In a separate attack, compani [1], Operation Ten-Go was a deliberate suicide attack against American forces off Okinawa by Yamato and nine escorts, beginning on 6 April 1945. 276 men are rescued including Rear Admiral Morishita Nobuei, Chief of Staff, Second Fleet (and former YAMATO skipper). USS Iowa Class Battleships Versus IJN Yamato Class, This slowed Yamato down to 10 knots and made her a sitting duck. One of her junior designers tells NOVA he was completely in the dark about the scale of the vessel that he was helping to create: I was building the biggest ship in the world, and I didnt even know it until after the war.. Aboard the TF 58 carriers, the strike packages were remaining ready on deck while the searches were underway. She was blasted by 15 bomb hits and eight torpedoes. Very interesting or happy to read about the Yamoto sinking as I was there as radioman aboard an Avenger off of the USS Langley. Mitscher, CTF 58, was embarked on Bunker Hill. (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.). The Yamato group cranked up speed to 25 knots. Around 3,700-4,250 men from Yamato and her escort ships were dead. At this point, the Japanese task forces location had been picked up by American PBM flying boats, which kept the American fleet apprised of the Japaneses position and direction. The Yamato, completed in Kure in December 1941, was the largest battleship in the world at the time. 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. Japans secrecy was due to her inability to match U.S. naval power ship for ship. Fuyutsuki was hit by two dud rockets. Twelve Helldivers claim several hits near the bridge and main gun turret No. 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. 1000 hour The Attack Force sights two large Martin Mariner PBM flying boats. 1). VA-6B (1946) [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. 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. The visibility was highly variable, but often not very good due to cloud cover. The ship was split in two and was found resting at a depth of 1,120 feet (340 m). Asashimo went down with all 330 hands. 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. [5] The smoke from the explosionover 4miles (6.4km) highwas seen 100miles (160km) away on Kysh. The Attack Force turns towards Sasebo. At 1000 hours he launched a total of 386 aircraft consisting of fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers. 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. Smoke rises from the vicinity of the mainmast and a bomb explodes in the same area. 7, 1945 south of Kyushu. Ten minutes later, two more torpedoes strike her port side. Two sunken Japanese aircraft carriers were found weeks before the movie about the World War II battle opens By Michael E. Ruane November 8, 2019 at 7:00 a.m. EST 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. At 2:10pm Yamato rolled over and began to sink with fires from her aft 6.1" turret reaching her no. In addition, sick sailors and also the oldest sailors were sent to shore. One Avenger is shot down. Light cruiser Yahagi steered away from Yamato in an attempt to draw attention away from the battleshiptoo successfully. Another 110 planes appeared ready for the kill. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. At 2144, the submarine issued a detailed contact report with an accurate force disposition. 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). 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. 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. settled on the seafloor 1,200 feet down and about 50 They pounced on her like sharks in the water. photographed the destruction. She sunk shortly after. One of the largest battleships ever built, Yamato entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in December 1941. 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. Deep sea explorers have found two Japanese aircraft carriers that were sunk in battle in World War Two. 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 second penetrates the port side of the aft Command station and explodes between the 155-mm gun magazine and main gun turret No. Just then, eight F6F Hellcats appear and begin circling over the force to maintain contact until the main formation arrives. DesDiv 17s HAMAKAZE takes a near miss on her starboard quarter that disables her starboard shaft. Rather than targeting specific vessels, Stump ordered his air group to attempt to cripple as many Japanese ships as possible. Most of the battles in the Pacific dont mention anything about the small carriers that were involved. 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. I was so fortunate to have had that experience!!! U.S. losses were 10 aircraft and 12 pilots and aircrewmen. 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. The attack of hundreds of US air force against Japan made Japan's biggest battleship Yamato sink. [5] Shortly afterward, a second strike of 100 aircraft attacked Yamato and her remaining escorts. The emperors question clinched it. During the night, this plan morphed into sending six new battleships detached from TF 58 into blocking position. According to Morison, there were only 23 officers and 246 enlisted sailors who survived, which doesnt exactly match, but is close. She didn't even make it close to Okinawa. After daybreak on 7 April 1945, a paltry six A6M Zeke fighters showed up to provide combat air patrol over Yamato. 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. I was in a ASW squadron that still had many veterans serving and flying. Yamato's injuries were fatal. Suzutsuki suffered 57 dead and 34 wounded, but, despite having her bow blown off, made it back to Sasebo, Japan, steaming in reverse the whole way; she was never repaired. 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. 