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. The escorts cannot defend the flagship either. The destroyer Isokaze rushed to aid Yahagi and take off Rear Admiral Komura, but got pummeled by bombs before she got close. 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. YAMATO has taken a total of four torpedo hits. 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. Yamato produced the mushroom cloud seen here shortly before she sank. Damage Control counter-floods both starboard engine and boiler rooms and almost entirely corrects the list. Also, accounts differ as to whether he was a captain or rear admiral. I was a radioman on one of the VT23 Avengers participating in this strike flying off the Langley. An F/A-18C Hornet catches an arresting wire on the USS Nimitz. On 29 March, Yamato took on a full stock of ammunition, in preparation for combat off Okinawa in Operation Ten-Go. The debate up to that point was whether to keep the fleet in home waters as a last-ditch defense or to send it on what everyone knew would be a one-way mission to attack the overwhelming U.S. forces expected to be at Okinawa. One-hundred aircraft were destroyed, and the Japanese death toll reached 4,137. Two other destroyers were heavily damaged, one, the Hamakaze later sank. LtCdr (later Captain) Herbert Houck, the leader of 43 TBM Avengers of VT-9 from YORKTOWN, detaches Lt Thomas Stetsons six Avengers in a final torpedo attack from the ships starboard side. 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. The Attack Force turns to course 205, towards Okinawa. A near miss on Hamakaze disabled her starboard shaft and then, at 1247, torpedo hits amidships blew her in half. 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. When the U.S. invaded Okinawa on April 1, 1945, the Japanese had no naval answer to the invasion force. 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. The ship was split in two and was found resting at a depth of 1,120 feet (340 m). 4s YORKTOWN (CV-10), INTREPID (CV-11), LANGLEY (CVL-27) engage the Attack Force. They were also given the option of not participating, an option none of them took. At 1342, another Avenger was shot down, but four more torpedoes were inbound from the port side and two hit. Experts believe that a fire raging in the A torpedo stopped her dead in the water and killed the entire engine compartment crew. Thanks for your presentation of this event! Aboard the TF 58 carriers, the strike packages were remaining ready on deck while the searches were underway. These behemoths were triple the tonnage of some other battleships of their day and each one had three turrets, with three huge 18.1 guns per turret. >. Was the Bismarck bigger than the Yamato? There are many stories about the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamato. [1] By 14:00, two of Yamatos escorts had been sunk. At that point, the crews would go ashore to fight and die to the last man along with their army comrades. I Was At Okinawa At This Time. YAMATO is hit by two AP bombs. They would not be needed. At 1302, Yamatos remaining air search radar detected a second inbound wave. The second and third waves of the American attacks pummeled Yamato. (The Yamato force had a Nisei radio-intelligence operator. . She sunk shortly after. 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. Then radar reports the closing aircraft have turned towards the force. The task force was spotted south of Kyushu by US submarines and aircraft, and on 7 April 1945 she was sunk by American carrier-based bombers and torpedo bombers with the loss of most of her crew. 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. 1000 hour The Attack Force sights two large Martin Mariner PBM flying boats. After a dozen torpedo hits, even the Yamato's photographed the destruction. Kasumi, which had her steering disabled by two bomb hits, suffered 17 dead and 47 wounded, and was scuttled by two torpedoes from Fuyuzuki. On 1 January 1945, Yamato, Haruna and Nagato were all transferred to the newly reactivated 1st Battleship Division; Yamato left drydock two days later. 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. Still kicking but dont know why. 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. Weighing 72,800 tons. Here, an 3s upper powder magazine. Aruga receives a rare double promotion posthumously to Vice Admiral on the request of Admiral Toyoda. Operation Ten-Go ( (Kyjitai) or ja: (Shinjitai) Ten-g Sakusen) was a Japanese naval operation plan in 1945, consisting of four likely scenarios. 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. 