One of her lookouts spots the tracks of four torpedoes approaching. Japanese Battleship Yamato - minutes before sinking. Kasumi, which had her steering disabled by two bomb hits, suffered 17 dead and 47 wounded, and was scuttled by two torpedoes from Fuyuzuki. Many of those lost did so after the battle on their return to the carriers; ditching in the sea having run out of fuel. The Japanese fighters were unable to make contact before they left at 1000. She lists about seven degrees to port. 1000 hour - The Attack Force sights two large Martin "Mariner" PBM flying boats. 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. Eight Japanese destroyers and one cruiser, the Yahagi (left), tried to assist Yamato in fending off her attackers. Light cruiser Yahagi steered away from Yamato in an attempt to draw attention away from the battleshiptoo successfully. XIV: Victory in the Pacific by Samuel Eliot Morison, Boston: Little Brown and Co., 1969; Japanese Destroyer Captain by Tameichi Hara, New York: Ballantine Books, 1961; Combined Fleet Decoded: The Secret History of American Intelligence and the Japanese Navy in World War II by John Prados, New York: Random House, 1995. Yahagi lost 446 of about 1,000 crewmen. My dads name is Ronald R. LeFebvre (Ding). TG 58.1, commanded by Rear Admiral J. J. Yamato (), named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Photographed from a USS Yorktown (CV-10) plane (NH 62581). He just didnt want to talk about the war. Between then and 1000, a total of 14 Zekes would provide cover. 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. The age of the battleship was over forever. 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 most powerful battleship in the world was no match for 390 U.S. carrier aircraft. They pounced on her like sharks in the water. The second and third waves of the American attacks pummeled Yamato. Vice Admiral Ito and YAMATOs skipper Captain Aruga and 3,055 of 3,332 crewmen are lost. 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. Where is the wreck of the Yamato? . Although accounts vary about how many crewmen were on Yamato, the most definitive appears to be that 3,055 of 3,332 crewmen were lost. A torpedo strikes HAMAKAZE starboard, aft of amidships and she jackknifes. H-044-3: Operation Heaven Number One (Ten-ichi-go)the Death of Yamato, 7 April 1945. However, three-quarters of these (128 boats) were lost during the conflict, a proportion of loss similar that experienced by Germany's U-Boats. 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. [5] Shortly afterward, a second strike of 100 aircraft attacked Yamato and her remaining escorts. A heartfelt salute from myself, a navy vet in the 70s! Taffy 2 and Taffy 3 aircraft contributed to the sinking of the heavy cruisers Chokai, Chikuma, and Suzuya, all of which had received some degree of damage from surface action. Another 110 planes appeared ready for the kill. 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. 1,000 watertight compartments couldn't save her, and her lower decks rapidly On 1 January 1945, Yamato, Haruna and Nagato were all transferred to the newly reactivated 1st Battleship Division; Yamato left drydock two days later. She quickly shipped 2,235 tons of water, but the list was soon corrected with effective counter-flooding. Yamato'sFinal Voyage Although 16 warships were hit, Yamato sustained only minor damage from a number of near misses and from one bomb that struck her bridge. Flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet, she was lead ship of the Yamato class. All these years later I remember each one of those men fondly and with great respect. A Corsair from ESSEX drops a 1000-lb GP bomb that hits the superstructure in the port bow area. blasts were perhaps the largest ever to occur at sea. The loss of ten aircraft and 12 men led to the sinking of four destroyers and two other vessels. Yamato fired her 18-inch guns at approaching American aircraft, The Japanese also spot the HACKLEBACK trailing the Attack Force. 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. They would not be needed. By this point, Yamato was firing main-battery beehive shells set to detonate after one second (about 3,000 yards) from the ship, which U.S. aircraft just blew through. 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. Jocko Clark, embarked on Hornet (CV-12), included Hancock (CV-19), Bennington (CV-20), Belleau Wood (CVL-24) and San Jacinto (CVL-30). Fuyuzuki suffered light damage from dud rockets, suffered 12 dead and 12 injured, and was repaired, but had her stern blown off by a mine after the August cease-fire. A lookout spots American planes 25 degrees to port, levation 8, range 4,375 yards, moving to port. 