heaviest and most powerful battleship ever built, carrying the most formidable With nearly all of her anti-aircraft guns out of action, the Avenger torpedo planes wreaked havoc. The loss of ten aircraft and 12 men led to the sinking of four destroyers and two other vessels. Updated on July 03, 2019. She slips under followed by an underwater explosion. World War II would see the aircraft carrier emerge as the key to naval supremacy, supplanting the battleship. Despite the destruction, the majesty of the ship is unmistakable, symbolized by a six-foot-wide chrysanthemum crest, icon of the Japanese imperial family, still gracing Yamatos prow like a figurehead. Legendary Lost Japanese WWII Battleship Found by Billionaire Paul Allen.The search was funded by Paul Allen, the Microsoft co . Listing heavily to port, YAMATOs exposed hull is hit by several more torpedoes. 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. The others kept coming. It would not be enough. At 2:10pm Yamato rolled over and began to sink with fires from her aft 6.1" turret reaching her no. She takes on a heavy list to port and her speed drops to 18 knots. Yamato's remains were located and examined in 1985 and again examined, more precisely, in 1999. In 1945 Carrier Air Group 17 consisted of VF-17, VBF-17, VB-17, and VT-17. Had Yamato ever encountered an Allied battleship group, she could have floated safely out of range, while destroying each ship in turn. The submarine radio traffic transmitted in the clear, reporting Yamato by name, and reported by Japanese radio intelligence, did nothing to improve the sense of foreboding felt by the senior officers on Yamato. 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. He just didnt want to talk about the war. Ten minutes later, two more torpedoes strike her port side. One Helldiver was shot down. With this contact information, Spruance ordered Deyo to ready the blocking force. 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. 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. At 0840, the Japanese reported seven Hellcats orbiting around the force. I was in a ASW squadron that still had many veterans serving and flying. 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. YAMATO stops zigzagging and increases speed to 24 knots. YAMATO starts a sharp turn to port but three torpedoes rip into her port side amidships. The element of surprise was gone for the Japanese. Yahagi was commanded by Captain Tameichi Hara (the only Japanese destroyer skipper at the start of the war who was still alive at the end of the war), with Rear Admiral Keizo Komura, commander of Destroyer Squadron 2, embarked. There are many stories about the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamato. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our web site is dedicated to the memory of Harry D. Jones (1922-2012), VT-17 pilot during WWII. Jan 6, 2019 Conan White, Guest Author. YAMATO has taken a total of four torpedo hits. While YAHAGI jams their sighting messages, YAMATO receives a report from a Japanese scout plane that Task Force 58 has been located east of Okinawa, 250 nautical miles from the Attack Force. WORLD WAR II. The attack of hundreds of US air force against Japan made Japan's biggest battleship Yamato sink. Many of those lost did so after the battle on their return to the carriers; ditching in the sea having run out of fuel. To buck up morale, many captains of capital ships received a accelerated promotion to rear admiral in 1944. Thank you to all the brave men and women of the US armed forces! Relive the super battleship's last moments in photographs. The chief of staff of the Combined Fleet, Vice Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka, flew in from Tokyo to ensure that Ito would comply with Admiral Toyodas orders. Design commenced in 1934, construction began in 1937 (in great secrecy) and Yamato was commissioned in December 1941 just after Pearl Harbor. Two dud rockets hit FUYUTSUKI. VA-65 (1948) Air Group II (2) But the mission was approved and the Japanese ships set sail for Okinawa. At 1017, Yahagi commenced jamming the Mariners communications, but by then it was too late. Between then and 1000, a total of 14 Zekes would provide cover. 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. 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. The Yahagi was too tempting a target for the hundreds of attacking aircraft. 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. Thanks for your presentation of this event! [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. 1000 hour The Attack Force sights two large Martin Mariner PBM flying boats. 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. American aviators received orders to drop their 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. Did Yamato sink any ships? 1,187 crewmen of DesRon 2s light cruiser YAHAGI and the four destroyers are also lost. Instead, military leaders decided to build a secret weapon that could engage many enemy ships at once. 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. They had already lost the battles of the Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf, and Iwo Jima. All these years later I remember each one of those men fondly and with great respect. YAMATO turns towards the planes and opens fire unsuccessfully as does cruiser YAHAGI. Light cruiser YAHAGI, hit by 12 bombs and seven torpedoes sinks exactly one minute after the last bomb hits. 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. 