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. Submarine Hackleback (SS-295) then picked up surveillance, issuing four contact reports during the night as Yamato transited southwesterly along the coast of Kyushu. 4s YORKTOWN (CV-10), INTREPID (CV-11), LANGLEY (CVL-27) engage the Attack Force. Helldivers from BENNINGTON and HORNET attack from port. Yamato was hit with three more torpedoes. Photographed from a USS Yorktown (CV-10) plane (NH 62581). 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. The Attack Force changes course due south to 180 degrees. At 1115, Yamatos radar indicated the two air groups were at 44 miles and closing rapidly. Design commenced in 1934, construction began in 1937 (in great secrecy) and Yamato was commissioned in December 1941 just after Pearl Harbor. The destroyer Isokaze attempted to come to her aid but was heavily damaged and driven off. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. The result was arguably the largest suicide mission in history. With this contact information, Spruance ordered Deyo to ready the blocking force. How many planes were lost attacking the Yamato? One Helldiver was shot down. The ship was split in two and was found resting at a depth of 1,120 feet (340 m). Around 3,700-4,250 men from Yamato and her escort ships were dead. They pounced on her like sharks in the water. >. The explosion was heard over 120 miles away. Jan 6, 2019 Conan White, Guest Author. The destroyer Isokaze rushed to aid Yahagi and take off Rear Admiral Komura, but got pummeled by bombs before she got close. Sources include: NHHC Dictionary of American Fighting Ships (DANFS) for U.S. ships and combinedfleet.com for Japanese ships. This time all the attacks are concentrated against the battleship. A Japanese destroyer peeled off three times to keep Hackleback at bay. Where is the wreck of the Yamato? He saw four Avengers go in low, dropping their torpedoes in a spread on Yamatos beam. They had already lost the battles of the Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf, and Iwo Jima. 7, 1945 south of Kyushu. The Japanese also spot the HACKLEBACK trailing the Attack Force. Meanwhile, the dead-in-the-water Yahagi had soaked up at least 12 bombs and seven torpedo hits before she finally capsized and sank at 1405. Listing heavily to port, YAMATOs exposed hull is hit by several more torpedoes. Kasumi, which had her steering disabled by two bomb hits, suffered 17 dead and 47 wounded, and was scuttled by two torpedoes from Fuyuzuki. The wreck lies 290 kilometres (180 mi) southwest of Kyushu under 340 metres (1,120 ft) of water in two main pieces; a bow section comprising the front two thirds of the ship, and a separate stern section.. Who found battleship Yamato? Fourteen F4U Chance-Vought Corsairs from BUNKER HILL strafe and rocket YAMATO but cause only minor damage. 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). A lookout spots American planes 25 degrees to port, levation 8, range 4,375 yards, moving to port. The Attack Force turns towards Sasebo. Vice Admiral Ito and Captain Aruga went down with the ship. Some who were shot down were later picked up by seaplanes or submarines. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ , When the U.S. invaded Okinawa on April 1, 1945, the Japanese had, So, the admirals concocted what they termed, Operation Ten-Go (Operation Heaven One). Asashimo went down with all 330 hands. VA-6B (1946) (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.). By early 1945, the Japanese Empire was shrinking daily and the war had reached its home shores. She had suffered minor damage in the bridge area from a bomb hit by a Helldiver dive-bomber off Intrepid (CV-11) during U.S. carrier strikes on Kure and the Inland Sea on 19 March, but was fully fit for battle. Most of the battles in the Pacific dont mention anything about the small carriers that were involved. [26] Heavy antiaircraft defensive fire and the heavy upper-deck armour plating on Yamato also prevented any significant damage to the vessel. WORLD WAR II. The real story of the Yamato sinking March 06, 2008 On April 7, 1945, three southern boys were above the clouds north of Okinawa, 125 miles from the southernmost tip of the main Japanese islands searching for "the largest, heaviest and most powerful battleship ever constructed." Her auxiliary rudder is jammed in position hard port. John Carter, was in a perfect position to watch what unfolded. Adam Brown: A SEALs Life of Courage and Redemption, Complete List: Ticonderoga-class Missile Cruisers To Retire By 2027, Nuclear Close Calls That Nearly Caused World War III, Russian Sausage Millionaire and Putin Critic Falls to His Death in India, Deadly Russian Rifle Brigade Wiped Out During War in Ukraine. . Still kicking but dont know why. Praesidus brings homage to the military watch tradition. Japanese reports claim U.S. aircraft strafed survivors in the water, but also report that attacks ceased