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). ), 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. Did anyone survive the Yamato sinking? What are they doing to assist in defending Okinawa? She didn't even make it close to Okinawa. Baka, essentially a piloted cruise missile, made its debut at Okinawa. (They were right.) Torpedoes explode against Yamato's port side 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. She and her sister ship, Musashi, were the largest and heaviest battleships ever constructed, displacing 72,800tonnes at full load, and armed with nine 46cm (18.1inch) main guns. Read Next: The Ultimate Gunfighters! Design and construction Main article: Yamato-class battleship Pearl harbor was attacked on December 7th, 1941,hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. Less than three and half years after Pearl Harbor, American industrial might was on full display. She ships about 3,000-tons of seawater. Only 10 American aircraft Jan 6, 2019 Conan White, Guest Author. [5] The smoke from the explosionover 4miles (6.4km) highwas seen 100miles (160km) away on Kysh. Have we no more ships?. (The Yamato force had a Nisei radio-intelligence operator. At 1017, Yahagi commenced jamming the Mariners communications, but by then it was too late. seven torpedo hits within two hours of battle. Both Rear Admiral Komura and Captain Hara survived. Light cruiser YAHAGI, hit by 12 bombs and seven torpedoes sinks exactly one minute after the last bomb hits. TG 58.1 and 58.3 were quickly on station. At 1000, Task Group 58.1 and Task Group 58.3 commence launching a 280-plane strike wave (132 fighters, 50 bombers, and 98 torpedo planes). At 2144, the submarine issued a detailed contact report with an accurate force disposition. At 0823, a Hellcat fighter off Essex (CV-9) sighted Yamato, a contact that the battleship reported at 0832. They truly were the Greatest Generation. He asked what the Japanese navy was doing. This would be carried out in conjunction with a mass aerial kamikaze attack by over 350 airplanes (Kikusui No. The force would transit to Okinawa on 7 April (with only a few hours of minimal air cover), to arrive in daylight hours in the U.S. transport area off southwestern Okinawa on 8 April. RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. In total, 97 combatants were killed and 122 wounded. Though incredibly powerful, Yamato suffered from a relatively low top speed as its engines were . Ito and Captain Aruga went down with the ship. A near miss on Hamakaze disabled her starboard shaft and then, at 1247, torpedo hits amidships blew her in half. Torpedoes dropped from their bellies, slashing through the water toward Yamato. 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. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. TG 58.4 had just finished refueling and would arrive just in time. I was in a ASW squadron that still had many veterans serving and flying. 1,187 crewmen of DesRon 2s light cruiser YAHAGI and the four destroyers are also lost. The first U.S. attack wave ended about 1250. 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. I Was At Okinawa At This Time. The explosion was heard over 120 miles away. Additionally, aircraft damaged most of the . Living Conditions. Japans secrecy was due to her inability to match U.S. naval power ship for ship. Lieutenant J.G. Yahagi capsized and sank shortly after 1400. 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. Submarine Hackleback (SS-295) then picked up surveillance, issuing four contact reports during the night as Yamato transited southwesterly along the coast of Kyushu. Yamato took at least four more bomb hits in the superstructure area, which wiped out many of the remaining 25-mm guns. Deployment: In the fall of 1941,. Thank you to all the brave men and women of the US armed forces! 