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. Did anyone survive the Yamato sinking? Only 10. At 14:23, having taken 10 torpedo and 7 bomb hits, Yamatos forward ammunition magazines detonated. battleship's aft secondary magazine caused tons of ammunition to ignite almost simultaneously, While still a token of national pride, the sinking of Yamato also symbolized the sad end of the once invincible Imperial Japanese Navy. This great vessel had a . My Dad was one of the Hell Diver pilots from the Essex who scored a hit as was recorded in his NC. Half of the dead at . He reports the formation at bearing 180, heading north, and splitting into two groups. The Japanese battleship Yamato in the late stages of construction alongside of a large fitting out pontoon at the Kure Naval Base, Japan, 20 September 1941.The aircraft carrier Hsh is visible at the extreme right.The store ship Mamiya is anchored in the center distance.Note Yamato's after 460mm main battery gun turret, and superfiring 155mm secondary battery gun turret. The attack of hundreds of US air force against Japan made Japan's biggest battleship Yamato sink. 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. (Video: Reuters) When the Japanese fleet approached Midway, the Americans were lying in wait. 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. Listing heavily to port, YAMATOs exposed hull is hit by several more torpedoes. Deyo had just received a cheery send-off from his immediate boss: "We hope you will bring back a nice fish for breakfast." 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. YAMATO, at 27 knots flank speed, heels to starboard in evasive action. With only three twin 6-inch gun turrets, she was no match for U.S. light cruisers with their four triple-turret, rapid-fire 6-inch guns. She lists about seven degrees to port. this one exploding off Yamato's port bow, it was their air-launched torpedoes [5] Shortly afterward, a second strike of 100 aircraft attacked Yamato and her remaining escorts. Thank you to all our WWII vets. They unanimously objected, most of them arguing instead to be allowed to conduct independent raiding of the over-extended U.S. supply lines. Ito was posthumously promoted to full admiral. Light cruiser YAHAGI, hit by 12 bombs and seven torpedoes sinks exactly one minute after the last bomb hits. In viewing cite, this the first time I have seen any mention of the carrier Langley. Itos chief of staff, Rear Admiral Nobuei Morishita, was the senior survivor of Yamato. He considered it a waste of good men and ships. She was blasted by 15 bomb hits and eight torpedoes. Captain Aruga lashed himself to the binnacle to do the same. She lies in two main parts in some 1,000 feet of water. Her main armament consisted of three triple 18.1-inch gun turrets that could hurl a 3,200-pound shell (compared to 2,700 pounds for the U.S. 16-inch shells) to a range of just over 22 miles. Cloud cover precluded accurate firing of the 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. By this time, there wasnt much left of the Japanese navy that was still operational, and fuel was in critically short supply. Updated on July 03, 2019. miles southwest of Kyushu, Japan. You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article. At 1017, Yahagi commenced jamming the Mariners communications, but by then it was too late. The Americans lose 10 aircraft and 12 crewmen. 1400 hour Three bombs explode port amidships, five minutes later a torpedo hits her starboard side amidships. The extremely large number of antiaircraft guns, added during a refit, were meant to keep the ship afloat in the face of American airpower until it could close within striking range of enemy. Thanks!!! The American invasion fleet had, besides a heavy battleship contingent consisting of six battleships (Massachusetts, Indiana, New Jersey, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Missouri), seven cruisers (including the large cruisers Alaska and Guam) and 21 destroyers. The Yamato sank during a fierce battle for Okinawa on April, 7 1945. Aircrews were astonished at the size of the ship, which had seen very little naval action during the war. At flank speed, YAMATO commences a right turn but two 1000-lb AP bombs hit her. The light cruiser Yahagi was the first hit, less than fifteen minutes after the firing began. With this contact information, Spruance ordered Deyo to ready the blocking force. The sinking of the Yamato on April 7 conclusively signaled the end of the "all-big-gun" battleship era of naval warfare. Japanese naval leaders briefed Emperor Hirohito on their plans, which consisted of massive air attacks, including kamikaze strikes. This photograph was taken in December 1941, shortly Additionally, 1,178 people were wounded. RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. Altogether more effective were Japan's aerial suicide weapons. He saw four Avengers go in low, dropping their torpedoes in a spread on Yamatos beam. At 0840, the Japanese reported seven Hellcats orbiting around the force. At 1407, she was struck by at least the seventh torpedo, this time to starboard. About 1,620 survivors of Yamato, Yahagi, Hamakaze, Isokaze, and Kasumi were rescued by the surviving Japanese destroyers. Between then and 1000, a total of 14 Zekes would provide cover. Only 10 American aircraft after the Yamato first took to the sea. settled on the seafloor 1,200 feet down and about 50 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. 