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). FRUPAC had the message that the air cover would end at 1000, which was also known to senior U.S. Navy commanders. Before getting underway, the Surface Special Attack Force put ashore 67 recently arrived midshipmen of the Etajima Naval Academy Class No. Altogether, more than 2,700 men went down with the ship or drowned after it sank, making the loss of the Yamato one of the greatest naval disasters of all time. On 29 March, Yamato took on a full stock of ammunition, in preparation for combat off Okinawa in Operation Ten-Go. I hope you enjoy the video! YAMATOs No. Support Veteran Journalism . seven torpedo hits within two hours of battle. On May 6, 1945, a twin-engine kamikaze plane's bomb exploded beside the destroyer Luce, part of the radar picket ship screen surrounding Okinawa, and ripped her starboard side "like a sardine. 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. Her nine 18.1-inch guns firing Sanshikidan beehive shells, twenty-four 127-mm. Captain Hara of Yahagi later said the mission would be like throwing an egg against a rock.. Yukikaze suffered three dead from strafing and survived the war. The Musashi and its sister vessel, the Yamato, were two of the largest battleships ever built. 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. 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. It starts a fire that cannot be extinguished and rips a 60-foot hole in the weather deck. The aft secondary battery fire control, secondary gun turret and the air search radar are knocked out. ), named after an ancient Japanese province, was one of two Yamato-class battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy, beginning in the late 1930s. The carriers were among seven ships that went down in the Battle of Midway, a major air and . The Attack Force changes course due south to 180 degrees. 1400 hour Three bombs explode port amidships, five minutes later a torpedo hits her starboard side amidships. 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. These began to flood. The attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including sailors, soldiers and civilians. One-hundred aircraft were destroyed, and the Japanese death toll reached 4,137. 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. 4: Factual error; Musashi was sunk on Oct. 23, 1944 in the Sibuyan Sea. Yamato was lost Apr. 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 Japanese opened up with everything they had, which looked terrifying, but U.S. pilots quickly figured out that Japanese anti-aircraft fire was wildly inaccurate. In viewing cite, this the first time I have seen any mention of the carrier Langley. He considered it a waste of good men and ships. most of the American pilots returned to their carriers, knowing She quickly shipped 2,235 tons of water, but the list was soon corrected with effective counter-flooding. Destroyer SUZUTSUKI wreathed in black smoke, burns furiously. A Japanese destroyer peeled off three times to keep Hackleback at bay. She lists about seven degrees to port. 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. When Yamato sank, marking the last Japanese naval action of the war, she took 2,747 men with herall but 269 of her crew. At 2144, the submarine issued a detailed contact report with an accurate force disposition. The light cruiser Yahagi was the first hit, less than fifteen minutes after the firing began. So, the admirals concocted what they termed, Operation Ten-Go (Operation Heaven One). The morale aboard Yamato was described as not being very good, especially after the crews were informed they were on a one-way mission. 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. Then it was supposed to beach itself, run aground, and use the ship as a makeshift fort. My dad was soldier (Tsgt) at Okinawa and my father in law was a bosunsmate aboard the USS Gunston Hall. A bomb impact in the dispensary killed many of the wounded who had been gathered there, along with many of the medical personnel. 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. In total, 97 combatants were killed and 122 wounded. The Yamato, completed in Kure in December 1941, was the largest battleship in the world at the time. 276 men are rescued including Rear Admiral Morishita Nobuei, Chief of Staff, Second Fleet (and former YAMATO skipper). Most of the battles in the Pacific dont mention anything about the small carriers that were involved. About a year before he died he told us about this battle against the Yamato and that he was involved in the attack, but no details. The most powerful battleship in the world was no match for 390 U.S. carrier aircraft. The Yomiuri Shimbun, one of several private companies sponsoring the search, reported that the wreck lay about 180 miles southwest of Kagoshima on Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu, in more than 1,100 feet of water. 4s YORKTOWN (CV-10), INTREPID (CV-11), LANGLEY (CVL-27) engage the Attack Force. 1100 hour YAMATOs Type 13 air search radar operator reports contact with a large aircraft formation at his sets maximum range of 63 miles. With nearly all of her anti-aircraft guns out of action, the Avenger torpedo planes wreaked havoc. Flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet, she was lead ship of the Yamato class. Rather than targeting specific vessels, Stump ordered his air group to attempt to cripple as many Japanese ships as possible. *Lighting a path to truth* Former Navy JAG Worldwide U.S. Military Defense. I have his flight logs (as he never talked about the war except the death of his brother and his friends) so it is nice to get the big picture of this action. Read Next: The Ultimate Gunfighters! Baka, essentially a piloted cruise missile, made its debut at Okinawa. 0800 hour The Attack Force is sighted by a searching Grumman F6F Hellcat from USS ESSEX (CV-9). Workers are gathered around the gaping opening that will house main turret #2. Was the Bismarck bigger than the Yamato? 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