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). Twelve Helldivers claimed several hits in the bridge area in exchange for five Helldivers damaged by anti-aircraft fire. Everyone of them, enlisted and officers, were a true gentleman. Living Conditions. This photograph was taken in December 1941, shortly Two dud rockets hit FUYUTSUKI. In the interviews below, meet two Yamato veterans still haunted by memories of the battle that took most of their comrades lives. Was the Bismarck bigger than the Yamato? Note the fire in one of the Yamato produced the mushroom cloud seen here shortly before she sank. At 1402, Yamato took three more bomb hits amidships, and Aruga gave the abandon-ship order. Thanks!!! Ito was posthumously promoted to full admiral. Less than three and half years after Pearl Harbor, American industrial might was on full display. 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). It. Cloud cover precluded accurate firing of the It's cable. What The Hell is Wrong with Steven Seagal? (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. 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. producing the blasts that tore the ship in half and sank her. Agroup of five low-flying Avengers (VT-17) from HORNET (CV-12) start a torpedo run from the port, bearing 70 degrees. 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. As luck would have it, he said, the big ship was turning to port, thereby exposing the full broadside expanse of, PO Box 1077 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 37133 United States, P.O. Five Helldivers are damaged by AA fire. April 7, 1945 Sinking of the Battleship Yamato. Shinano () was an aircraft carrier built by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II, the largest such built up to that time. 3s USS ESSEX (CV-9), BUNKER HILL (CV-17), BATAAN (CVL-24) and CABOT (CVL-28). The carriers were among seven ships that went down in the Battle of Midway, a major air and . Damage Control counter-floods both starboard engine and boiler rooms and almost entirely corrects the list. 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. 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. He suggests the order to abandon ship be given. >. Both the U.S. Fifth Fleet commander, Admiral Spruance, and Vice Admiral Mitscher (commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force, TF 58), who had access to the Ultra communications intelligence and were expecting the sortie, immediately reacted to the submarine reports. He gave the go-ahead for the strike but ordered the battlewagons to proceed in the event the Japanese fleet got through the airstrike. About 1,187 crewmen of Yahagi and the four destroyers were lost. Baka, essentially a piloted cruise missile, made its debut at Okinawa. Surrounding Japanese ships lost an additional 1,167 men. 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. 1,000 watertight compartments couldn't save her, and her lower decks rapidly She slips under followed by an underwater explosion. Lagging behind the main force, destroyer ASASHIMO is attacked and sunk by aircraft from SAN JACINTO. YAMATO opens fire with her two forward main turrets and AA guns. her bow and stern where her armor was thinnest. guns ever mounted at sea. 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. 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." They were also given the option of not participating, an option none of them took. *Lighting a path to truth* Former Navy JAG Worldwide U.S. Military Defense. ship's aft turrets. He reports the formation at bearing 180, heading north, and splitting into two groups. A bomb impact in the dispensary killed many of the wounded who had been gathered there, along with many of the medical personnel. 1 magazine explodes and sends up a cloud of smoke seen 100 miles away. [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). In the 1980s, shipwreck hunters found the Yamato 180 miles (290 kilometers) southwest of Kyushu, one of the main islands of Japan. What are they doing to assist in defending Okinawa? Finally some detail1st attack vb82 loses a helldiver (my uncleensign jack Carl fuller and chas. Deployment: In the fall of 1941,. Below are some of those stories and some links to other web sites with more stories about the ship and its final day, April 7, 1945. 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. John Carter, was in a perfect position to watch what unfolded. 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. YAMATOs list increases to about 15 degrees and her speed slows to 12 knots. Instead, military leaders decided to build a secret weapon that could engage many enemy ships at once. She lists about seven degrees to port. In total, the U.S. lost 12 men. 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. Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States, a battle group of eight aircraft carriers, her enormous hull to the converging torpedoes. A 500-pound general-purpose bomb hit Suzutsuki and blew off her bow. The Attack Force resumes zigzagging. I hope you enjoy the video! Some who were shot down were later picked up by seaplanes or submarines. As later described by the captain of Yahagi, Captain Tameichi Hara, the meeting was quite contentious. Destroyer SUZUTSUKI wreathed in black smoke, burns furiously. (The Yamato force had a Nisei radio-intelligence operator. most of the American pilots returned to their carriers, knowing Yamato carried only enough fuel to reach Okinawa, as the fuel stocks available were insufficient to provide enough fuel to reach Okinawa and return. By early 1945, the Japanese Empire was shrinking daily and the war had reached its home shores. A Corsair from ESSEX drops a 1000-lb GP bomb that hits the superstructure in the port bow area. VT-17 (1943-45) 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. 1000 hour - The Attack Force sights two large Martin "Mariner" PBM flying boats. All Rights Reserved. Japanese naval leaders briefed Emperor Hirohito on their plans, which consisted of massive air attacks, including kamikaze strikes. Anatomy of Yamato Jan 6, 2019 Conan White, Guest Author. The sky is still overcast and visibility is poor. She continues to throw up a screen of desperate flak fire. The aircraft are lost behind the clouds. Did Yamato sink any ships? Not long after the Hellcat sighting, two PBM-3 Martin Mariner flying boats began shadowing Yamato, maintaining discreet contact for the next five hours while mostly hidden in the clouds. 