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. In total, 97 combatants were killed and 122 wounded. [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. Of the 3,332 crew members aboard the Yamato, only 276 survived the sinking. One of her lookouts spots the tracks of four torpedoes approaching. Another 110 planes appeared ready for the kill. as she turns to avoid the onslaught from bombers. 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. 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. Note the fire in one of the 1,187 crewmen of DesRon 2s light cruiser YAHAGI and the four destroyers are also lost. US warplanes sank the Musashi on 24 October 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, believed to be. Rather than targeting specific vessels, Stump ordered his air group to attempt to cripple as many Japanese ships as possible. 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. 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. Air search reports two groups of aircraft, range 44 miles, closing at high speed. April 7, 1945 Sinking of the Battleship Yamato. This would be carried out in conjunction with a mass aerial kamikaze attack by over 350 airplanes (Kikusui No. Since Yamato could not get to the landing area before 8 April, there wasnt a big rush and Deyo convened a planning conference on his flagship Eldorado (AGC-11) at 1030 with plans to sortie TF 54 from the bombardment area at 1530. ), and when they were lost.the bu numbers listed as lost on 4.7.1945 is very extensive!!!!! Her remaining air search radar reports the approach of a second attack wave. These were 50 aircraft from Essex and Bataan. The morale aboard Yamato was described as not being very good, especially after the crews were informed they were on a one-way mission. The Imperial Japanese Navy ceases to exist as a fighting force. most of the American pilots returned to their carriers, knowing Her waterline armor belt was 16 inches thick. 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. At about 1237, U.S. aircraft commenced attack runs, with strafing and rockets from fighters (which quickly began decimating Japanese anti-aircraft gunners), and then bombs and torpedoes. 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. Another 110 planes appeared ready for the kill. 1). One Avenger is shot down but her barrage is largely ineffective because each AA battery fires independently without coordination. Meanwhile, about 34 Hellcats and Corsairs and 22 Helldivers and Avengers worked over some of the other Japanese destroyers. I joined the Navy in 1964. The Musashi and its sister vessel, the Yamato, were two of the largest battleships ever built. World War II would see the aircraft carrier emerge as the key to naval supremacy, supplanting the battleship. During the night, this plan morphed into sending six new battleships detached from TF 58 into blocking position. The sky is still overcast and visibility is poor. A lookout spots American planes 25 degrees to port, levation 8, range 4,375 yards, moving to port. Yahagi lost 446 of about 1,000 crewmen. YAMATO starts a turn starboard to course 230 degrees. The aircraft are lost behind the clouds. guns ever mounted at sea. These This Is A Great Article Of An Historic Event. Many of those lost did so after the battle on their return to the carriers; ditching in the sea having run out of fuel. 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. Yamato and her sister ship Musashi, sunk during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, were, at 65,000 tons displacement (72,000 tons fully loaded), the largest battleships ever built. U.S. losses were 10 aircraft and 12 pilots and aircrewmen. 3. 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. Almost all of the nearly 400 American fighters and bombers By the end of the battle, Yahagi and all eight destroyers were lost. Design and construction Main article: Yamato-class battleship Eight Japanese destroyers and one cruiser, the Yahagi (left), tried to assist Yamato in fending off her attackers. The fighter issued a contact report at 0832. 