugumo-class destroyer, which would be Asashimo, and which was also the one lagging behind.). The result was arguably the largest suicide mission in history. She continues to throw up a screen of desperate flak fire. Mitscher correctly assumed that the Japanese were operating without air cover and would be sitting ducks for his huge airwing. Vice Admiral Ito retired to his stateroom to go down with the ship. Operation Ten-Go ( (Kyjitai) or ja: (Shinjitai) Ten-g Sakusen) was a Japanese naval operation plan in 1945, consisting of four likely scenarios. He suggests the order to abandon ship be given. The Japanese also noted eight Hellcats circling the force with impunity because of no Japanese fighter cover, and remaining outside anti-aircraft range. this one exploding off Yamato's port bow, it was their air-launched torpedoes He gave the go-ahead for the strike but ordered the battlewagons to proceed in the event the Japanese fleet got through the airstrike. Baka claimed its first victim, the destroyer USS Abele, in the seas off Okinawa on April 12. With robust designs and vintage classic style, discover the heritage of military timepieces today! The light cruiser YAHAGI, without headway, drifts helplessly behind the main force. None of the captains was afraid to diethey just objected to the sheer folly of attacking in daylight without air cover, believing that they wouldnt get anywhere close to Okinawa. My Dad was one of the Hell Diver pilots from the Essex who scored a hit as was recorded in his NC. Did anyone survive the Yamato sinking? Ito was posthumously promoted to full admiral. Yamato's injuries were fatal. Posted August 23, 2013. this photo from 1941 shows the construction details of the Yamato's rear aircraft deck, side 6-inch guns that were replaced by AA guns later in the war, as well as the aft superstructure and main turret #3. 1). He asked what the Japanese navy was doing. The attack lasted just two hours, but it was devastating: The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. most likely to cause flooding and eventual sinking. As waves of kamikazes took to the sky to defend the island, Yamato was ordered to sea on a mission to emulate the suicide planes and take out as many American ships as possible. They also mounted numerous smaller guns to . When the U.S. invaded Okinawa on April 1, 1945, the Japanese had no naval answer to the invasion force. The chief of staff of the Combined Fleet, Vice Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka, flew in from Tokyo to ensure that Ito would comply with Admiral Toyodas orders. One of the torpedo planes took a hit in the wing, pulled up in flames, then plunged into the sea. Of the 3,332 crew members aboard the Yamato, only 276 survived the sinking. Behind the Scenes Her secondary armament . This is a movie Yamato 2005. Fifty aircraft from ESSEX and BATAAN are sighted approaching from the SSW, range 18.5 miles. Fourteen F4U Chance-Vought Corsairs from BUNKER HILL strafe and rocket YAMATO but cause only minor damage. They truly were the Greatest Generation. What is not mentioned above is that this mission was considered a potential suicide mission for the American aviators due the distance they were required to fly. She didn't even make it close to Okinawa. At 1417, she took an eighth and ninth torpedo, both to port. TG 58.4 had just finished refueling and would arrive just in time. Everyone of them, enlisted and officers, were a true gentleman. Pearl harbor was attacked on December 7th, 1941,hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. World War II would see the aircraft carrier emerge as the key to naval supremacy, supplanting the battleship. The most powerful battleship in the world was no match for 390 U.S. carrier aircraft. after the Yamato first took to the sea. Though many Japanese naval leaders considered Operation Ten-Go to be a waste of their remaining resources, it moved forward on April 6, 1945. Captain Aruga lashed himself to the binnacle to do the same. Also interviewed is an American dive-bomber pilot who took part in the attack. (Although some accounts say that, according to the plan, the ships were only given enough fuel to reach Okinawa, they actually received as much fuel as was available to give. The battleship and its sister, Musashi, were the only battleships ever constructed with 18.1" guns. The Americans bloody island-hopping campaign, which had begun in the southern Solomon Islands in 1942, had grown as the Americans swept across the Gilberts, the Solomons, and, after the battles in Leyte Gulf and the Philippine Sea, were on the cusp of Japan herself. battleship's aft secondary magazine caused tons of ammunition to ignite almost simultaneously, Yukikaze suffered three dead from strafing and survived the war. Over the next days, additional messages were intercepted and decrypted by Fleet Radio Unit Pacific (FRUPAC) and also OP-20-G in Washington that provided increasingly detailed information on the operations timing and made specific mention of Yamato on 5 April. Light cruiser YAHAGI, hit by 12 bombs and seven torpedoes sinks exactly one minute after the last bomb hits. This image I was in a ASW squadron that still had many veterans serving and flying. Japanese reports claim U.S. aircraft strafed survivors in the water, but also report that attacks ceased on destroyers that were picking up survivors. All ships increase speed to 25 knots and commence a simultaneous turn. 74, although many begged to stay. YAMATO stops zigzagging and increases speed to 24 knots. 