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. Where is the wreck of the Yamato? seven torpedo hits within two hours of battle. 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 were right.) Of Yamato's crew of 2,747, all but 23 officers and 246 enlisted men were lost. The engagement was an unmitigated disaster for the Japanese. I Was At Okinawa At This Time. U.S. losses were 10 aircraft and 12 pilots and aircrewmen. A heartfelt salute from myself, a navy vet in the 70s! The morale aboard Yamato was described as not being very good, especially after the crews were informed they were on a one-way mission. Thanks for watching. These were 50 aircraft from Essex and Bataan. The battleship and its sister, Musashi, were the only battleships ever constructed with 18.1" guns. The Attack Force changes course to 100 degrees. 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 . naval action of the war, she took 2,747 men with herall but 269 of her crew. The attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including sailors, soldiers and civilians. 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. The rest of the Surface Special Attack Force consisted of the light cruiser Yahagi, and eight destroyers. The Attack Force changes course due south to 180 degrees. 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. Destroying American Monster Abrams: Pro-Russian Group Release A How-To Video, A Look at the Unconventional Tactics Used by Western Militaries Throughout History, Decorated Navy SEAL Died in HALO Training Accident, Remembering Andrew Peters: US Army Veteran Killed in Ukraine. This particular image was taken during an earlier battle with American carrier aircraft on October 24, 1944 as Yamato transited the Sibuyan Sea. 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 largest battleships ever built were Yamato and Musashi of the Imperial Japanese Navy. 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. Later that day, the battered destroyers ISOKAZE and KASUMI are scuttled and sink. Yamato would have appeared indestructible. 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. But the biggest kamikaze attack of all was the suicidal mission of the super battleship Yamato, the largest, most advanced warship of the day. This time, all attacks concentrated on the battleship. torpedoes such that they would penetrate Yamato below the waterline near Vice Admiral Ito initially objected to the mission, viewing it as futile and wasteful. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. YAMATO is hit by two AP bombs. 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.. By 1408, Yamato had clearly begun to capsize and the ship was being abandoned. The escorts cannot defend the flagship either. Also interviewed is an American dive-bomber pilot who took part in the attack. as she turns to avoid the onslaught from bombers. With this contact information, Spruance ordered Deyo to ready the blocking force. 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. My dad served on the Langley. ), and when they were lost.the bu numbers listed as lost on 4.7.1945 is very extensive!!!!! He considered it a waste of good men and ships. Operation Ten-Go never should have happened. 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. Most of her engineering drawings have disappeared and few photographs survive, making Yamatos exact dimensions and design a mystery. Some of the Japanese survivors reported that U.S. fighter aircraft strafed Japanese survivors floating in the water. The Imperial Japanese Navy ceases to exist as a fighting force. Aruga would be posthumously promoted to vice admiral and Ito to full admiral. US warplanes sank the Musashi on 24 October 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, believed to be. A Japanese destroyer peeled off three times to keep Hackleback at bay. 1200 hour A lookout spots three Japanese troopships on bearing 0250 heading for Amami-Oshima. 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 launch the worlds largest battleship, the Yamato with its enormous 18-inch guns, one light cruiser, and eight destroyers against the enormous American fleet. battleship's aft secondary magazine caused tons of ammunition to ignite almost simultaneously, Weighing 72,800 tons. TG 58.1, commanded by Rear Admiral J. J. . TG 58.2 was in the act of refueling and wouldnt get there in time. 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. There were few Japanese survivors. Yahagi was a relatively small light cruiser (6,600 tons) completed in 1943 and intended for use as a destroyer flotilla leader. At 1017, Yahagi commenced jamming the Mariners communications, but by then it was too late. The first torpedoes pass by harmlessly, but the remaining two strike her port amidships. The only time Yamato fired her main guns at enemy targets was in October 1944, but was ordered to turn back after attacks by destroyers and aircraft of the Taffy light escort carrier task groups managed to sink three heavy cruisers during the Battle off Samar. 3s upper powder magazine. 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. SUZUTSUKI takes a 500-lb GP bomb hit to starboard, abreast her No. Yukikaze suffered three dead from strafing and survived the war. 1300 hour YAMATO changes course to 180 degrees, due South. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ They withheld the news from the public. Also, accounts differ as to whether he was a captain or rear admiral. The age of the battleship was over forever. Lieutenant J.G. Twenty Avengers attacked from the port side (concentrating torpedo attacks from the port side was deliberate, with the intent to capsize the ship). Yamato was lost Apr. How many Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk in ww2? 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. It starts a fire that cannot be extinguished and rips a 60-foot hole in the weather deck.