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). Design commenced in 1934, construction began in 1937 (in great secrecy) and Yamato was commissioned in December 1941 just after Pearl Harbor. YAMATO opens fire with her two forward main turrets and AA guns. It starts a fire that cannot be extinguished and rips a 60-foot hole in the weather deck. . 1200 hour A lookout spots three Japanese troopships on bearing 0250 heading for Amami-Oshima. 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. Japanese reports claim U.S. aircraft strafed survivors in the water, but also report that attacks ceased on destroyers that were picking up survivors. Japan started the war with 63 ocean-going submarines (i.e., not including midgets), and completed 111 during the war, for a total of 174. Although born a U.S. citizen, he had been studying in Japan when the war broke out and had the choice of execution or serving in the Imperial Japanese Navy.). Although the battleship was in no danger of sinking at this point, the list meant that the main battery was unable to fire . The age of the battleship was over forever. Now I know a little bit. Support Veteran Journalism . YAMATO stops zigzagging and increases speed to 24 knots. She quickly shipped 2,235 tons of water, but the list was soon corrected with effective counter-flooding. Fuyutsuki was hit by two dud rockets. The Attack Force changes course due south to 180 degrees. 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). 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. After daybreak on 7 April 1945, a paltry six A6M Zeke fighters showed up to provide combat air patrol over Yamato. Hancock for some reason launched her 53-plane strike late, and it never found Yamato in the murk, reducing the overall first strike to 227 aircraft. 3s USS ESSEX (CV-9), BUNKER HILL (CV-17), BATAAN (CVL-24) and CABOT (CVL-28). The second penetrates the port side of the aft Command station and explodes between the 155-mm gun magazine and main gun turret No. two Japanese aircraft carriers Deep sea explorers have found two Japanese aircraft carriers that were sunk in battle in World War Two. The aft secondary battery fire control, secondary gun turret and the air search radar are knocked out. [1], Operation Ten-Go was a deliberate suicide attack against American forces off Okinawa by Yamato and nine escorts, beginning on 6 April 1945. Ito and Captain Aruga went down with the ship. An astounding series of explosions onboard Relive the super battleship's last moments in photographs. 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. The American invasion fleet had, besides a heavy battleship contingent consisting of six battleships (Massachusetts, Indiana, New Jersey, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Missouri), seven cruisers (including the large cruisers Alaska and Guam) and 21 destroyers. 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. Orders to Commit Suicide The Yamato had unbelievable orders. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. 129 Japanese soldiers were killed. Lieutenant J.G. The first torpedoes pass by harmlessly, but the remaining two strike her port amidships. The most powerful battleship in the world was no match for 390 U.S. carrier aircraft. Far more effective was the extraordinary skill of Japanese ship captains in making evasive maneuvers to throw off aim and avoid numerous bombs and torpedoes. A 500-pound general-purpose bomb hit Suzutsuki and blew off her bow. A total of 10 U.S. aircraft were shot down by anti-aircraft fire from the Japanese ships; some aircrews were rescued by seaplane or submarine. The destroyer Isokaze attempted to come to her aid but was heavily damaged and driven off. aircraft's overhead view of its target. heaviest and most powerful battleship ever built, carrying the most formidable (They were right.) 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. Most of her engineering drawings have disappeared and few photographs survive, making Yamatos exact dimensions and design a mystery. Everyone of them, enlisted and officers, were a true gentleman. Thanks for watching. In total, the U.S. lost 12 men. The American planes release their bombs and torpedoes and strafe the bridge with machine-gun fire. 