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. These U.S. aircrew claimed additional bomb and torpedo hits in this first wave, but these were mostly near misses. 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. Mitscher, CTF 58, was embarked on Bunker Hill. 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. You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article. One of the largest battleships ever built, Yamato entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in December 1941. Eggheads on this subject get "lost in the sauce" going over tables, charts, and math formulas done by researchers after the war shooting rounds into armor plate captured from Japan and Germany,. The Americans lose 10 aircraft and 12 crewmen. This time all the attacks are concentrated against the battleship. 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). The aft secondary battery fire control, secondary gun turret and the air search radar are knocked out. Yamato was lost Apr. The massive air group circled just out of range of the anti-aircraft guns of the Japanese. 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. Deployment: In the fall of 1941,. (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. The ships were to sink as many troop transports as possible, then beach themselves and continue firing as long as they had ammunition. Fifty aircraft from ESSEX and BATAAN are sighted approaching from the SSW, range 18.5 miles. This photograph was taken in December 1941, shortly At 1302, Yamatos remaining air search radar detected a second inbound wave. The attack on Pearl Harbor 71 years ago left a tangled mess of burning and shattered warships. 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. 2 gun mount. As a Minnesota teenager when the war started,. I Was At Okinawa At This Time. [27] While navigating the Bungo Strait, Yamato and her escorts were spotted by the American submarines Threadfin and Hackleback, both of which notified Task Force 58 of Yamatos position. How many ships does a Yamato sink have? How many Japanese submarines were lost in ww2? Thanks for your presentation of this event! 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. At 1402, Yamato took three more bomb hits amidships, and Aruga gave the abandon-ship order. Meanwhile, about 34 Hellcats and Corsairs and 22 Helldivers and Avengers worked over some of the other Japanese destroyers. The Yamato-class ships were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing 72,800 long tons (74,000 t) fully loaded and armed with nine 46-centimetre (18.1 in) main guns. 3s USS ESSEX (CV-9), BUNKER HILL (CV-17), BATAAN (CVL-24) and CABOT (CVL-28). The Attack Force changes course to 100 degrees. 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. 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. Though incredibly powerful, Yamato suffered from a relatively low top speed as its engines were . most of the American pilots returned to their carriers, knowing >. One of her lookouts spots the tracks of four torpedoes approaching. VA-25 (1959) Air Group VI (6) Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. [28] An estimated 2,498 of the 2,700 crew members on Yamato were lost, including Vice-Admiral Seiichi It, the fleet commander.[1]. April 7, 1945 Sinking of the Battleship Yamato. All these years later I remember each one of those men fondly and with great respect. The destroyers were an assortment of different classes (what was left in operation, since the Japanese would lose 120 destroyers during the war), but all were armed with powerful Type 93 Long Lance 24-inch torpedoes. Twenty Avengers make a new torpedo run from 60 degrees to port. Behind the Scenes battleship's guns. Yahagi lost 446; Asashimo lost 330; the seven destroyers, 391 officers and men. RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. 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. The Imperial Japanese Navy ceases to exist as a fighting force. Photographed from a USS Yorktown (CV-10) plane (NH 62581). Being young, I took it all for granted. Fuyutsuki was hit by two dud rockets. 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. 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. She didn't even make it close to Okinawa. [1], Operation Ten-Go was a deliberate suicide attack against American forces off Okinawa by Yamato and nine escorts, beginning on 6 April 1945. Vice Admiral Ito and Captain Aruga went down with the ship. Submarine Hackleback (SS-295) then picked up surveillance, issuing four contact reports during the night as Yamato transited southwesterly along the coast of Kyushu. At 14:23, having taken 10 torpedo and 7 bomb hits, Yamatos forward ammunition magazines detonated. 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. As Yamato and escorts were transiting the Bungo Strait between the Home Islands of Kyushu and Shikoku on 6 April 1945, submarine Threadfin (SS-410) sighted the force at about 1745 and issued a contact report in the clear that was intercepted by Yamato. 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. 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. TG 58.2 was in the act of refueling and wouldnt get there in time. At 0823, a Hellcat fighter off Essex (CV-9) sighted Yamato, a contact that the battleship reported at 0832. He asked what the Japanese navy was doing. Shinano () was an aircraft carrier built by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II, the largest such built up to that time. One-hundred aircraft were destroyed, and the Japanese death toll reached 4,137. ), and when they were lost.the bu numbers listed as lost on 4.7.1945 is very extensive!!!!! In 1945 Carrier Air Group 17 consisted of VF-17, VBF-17, VB-17, and VT-17. 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. At 2144, the submarine issued a detailed contact report with an accurate force disposition. *Lighting a path to truth* Former Navy JAG Worldwide U.S. Military Defense. 74, although many begged to stay. 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. 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. The visibility was highly variable, but often not very good due to cloud cover. torpedoes such that they would penetrate Yamato below the waterline near It's cable. seven torpedo hits within two hours of battle. With Yamato slowed, U.S. torpedo planes started to deliberately target her stern to knock out her steering, and she became stuck in a starboard turn. Ito and Captain Aruga went down with the ship. At 1342, another Avenger was shot down, but four more torpedoes were inbound from the port side and two hit. The Attack Force briefly sights seven "Hellcat" fighters, but they are not seen by the escorting Zekes. As Yamato continued to list to port, her starboard armor belt came out of the water and her vulnerable underside became exposed. Torpedoes explode against Yamato's port side Around 2:00pm all power was lost and permission was given to abandon ship. 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. 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. SUZUTSUKI takes a 500-lb GP bomb hit to starboard, abreast her No. Having already counter-flooded to starboard, the only option Yamato had was to flood her starboard engine and boiler rooms. I hope you enjoy the video! 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. The rest of the Surface Special Attack Force consisted of the light cruiser Yahagi, and eight destroyers. Ito was posthumously promoted to full admiral. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. 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. One of the final photographs of the supership shows her severely damaged hull Her auxiliary rudder is jammed in position hard port. She takes on a heavy list to port and her speed drops to 18 knots. The age of the carrier was now confirmed. 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