At 1333, another 110 aircraft from TG 58.4 (Yorktown, Intrepid, and Langley), which had launched after the first wave of 280 aircraft, commenced their attack on Yamato. Helldivers from BENNINGTON and HORNET attack from port. I joined the Navy in 1964. At 0823, a Hellcat fighter off Essex (CV-9) sighted Yamato, a contact that the battleship reported at 0832. Most of her engineering drawings have disappeared and few photographs survive, making Yamatos exact dimensions and design a mystery. But the biggest kamikaze attack of all was the suicidal mission of the super battleship Yamato, the largest, most advanced warship of the day. He asked what the Japanese navy was doing. Laid down in May 1940 as the third of the Yamato-class battleships, Shinano ' s partially complete hull was ordered to be converted to an aircraft carrier following Japan's disastrous loss of four of its original six fleet carriers at the Battle of . 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. Surrounding Japanese ships lost an additional 1,167 men. 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. Updated on July 03, 2019. Though many Japanese naval leaders considered Operation Ten-Go to be a waste of their remaining resources, it moved forward on April 6, 1945. The American planes release their bombs and torpedoes and strafe the bridge with machine-gun fire. Half of the dead at . Also, accounts differ as to whether he was a captain or rear admiral. Executive Officer Nomura Jiro reports to Captain Aruga that his damage control officers are all dead and that counter-flooding can no longer correct the list. Anatomy of Yamato He just didnt want to talk about the war. 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. They lost their best battleship, a cruiser, and four destroyers along with nearly 4,200 sailors. The aircraft are lost behind the clouds. Around 2:00pm all power was lost and permission was given to abandon ship. I hope you enjoy the video! heaviest and most powerful battleship ever built, carrying the most formidable The Japanese also noted eight Hellcats circling the force with impunity because of no Japanese fighter cover, and remaining outside anti-aircraft range. The mission was given to Vice Admiral Seiichi Ito, commander of the Japanese Second Fleet (pretty much all that was left of the Combined Fleet), embarked on the super-battleship Yamato. Lieutenant J.G. A near miss on Hamakaze disabled her starboard shaft and then, at 1247, torpedo hits amidships blew her in half. . In 1945 Carrier Air Group 17 consisted of VF-17, VBF-17, VB-17, and VT-17. [1] When the 1st Battleship Division was deactivated once again on 10 February, Yamato was reassigned to the 1st Carrier Division. The Americans lose 10 aircraft and 12 crewmen. She was blasted by 15 bomb hits and eight torpedoes. My dads name is Ronald R. LeFebvre (Ding). Deep sea explorers have found two Japanese aircraft carriers that were sunk in battle in World War Two. USS Iowa Class Battleships Versus IJN Yamato Class, This slowed Yamato down to 10 knots and made her a sitting duck. 10 aircraft Yamato was still more than 300 nautical miles from Okinawa when she went down. 1200 hour A lookout spots three Japanese troopships on bearing 0250 heading for Amami-Oshima. Did Yamato sink any ships? This would be carried out in conjunction with a mass aerial kamikaze attack by over 350 airplanes ( Kikusui No. battleship's aft secondary magazine caused tons of ammunition to ignite almost simultaneously, Here, an The Imperial Japanese Navy ceases to exist as a fighting force. 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. Fifty aircraft from ESSEX and BATAAN are sighted approaching from the SSW, range 18.5 miles. 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. Yamato was commanded by Captain Kosaku Aruga (spelled Ariga in some accounts). Although the battleship was in no danger of sinking at this point, the list meant that the main battery was unable to fire . There are many stories about the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamato. 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 Attack Force turns towards Sasebo. Many of those lost did so after the battle on their return to the carriers; ditching in the sea having run out of fuel. Yamato produced the mushroom cloud seen here shortly before she sank. Had Yamato ever encountered an Allied battleship group, she could have floated safely out of range, while destroying each ship in turn. A U.S. PBM Mariner also rescued several Japanese survivors. The emperors question clinched it. I stumbled on this article and I finally know a little about this battle. While the Americans' 1,000-pound bombs held fearsome destructive power, as seen in 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. 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. Some of the Japanese survivors reported that U.S. fighter aircraft strafed Japanese survivors floating in the water. Living Conditions. Weighing 72,800 tons. At 1232, lookouts in the Yamato force sighted the first incoming strike wave. Only 10 American aircraft SUZUTSUKI takes a 500-lb GP bomb hit to starboard, abreast her No. Ten minutes later, two more torpedoes strike her port side. 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. YAMATOs No. 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. An astounding series of explosions onboard 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. 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. 2 gun mount. 2023 The SOFREP Media Group. What are they doing to assist in defending Okinawa? Japanese naval leaders briefed Emperor Hirohito on their plans, which consisted of massive air attacks, including kamikaze strikes. Twenty Avengers make a new torpedo run from 60 degrees to port. burning just prior to disappearing beneath the waves. 1 magazine causing a huge explosion with a mushroom smoke cloud that was visible for 100 miles away. By early 1945, the Japanese Empire was shrinking daily and the war had reached its home shores. Yamato 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. VFA-25 (1983 and continuing). Two dud rockets hit FUYUTSUKI. Yamato's remains were located and examined in 1985 and again examined, more precisely, in 1999. One Avenger is shot down. But the Americans also had, The Ultimate Gunfighters! The Mariners were subordinate to Patrol Bombing Squadron 21 (VPB-21), operating from the tender Chandeleur (AV-10), which had arrived at Kerama Rettoon 28 March. Thirty-four Hellcats, 22 Helldivers and one Corsair attack YAMATOs escorts. Flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet, she was lead ship of the Yamato class. Was the Bismarck bigger than the Yamato? You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article. Yamato carried only enough fuel to reach Okinawa, as the fuel stocks available were insufficient to provide enough fuel to reach Okinawa and return. 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. Although 16 warships were hit, Yamato sustained only minor damage from a number of near misses and from one bomb that struck her bridge. Design commenced in 1934, construction began in 1937 (in great secrecy) and Yamato was commissioned in December 1941 just after Pearl Harbor. [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. 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. A torpedo stopped her dead in the water and killed the entire engine compartment crew. Barrett products are used by civilians, sport shooters, law enforcement agencies, the United States military, and more than 75 State Department-approved countries around the world. YAMATOs list increases to about 15 degrees and her speed slows to 12 knots. sent to engage Yamato made it into position above her and soon began to WORLD WAR II. 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. Thank you to all the brave men and women of the US armed forces! Rather than targeting specific vessels, Stump ordered his air group to attempt to cripple as many Japanese ships as possible. Legendary Lost Japanese WWII Battleship Found by Billionaire Paul Allen.The search was funded by Paul Allen, the Microsoft co . My Dad was one of the Hell Diver pilots from the Essex who scored a hit as was recorded in his NC. 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). 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. 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