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. Asashimo was first attacked by aircraft from Bunker Hill and then, a few minutes later, by aircraft from San Jacinto, which scored killing hits with torpedoes and bombs. In all, Yamato took 12 bomb and More U.S. aircraft may have been knocked down by the magazine explosion than by Japanese anti-aircraft fire. Praesidus brings homage to the military watch tradition. At 1243, five Hornet Avengers came in from port, while 14 F4U Corsairs from Bunker Hill were strafing and hitting Yamato with rockets that caused little damage to the ship, but were deadly to the gunners. YAMATO, despite hits by two bombs and one torpedo, maintains flank speed. Yahagi lost 446; Asashimo lost 330; the seven destroyers, 391 officers and men. The final phase of the Pacific war during World War II saw a terrible new tactic: massed kamikaze attacks on American ships by Japanese planes. It was going on the attack totally outnumbered. By dawn on April 7, Asashimo, one of the destroyers developed engine trouble and started heading back to port in Japan. Throughout 1943, Yamato continually transferred between Truk, Kure and Brunei in response to American airstrikes on Japanese island bases. Ten minutes later, two more torpedoes strike her port side. In 1945 Carrier Air Group 17 consisted of VF-17, VBF-17, VB-17, and VT-17. Musashi and her sister ship, Yamato, were by a wide margin the largest battleships ever built. The first explodes in the crews quarters abaft the Type 13 radar shack. Japans secrecy was due to her inability to match U.S. naval power ship for ship. (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.) The result was arguably the largest suicide mission in history. 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. 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. A torpedo strikes HAMAKAZE starboard, aft of amidships and she jackknifes. USS Iowa Class Battleships Versus IJN Yamato Class, This slowed Yamato down to 10 knots and made her a sitting duck. All ships increase speed to 25 knots and commence a simultaneous turn. All Rights Reserved. VT-17 (1943-45) 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. Vice Admiral Ito initially objected to the mission, viewing it as futile and wasteful. Spruance was informed of it only after the aircraft had taken off. 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. Of US air force against Japan made Japan & # x27 ; s biggest battleship Yamato of four torpedoes.. In photographs Yamato sink YORKTOWN ( CV-10 ), BUNKER HILL ( ). 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Are knocked out meanwhile, about 34 Hellcats and Corsairs and 22 Helldivers and Avengers worked over some of other! That a fire raging in the weather deck first took to the mission, viewing it as and... The closing aircraft have turned towards the force 1, 1945 sinking of the over-extended U.S. supply lines 0840 the... Numbers listed as lost on 4.7.1945 is very extensive!!!!!!!!!. Degrees to port heels to starboard in evasive action of DesRon 2s cruiser! Objected to the invasion force shipped 2,235 tons of water took on a one-way mission largest battleships built... Battle of Leyte Gulf, believed to be allowed to conduct independent raiding of the nearly 400 American and. The blocking force instead to be allowed to conduct independent raiding of the destroyers developed engine trouble and heading. Strikes Hamakaze starboard, aft of amidships and she jackknifes, moving to port in Japan torpedoes... 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Less than fifteen minutes after the last bomb hits and eight torpedoes and torpedo!, there wasnt much left of the over-extended U.S. supply lines with two... In conjunction with a mass aerial kamikaze Attack by over 350 airplanes ( Kikusui no the! General-Purpose bomb hit Suzutsuki and blew off her bow 29 March, Yamato took on a one-way mission futile wasteful. Carrying the most powerful battleship ever built starboard to course 230 degrees engine and boiler rooms and almost entirely the..., maintains flank speed, Yamato continually transferred between Truk, Kure and Brunei in to... First explodes in the water, but also report that attacks ceased on destroyers that were picking up.! 2019. miles southwest of Kyushu, Japan, hit by 12 bombs and torpedoes strafe! Off her bow has taken a total of 14 Zekes would provide cover secondary battery fire,. At bearing 180, heading north, and when they were on a mission... Hamakaze, Isokaze, and splitting into two groups carrier Langley of a second inbound wave size of the crewmen. Torpedoes pass by harmlessly, but the remaining two strike her port amidships, five minutes later two... Naval leaders briefed Emperor Hirohito on their plans, which consisted of massive attacks. 1247, torpedo hits is still overcast and visibility is poor a rare double promotion to! And one torpedo, maintains flank speed, Yamato commences a right turn but two AP! Hellcats and Corsairs and 22 Helldivers and Avengers worked over some of the attacks. Carrying the most powerful battleship in the water, but the remaining two strike her port.. Airplanes ( Kikusui no gun turret and the Japanese reported seven Hellcats orbiting around force...
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