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). strafe the battleship with bullets and drop 1,000-pound bombs. At 1417, she took an eighth and ninth torpedo, both to port. The Americans lost a total of only 10 aircraft four Helldivers, three Avengers, and three Hellcats and 12 men. burning just prior to disappearing beneath the waves. YAMATO stops zigzagging and increases speed to 24 knots. The battleship and its sister, Musashi, were the only battleships ever constructed with 18.1" guns. The escorts cannot defend the flagship either. [1][5], At 12:32 on 7 April 1945, Yamato was attacked by a first wave of 280 aircraft from Task Force 58, taking three hits (two bombs, one torpedo). A 500-pound general-purpose bomb hit Suzutsuki and blew off her bow. Rather than targeting specific vessels, Stump ordered his air group to attempt to cripple as many Japanese ships as possible. YAMATO and YAHAGI open fire, increase speed to 24 knots and commence a series of sharp evasive maneuvers. When Yamato sank, marking the last Japanese The Yamato, completed in Kure in December 1941, was the largest battleship in the world at the time. 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. The ship captains were then assembled on Yahagi and briefed. She was blasted by 12 bombs and six more torpedos. Asashimo went down with all 330 hands. YAMATO turns towards the planes and opens fire unsuccessfully as does cruiser YAHAGI. Thank you to all our WWII vets. Note the fire in one of the It's cable. Aruga would be posthumously promoted to vice admiral and Ito to full admiral. The destroyer Isokaze attempted to come to her aid but was heavily damaged and driven off. Breaking the news to the Emperor, a Japanese admiral was asked, what about the fleet? The admiral had to admit, the Japanese fleet had ceased to exist as a fighting formation. My father, Donald Lennox, Sr. was an Avenger pilot on the San Jacinto whose torpedo is credited for striking the Asashimo. At 1000 hours he launched a total of 386 aircraft consisting of fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers. Vice Admiral Ito and Captain Aruga went down with the ship. Operation Ten-Go never should have happened. 2 gun mount. Fourteen F4U Chance-Vought Corsairs from BUNKER HILL strafe and rocket YAMATO but cause only minor damage. 7. An attack of 36 Japanese dive bombers and torpedo planes against the heavily protected USS Hornet with her escorts took down over 20 Japanese planes. A U.S. PBM Mariner also rescued several Japanese survivors. Mitscher ordered all four of his carrier task groups to proceed as soon as possible to launch positions northeast of Okinawa with the intent to destroy Yamato before it got anywhere near Okinawa. The first attack wave retires. 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. They lost their best battleship, a cruiser, and four destroyers along with nearly 4,200 sailors. This force include battleships Massachusetts (BB-59), Indiana (BB-58), South Dakota (BB-57), New Jersey (BB-62), Wisconsin (BB-64), and Missouri (BB-63) (54 16-inch guns), the battle-cruisers Alaska (CB-1) and Guam (CB-2), five cruisers, and 21 destroyers. 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 American planes release their bombs and torpedoes and strafe the bridge with machine-gun fire. I Served On An LST During This Period Of Time & Locations Mentioned In This Article , But I Still Like Too Hear Of The Actual Events That Took Part That Day In April 1945. The light cruiser YAHAGI, without headway, drifts helplessly behind the main force. They had already lost the battles of the Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf, and Iwo Jima. The second penetrates the port side of the aft Command station and explodes between the 155-mm gun magazine and main gun turret No. They eventually fell in line when informed that this was what the emperor wanted, that the force would serve to support the mass kamikaze air attack, and that it was an order. VA-6B (1946) Her remaining air search radar reports the approach of a second attack wave. 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. Three Japanese destroyers are nearby (80-G-413914). [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. The battleship received a 30-minute time-late report from an observation post on a small Japanese island north of Okinawa that 150 U.S. planes were headed in Yamatos direction. Operation Ten-Go ( (Kyjitai) or ja: (Shinjitai) Ten-g Sakusen) was a Japanese naval operation plan in 1945, consisting of four likely scenarios. The largest battleships ever built were Yamato and Musashi of the Imperial Japanese Navy. 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. One Avenger is shot down. The visibility was highly variable, but often not very good due to cloud cover. 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. With nearly all of her anti-aircraft guns out of action, the Avenger torpedo planes wreaked havoc. Here, an The Japanese lost three aircraft carriers and 426 aircraft; Yamato ' s only . 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