1400 hour Three bombs explode port amidships, five minutes later a torpedo hits her starboard side amidships. By this time, there wasnt much left of the Japanese navy that was still operational, and fuel was in critically short supply. Embarking from Kure, Yamato was to beach herself near Okinawa, and act as an unsinkable gun-emplacementbombarding American forces on Okinawa with her 18.1-inch heavy-guns. She sunk shortly after. How many planes were lost attacking the Yamato? On 1 January 1945, Yamato, Haruna and Nagato were all transferred to the newly reactivated 1st Battleship Division; Yamato left drydock two days later. Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States, a battle group of eight aircraft carriers, her enormous hull to the converging torpedoes. naval action of the war, she took 2,747 men with herall but 269 of her crew. 129 Japanese soldiers were killed. Around 3,700-4,250 men from Yamato and her escort ships were dead. The first wave of the attack resulted in two bomb and one torpedo hits on the Yamato which had increased her speed to flank in an attempt to make her a harder target to hit. The aircraft are lost behind the clouds. the Japanese were aware of Yamato's poor anti-aircraft defense and . While the Americans' 1,000-pound bombs held fearsome destructive power, as seen in She slips under followed by an underwater explosion. At 0823, a Hellcat fighter off Essex (CV-9) sighted Yamato, a contact that the battleship reported at 0832. One Avenger is shot down. Her main guns were designed to attack at an unprecedented distance of 25 miles, well beyond the range of American battleships. RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. sent to engage Yamato made it into position above her and soon began to The attack on Pearl Harbor 71 years ago left a tangled mess of burning and shattered warships. How many Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk in ww2? They pounced on her like sharks in the water. ), and when they were lost.the bu numbers listed as lost on 4.7.1945 is very extensive!!!!! began to flood. The remaining destroyers tried to pick up as many survivors as possible and limped back to Japan. During the night, this plan morphed into sending six new battleships detached from TF 58 into blocking position. 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. About 1,620 survivors of Yamato, Yahagi, Hamakaze, Isokaze, and Kasumi were rescued by the surviving Japanese destroyers. Yamato was lost Apr. Air search reports two groups of aircraft, range 44 miles, closing at high speed. Her auxiliary rudder is jammed in position hard port. What sank the Yamato? TG 58.3, commanded by Rear Admiral Frederick Ted Sherman, embarked on Essex (CV-9), included Bunker Hill (CV-17), Bataan (CVL-24), and Cabot (CVL-28). A report that had been delayed for 25 minutes by ransmission and decoding, is received finally. Combined with Yamato, about 4,242 Japanese sailors gave their lives for the emperor on 7 April. Constructed from 1937 1940 and formally commissioned in late 1941, Yamato served as the flagship of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto throughout 1942, first sailing as part of the Combined Fleet during the Battle of Midway in June 1942. 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. Altogether more effective were Japan's aerial suicide weapons. John Carter, was in a perfect position to watch what unfolded. Additionally, aircraft damaged most of the . The Yomiuri Shimbun, one of several private companies sponsoring the search, reported that the wreck lay about 180 miles southwest of Kagoshima on Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu, in more than 1,100 feet of water. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our web site is dedicated to the memory of Harry D. Jones (1922-2012), VT-17 pilot during WWII. By this point, the uncorrected list was passing 15 degrees to port, and alarms were warning of critical temperatures in the forward main battery magazines, with no working pumps to flood them. Experts believe that a fire raging in the Thirty-four Hellcats, 22 Helldivers and one Corsair attack YAMATOs escorts. Two eyewitness accounts of Yamato's last battle. The sky is still overcast and visibility is poor. Instead, Yamato was obsolete the day she was launched, as the Japanese themselves proved at Pearl Harbor and elsewhere by sinking Allied battleships with airpower. Another 110 planes appeared ready for the kill. Relive the super battleship's last moments in photographs. One Helldiver is shot down, another is damaged badly. She takes on a heavy list to port and her speed drops to 18 knots. 1). Yamato (, lit. It was going on the attack totally outnumbered. 2023 The SOFREP Media Group. 