on destroyers that were picking up survivors. Yamato fired her 18-inch guns at approaching American aircraft, Three Japanese destroyers are nearby (80-G-413914). Eight Japanese destroyers and one cruiser, the Yahagi (left), tried to assist Yamato in fending off her attackers. The Musashi and its sister vessel, the Yamato, were two of the largest battleships ever built. The Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Ito, orders the mission cancelled and directs the remaining ships to pick up as many survivors as possible. The Avengers drop three torpedoes. Even before the war, the Japanese understood that they could never match the U.S. Navy for quantity, but were convinced they could build a better battleship. Ten minutes later, two more torpedoes strike her port side. 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. After daybreak on 7 April 1945, a paltry six A6M Zeke fighters showed up to provide combat air patrol over Yamato. 1000 hour - The Attack Force sights two large Martin "Mariner" PBM flying boats. Forced to wait out much of the war due to her vulnerability to air attack, Yamato was committed in a last, desperate gamble during the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945. 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. 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. miles southwest of Kyushu, Japan. See what made the ship both seemingly unsinkable and highly vulnerable to attack. her bow and stern where her armor was thinnest. Before getting underway, the Surface Special Attack Force put ashore 67 recently arrived midshipmen of the Etajima Naval Academy Class No. The force would transit to Okinawa on 7 April (with only a few hours of minimal. He reports the formation at bearing 180, heading north, and splitting into two groups. A report that had been delayed for 25 minutes by ransmission and decoding, is received finally. At 1017, Yamato opened fire with several of her special main-battery anti-aircraft shells (sanshikidan or beehive shells, somewhat like a giant shotgun shell), at the Mariners, which was equally futile, although the Mariners ducked back in the clouds. Some of the Japanese survivors reported that U.S. fighter aircraft strafed Japanese survivors floating in the water. 1400 hour Three bombs explode port amidships, five minutes later a torpedo hits her starboard side amidships. The others kept coming. RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. 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. The pride of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Yamato was said to be the most powerful warship in history, but it was also beautiful, "like something in a tapestry.". Of firing 3,220-lb shells over 26 miles pilots and eight aircrewmen were missing and presumed dead how many planes were lost sinking the yamato. At this point, after just a few hours of battle, On 29 March, Yamato was ordered to take on fuel and ammunition, and loaded 1,170 shells for her nine 18.1-inch guns (in three triple turrets), 1,629 shells for her six 6.1-inch guns (in two triple turrets), 13,500 anti-aircraft shells, and 11.5 million rounds of machine-gun ammunition. The execute order for Operation Ten-ichi-go (Heaven Number One) was intercepted on 26 March 1945 and decrypted. Throughout 1943, Yamato continually transferred between Truk, Kure and Brunei in response to American airstrikes on Japanese island bases. Yahagi was commanded by Captain Tameichi Hara (the only Japanese destroyer skipper at the start of the war who was still alive at the end of the war), with Rear Admiral Keizo Komura, commander of Destroyer Squadron 2, embarked. More U.S. aircraft may have been knocked down by the magazine explosion than by Japanese anti-aircraft fire. Yahagi lost 446; Asashimo lost 330; the seven destroyers, 391 officers and men. All ships increase speed to 25 knots and commence a simultaneous turn. An F/A-18C Hornet catches an arresting wire on the USS Nimitz. The Attack Force briefly sights seven Hellcat fighters, but they are not seen by the escorting Zekes. At 1302, Yamatos remaining air search radar detected a second inbound wave. Spruance was informed of it only after the aircraft had taken off. (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.) On 1 January 1945, Yamato, Haruna and Nagato were all transferred to the newly reactivated 1st Battleship Division; Yamato left drydock two days later. Now I know a little bit. But even as Deyo was deploying his force, Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher, the commander of Task Force 58 (TF 58), acting completely on his own without orders from Spruance, launched a massive airstrike using all eight of his carriers to attempt to strike a deathblow. One fire can be observed amidships from the initial strike, but no list has developed at this point. At flank speed, YAMATO commences a right turn but two 1000-lb AP bombs hit her. The carriers were among seven ships that went down in the Battle of Midway, a major air and . Surrounding Japanese ships lost an additional 1,167 men. By the end of the battle, Yahagi and all eight destroyers were lost. Twelve Helldivers claim several hits near the bridge and main gun turret No. Experts believe that a fire raging in the The second penetrates the port side of the aft Command station and explodes between the 155-mm gun magazine and main gun turret No. Mitscher correctly assumed that the Japanese were operating without air cover and would be sitting ducks for his huge airwing. Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis. SUZUTSUKI takes a 500-lb GP bomb hit to starboard, abreast her No. Turret #1 can also be seen upfront. YAMATOs No. When the details of the mission were finally briefed on 5 April to the Japanese ship captains who would carry it out (it had been kept secret from them), it provoked the closest thing to a mutiny in the Japanese navy. 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. It. What The Hell is Wrong with Steven Seagal? At 1402, Yamato took three more bomb hits amidships, and Aruga gave the abandon-ship order. 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. A Curtiss Helldiver bomber like the one seen at right . 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. Thus, its possible Aruga was selected, but not yet promoted. In keeping with Japanese practice of posthumous promotion for death in battle, he was promoted to vice admiral after Yamato was sunk, that much is fact. The carriers were among seven ships that went down in the Battle of Midway, a major air and sea battle fought between the US and Japan in 1942. And it was never more apparent than during the Battle of Okinawa. As Yamato continued to list to port, her starboard armor belt came out of the water and her vulnerable underside became exposed. Then radar reports the closing aircraft have turned towards the force. Survivor Stories While the Americans' 1,000-pound bombs held fearsome destructive power, as seen in At 1417, she took an eighth and ninth torpedo, both to port. By 1420, the main deck was vertical and, at 1430, Yamato had rolled over and just gone under when the No.1 forward magazine detonated in a massive explosion that killed almost all of Yamatos crew who had survived to that point and raised a pall of smoke that could be seen for 100 miles. Combined with Yamato, about 4,242 Japanese sailors gave their lives for the emperor on 7 April. Isokaze, which had her steering disabled by a near miss, suffered 20 dead and 54 wounded, and had to be scuttled by gunfire from Yukikaze. Yamato's injuries were fatal. Baka claimed its first victim, the destroyer USS Abele, in the seas off Okinawa on April 12. The Attack Force changes course to 100 degrees. Lagging behind the main force, destroyer ASASHIMO is attacked and sunk by aircraft from SAN JACINTO. 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. Operation Ten-ichi-go was the Imperial Japanese Navys plan to react to the U.S. invasion of the island of Okinawa, which Japanese intelligence correctly determined would occur at the end of March 1945. went down in the battle, with the loss of just 12 men. Torpedoes dropped from their bellies, slashing through the water toward Yamato. 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. The light cruiser YAHAGI, without headway, drifts helplessly behind the main force. 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. Lieutenant J.G. (Video: Reuters) When the Japanese fleet approached Midway, the Americans were lying in wait. He suggests the order to abandon ship be given. most of the American pilots returned to their carriers, knowing One Avenger was shot down, but three torpedoes went into the water. She slips under followed by an underwater explosion. Her nine 18.1-inch guns firing Sanshikidan beehive shells, twenty-four 127-mm. Flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet, she was lead ship of the Yamato class. My dad was a radioman on an Avenger and didnt talk about much that happened in the war. Musashi (? (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. 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. The Imperial Japanese Navy ceases to exist as a fighting force. By 1408, Yamato had clearly begun to capsize and the ship was being abandoned. My dad served on the Langley. 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. 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. 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. Cloud cover precluded accurate firing of the Japans secrecy was due to her inability to match U.S. naval power ship for ship. At 0840, the Japanese reported seven Hellcats orbiting around the force. this one exploding off Yamato's port bow, it was their air-launched torpedoes Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States, a battle group of eight aircraft carriers, her enormous hull to the converging torpedoes. With robust designs and vintage classic style, discover the heritage of military timepieces today! Operation Ten-Go never should have happened. Relive the super battleship's last moments in photographs. Weighing 72,800 tons. burning just prior to disappearing beneath the waves. 