1,187 crewmen of DesRon 2s light cruiser YAHAGI and the four destroyers are also lost. Yamato maneuvers while under attack by U.S. Navy carrier planes north of Okinawa, 7 April 1945, maneuvering evasively at a brisk 15 to 20 knots. Destroyer SUZUTSUKI wreathed in black smoke, burns furiously. Aircrews were astonished at the size of the ship, which had seen very little naval action during the war. Orders to Commit Suicide The Yamato had unbelievable orders. TOKYO Seventy-six years ago, on April 7, 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy vessel Yamato, the world's largest battleship, was sunk by U.S. military aircraft. It. 4s YORKTOWN (CV-10), INTREPID (CV-11), LANGLEY (CVL-27) engage the Attack Force. Half of the dead at . John Carter, was in a perfect position to watch what unfolded. concentrate their torpedoes on just one of Yamato's sides, an approach The loss of ten aircraft and 12 men led to the sinking of four destroyers and two other vessels. (Video: Reuters) When the Japanese fleet approached Midway, the Americans were lying in wait. The massive air group circled just out of range of the anti-aircraft guns of the Japanese. [5] The smoke from the explosionover 4miles (6.4km) highwas seen 100miles (160km) away on Kysh. As luck would have it, he said, the big ship was turning to port, thereby exposing the full broadside expanse of her enormous hull to the converging torpedoes.. At 2144, the submarine issued a detailed contact report with an accurate force disposition. It says that the Kikaigashima Island lookout station saw 150 carrier planes heading northwest. Despite the destruction, the majesty of the ship is unmistakable, symbolized by a six-foot-wide chrysanthemum crest, icon of the Japanese imperial family, still gracing Yamatos prow like a figurehead. Eight Japanese destroyers and one cruiser, the Yahagi (left), tried to assist Yamato in fending off her attackers. The Japanese naval defense plan was code-named named Sho-I-Go ("Victory"), and its objective was simple: Sink the American invasion fleet, maintain the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, and, by doing this, protect Japan from invasion. . Surrounding Japanese ships lost an additional 1,167 men. Of the just over 3,000 men aboard the Yamato on the morning of April 7, 1945, fewer than 300 were alive at days end. Yahagi lost 446 of about 1,000 crewmen. (Although U.S. carrier air groups complement had been changed to have a mix of about three quarters fighters to defend against kamikaze and only one quarter bombers and torpedo planes, the fighters had been trained and gotten pretty good at being used in a fighter-bomber role, and, with no Japanese air opposition, had the freedom to do so.) While YAHAGI jams their sighting messages, YAMATO receives a report from a Japanese scout plane that Task Force 58 has been located east of Okinawa, 250 nautical miles from the Attack Force. Japanese lookouts spotted the American air armada at 1232 hours and soon opened fire with Yamatos 18-inch guns firing San Shiki anti-aircraft shells that were wildly inaccurate. Yamato avoided two, but the third hit her port side at 1245. This time all the attacks are concentrated against the battleship. Jocko Clark, embarked on Hornet (CV-12), included Hancock (CV-19), Bennington (CV-20), Belleau Wood (CVL-24) and San Jacinto (CVL-30). The attack of hundreds of US air force against Japan made Japan's biggest battleship Yamato sink. Williams)vt17 loses a torp.third attack a torp is lost.I know hornet lost a helldiver in that first attack alsostill trying to identify the 12 Americans lost (10 planes4 sb2c, 3 tbm, and 3 f6f. In a separate attack, compani Thank you to all the brave men and women of the US armed forces! I was a radioman on one of the VT23 Avengers participating in this strike flying off the Langley. At 1342, another Avenger was shot down, but four more torpedoes were inbound from the port side and two hit. This was taken by senior Japanese navy leaders as implicit criticism of their services inaction. On April 7, 1945, the Japanese battleship Yamato, one of the greatest battleships of its time, is sunk in Japan's first major counteroffensive in the struggle for Okinawa. Japanese naval leaders briefed Emperor Hirohito on their plans, which consisted of massive air attacks, including kamikaze strikes. I was so fortunate to have had that experience!!! But the Americans also had a battle group of eight aircraft carriers (Hornet, Bennington, Belleau Wood, San Jacinto; TG 58.3 Essex, Bunker Hill, Hancock, and Bataan) that were covering the landings. There are many stories about the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamato. Although 16 warships were hit, Yamato sustained only minor damage from a number of near misses and from one bomb that struck her bridge. U.S. losses were 10 aircraft and 12 pilots and aircrewmen. 10 aircraft Yamato was still more than 300 nautical miles from Okinawa when she went down. Around 2:00pm all power was lost and permission was given to abandon ship. 7. Ten minutes later, two more torpedoes strike her port side. The largest battleships ever built were Yamato and Musashi of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Japanese Battleship Yamato - minutes before sinking. [25][26] Damage to the battleship, however, was light,[25] due in part to the base being defended by elite veteran Japanese fighter instructors flying Kawanishi N1K Shiden or George fighters. Shinano () was an aircraft carrier built by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II, the largest such built up to that time. 4: Factual error; Musashi was sunk on Oct. 23, 1944 in the Sibuyan Sea. 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. On 29 March, Yamato took on a full stock of ammunition, in preparation for combat off Okinawa in Operation Ten-Go. Ito's last order was to cancel the operation and have the remaining destroyers rescue whoever they could before he joined the 3,055 of 3,332 crewmen who went down with Yamato. YAMATOs list increases to about 15 degrees and her speed slows to 12 knots. In the 1980s, shipwreck hunters found the Yamato 180 miles (290 kilometers) southwest of Kyushu, one of the main islands of Japan. 7, 1945 south of Kyushu. [1] By 14:00, two of Yamatos escorts had been sunk. Less than three and half years after Pearl Harbor, American industrial might was on full display. All Rights Reserved. Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis. DANFS - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Permitting Policy and Resource Management, The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: 20 Years Later, "Ex Scientia Tridens": The U.S. (They were right.) The Hell Divers then plummeted straight down dropping armor-piercing bombs, clearing the way for the Avenger torpedo bombers that came in low and slow to try to put torpedoes on the target. 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. He had friends wounded and killed, but the small carriers were never given credit for anything that happened. The visibility was highly variable, but often not very good due to cloud cover. Aruga receives a rare double promotion posthumously to Vice Admiral on the request of Admiral Toyoda. Yamato was essentially doomed by a question from Emperor Hirohito during a briefing on 29 March about plans for Japanese air opposition to expected landings on Okinawa. The age of the battleship was over forever. 1 magazine explodes and sends up a cloud of smoke seen 100 miles away. battleship's guns. The Imperial Japanese Navy ceases to exist as a fighting force. But the mission was approved and the Japanese ships set sail for Okinawa. It said the wreck was in two main pieces, a bow-to-midships section about 560 feet long, and a 264-foot-long stern section. >. One Avenger is shot down but her barrage is largely ineffective because each AA battery fires independently without coordination. These were 50 aircraft from Essex and Bataan. The Attack Force changes course to 100 degrees. Some of the Japanese survivors reported that U.S. fighter aircraft strafed Japanese survivors floating in the water. her bow and stern where her armor was thinnest. American aviators received orders to drop their At 2:10pm Yamato rolled over and began to sink with fires from her aft 6.1" turret reaching her no. What The Hell is Wrong with Steven Seagal? My father, Donald Lennox, Sr. was an Avenger pilot on the San Jacinto whose torpedo is credited for striking the Asashimo. Although the battleship was in no danger of sinking at this point, the list meant that the main battery was unable to fire . After all, she was the The fighter issued a contact report at 0832. He just didnt want to talk about the war. Legendary Lost Japanese WWII Battleship Found by Billionaire Paul Allen.The search was funded by Paul Allen, the Microsoft co . An F/A-18C Hornet catches an arresting wire on the USS Nimitz. AA guns and one hundred fifty-two 25-mm AA guns all open fire. Now I know a little bit. [28] An estimated 2,498 of the 2,700 crew members on Yamato were lost, including Vice-Admiral Seiichi It, the fleet commander.[1]. Lagging behind the main force, destroyer ASASHIMO is attacked and sunk by aircraft from SAN JACINTO. Yamato Of the Japanese destroyers, Asashimo was sunk with all hands (about 330) and Hamakaze sank with a loss of 100 crewmen and 45 wounded (257 were rescued). WORLD WAR II. Thank you to all our WWII vets. Quickly spotted by Allied aircraft, Yamato and its consorts were subjected to a series of heavy air attacks that resulted in the loss of the battleship and most of its supporting ships. At 1302, Yamatos remaining air search radar detected a second inbound wave. Hatsushimo suffered only three wounded on 6 April, but, on 20 July, struck a mine and was the last Japanese destroyer sunk in the war. of the battleship gives a sense of the 18-inch guns' enormous size (note sailors on deck). In total, 97 combatants were killed and 122 wounded. Only 10. Her nine 18.1-inch guns firing Sanshikidan beehive shells, twenty-four 127-mm. The commander in chief of the Combined Fleet, Admiral Soemu Toyoda, resolved to send what was left of his force out in a blaze of glory. The attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including sailors, soldiers and civilians. Flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet, she was lead ship of the Yamato class. YAMATO opens fire with her two forward main turrets and AA guns. Built in total secrecy and launched just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Yamato may have been almost twice the size of her American counterparts, with the largest guns ever mounted on a warship. Being young, I took it all for granted. NOVA interviews two survivors of the sinking, who had to meet the most stringent requirements in the Japanese navy to be chosen for the crew. The shocked emperor then asked, But what about the Navy? Very interesting or happy to read about the Yamoto sinking as I was there as radioman aboard an Avenger off of the USS Langley. Timeline of Battleship Yamato sinking on 7 April 1945 0800 hour - The Attack Force is sighted by a searching Grumman F6F Hellcat from USS ESSEX (CV-9).

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