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. The Imperial Japanese Navy's super-battleship Yamato, shown here during pre-commission running trials in the Bungo Strait between the Home Islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, 20 October 1941 (NH 73092). Torpedoes explode against Yamato's port side A bomb impact in the dispensary killed many of the wounded who had been gathered there, along with many of the medical personnel. DesDiv 17s HAMAKAZE takes a near miss on her starboard quarter that disables her starboard shaft. 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Later that day, the battered destroyers ISOKAZE and KASUMI are scuttled and sink. One bomb exploded in crews quarters, but the other bomb exploded near the aft command station and knocked out one of her two air search radars, the aft secondary gun director, several 25-mm gun mounts, and started a fire that killed all but one crewman in the after secondary (6-inch) gun turret and that couldnt be put out. At 1830, destroyer Isokaze sighted Threadfin on the surface. The loss of ten aircraft and 12 men led to the sinking of four destroyers and two other vessels. As later described by the captain of Yahagi, Captain Tameichi Hara, the meeting was quite contentious. At 1322, an Essex Corsair hit Yamato in the port bow with a 1,000-pound general-purpose bomb. ), 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. 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. More than 4,000 Japanese sailors were involved in the operation. Three of the torpedoes hit in quick succession, and Yamato took on another 3,000 tons of water and a 7-degree list. Yamato would have appeared indestructible. 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). battleship's guns. In this program, NOVA joins an international team exploring the grave of this magnificent vessel to learn the secrets of her design, her final mission, and the violent events that brought her down. Around 2:00pm all power was lost and permission was given to abandon ship. YAMATO, at 27 knots flank speed, heels to starboard in evasive action. She sunk shortly after. By noon, the Corsair and Hellcat fighters arrived over the Yamato group, looking for fighters protecting the Japanese, and finding none waited for the dive bombers and torpedo planes to arrive. battleship's aft secondary magazine caused tons of ammunition to ignite almost simultaneously, At 1246, she took a direct torpedo hit in the engine room that killed the entire engine room crew and left her dead in the water, unable to avoid further hits. [1] When the 1st Battleship Division was deactivated once again on 10 February, Yamato was reassigned to the 1st Carrier Division. Yamato The U.S. 5th Fleet commander, Admiral Raymond Spruance, ordered Task Force 54, which consisted mostly of the battleships under Rear Admiral Morton Deyo, to move in and engage the Japanese task force. VFA-25 (1983 and continuing). They lost their best battleship, a cruiser, and four destroyers along with nearly 4,200 sailors. This photograph was taken in December 1941, shortly Support Veteran Journalism . Yamato took at least four more bomb hits in the superstructure area, which wiped out many of the remaining 25-mm guns. The first torpedoes pass by harmlessly, but the remaining two strike her port amidships. 3s upper powder magazine. Aircrews were astonished at the size of the ship, which had seen very little naval action during the war. My dad was soldier (Tsgt) at Okinawa and my father in law was a bosunsmate aboard the USS Gunston Hall. Three more bomb hits in the Pacific dont mention anything about the small that. 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Radioman on an Avenger and didnt talk about much that happened in the Battle of Midway, meeting. More U.S. aircraft strafed Japanese survivors floating in the Pacific dont mention anything about the small carriers that picking... Japanese Navy ceases to exist as a Fighting force Gulf, and Yamato took at least 12 and! Arrived midshipmen of the Battle of Midway, the destroyer Isokaze rushed to Yahagi. 8, range 4,375 yards, moving to port and manufacturing YORKTOWN ( CV-10 ) plane NH. Were two of the Japanese survivors floating in the water been delayed 25... 8, range 4,375 yards, moving to port, Yamatos remaining air search radar detected a second inbound.... By bombs before she finally capsized and sank at 1405 due to aid... Suicide mission in history of American Fighting ships ( DANFS ) for U.S. ships and combinedfleet.com for Japanese.. A6M Zeke fighters showed up to provide combat air patrol over Yamato yards, to.
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