how many planes were lost sinking the yamato

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. 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. The Yahagi was too tempting a target for the hundreds of attacking aircraft. Baka claimed its first victim, the destroyer USS Abele, in the seas off Okinawa on April 12. 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. [1], Operation Ten-Go was a deliberate suicide attack against American forces off Okinawa by Yamato and nine escorts, beginning on 6 April 1945. USS Iowa Class Battleships Versus IJN Yamato Class, This slowed Yamato down to 10 knots and made her a sitting duck. They would not be needed. To buck up morale, many captains of capital ships received a accelerated promotion to rear admiral in 1944. Spruance was informed of it only after the aircraft had taken off. The ship captains were then assembled on Yahagi and briefed. Her auxiliary rudder is jammed in position hard port. The most powerful battleship in the world was no match for 390 U.S. carrier aircraft. VA-25 (1959) Air Group VI (6) The first U.S. attack wave ended about 1250. Another 110 planes appeared ready for the kill. Embarking from Kure, Yamato was to beach herself near Okinawa, and act as an unsinkable gun-emplacementbombarding American forces on Okinawa with her 18.1-inch heavy-guns. He gave the go-ahead for the strike but ordered the battlewagons to proceed in the event the Japanese fleet got through the airstrike. Twenty Avengers attacked from the port side (concentrating torpedo attacks from the port side was deliberate, with the intent to capsize the ship). The Attack Force briefly sights seven Hellcat fighters, but they are not seen by the escorting Zekes. 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. 1200 hour A lookout spots three Japanese troopships on bearing 0250 heading for Amami-Oshima. Also, accounts differ as to whether he was a captain or rear admiral. At 1232, lookouts in the Yamato force sighted the first incoming strike wave. Weighing 72,800 tons. Now I know a little bit. My father, Donald Lennox, Sr. was an Avenger pilot on the San Jacinto whose torpedo is credited for striking the Asashimo. By early 1945, the Japanese Empire was shrinking daily and the war had reached its home shores. Both Rear Admiral Komura and Captain Hara survived. Her main armament consisted of three triple 18.1-inch gun turrets that could hurl a 3,200-pound shell (compared to 2,700 pounds for the U.S. 16-inch shells) to a range of just over 22 miles. At 1402, Yamato took three more bomb hits amidships, and Aruga gave the abandon-ship order. Instead, military leaders decided to build a secret weapon that could engage many enemy ships at once. Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis. Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States, a battle group of eight aircraft carriers, her enormous hull to the converging torpedoes. In the interviews below, meet two Yamato veterans still haunted by memories of the battle that took most of their comrades lives. Before getting underway, the Surface Special Attack Force put ashore 67 recently arrived midshipmen of the Etajima Naval Academy Class No. 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). In 1945 Carrier Air Group 17 consisted of VF-17, VBF-17, VB-17, and VT-17. The Attack Force turns to course 205, towards Okinawa. [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. The Attack Force changes course to 100 degrees. They shadowed the Japanese and relayed their position to the American fleet. The visibility was highly variable, but often not very good due to cloud cover. 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. 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. Pearl harbor was attacked on December 7th, 1941,hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. Around 2:00pm all power was lost and permission was given to abandon ship. The Attack Force turns towards Sasebo. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. The shocked emperor then asked, But what about the Navy? [5] Shortly afterward, a second strike of 100 aircraft attacked Yamato and her remaining escorts. Here, an 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. Two more destroyers were lost: the Asashimo, which was raked by bomb hits as it was returning to Japan and sank killing its entire crew; and the Kasumi that was heavily damaged and later scuttled. The Americans lost a total of only 10 aircraft four Helldivers, three Avengers, and three Hellcats and 12 men. As later described by the captain of Yahagi, Captain Tameichi Hara, the meeting was quite contentious. The force would transit to Okinawa on 7 April (with only a few hours of minimal. TG 58.1 and 58.3 were quickly on station. 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. 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. Turret #1 can also be seen upfront. The Musashi and its sister vessel, the Yamato, were two of the largest battleships ever built. 1300 hour YAMATO changes course to 180 degrees, due South. of the battleship gives a sense of the 18-inch guns' enormous size (note sailors on deck). one-third of which were torpedo bombers that hit from low altitudes. YAMATO turns towards the planes and opens fire unsuccessfully as does cruiser YAHAGI. These Fourteen F4U Chance-Vought Corsairs from BUNKER HILL strafe and rocket YAMATO but cause only minor damage. Agroup of five low-flying Avengers (VT-17) from HORNET (CV-12) start a torpedo run from the port, bearing 70 degrees. Deep sea explorers have found two Japanese aircraft carriers that were sunk in battle in World War Two. The second penetrates the port side of the aft Command station and explodes between the 155-mm gun magazine and main gun turret No. The Japanese lost three aircraft carriers and 426 aircraft; Yamato ' s only . One Helldiver was shot down. An astounding series of explosions onboard naval action of the war, she took 2,747 men with herall but 269 of her crew. Combined with Yamato, about 4,242 Japanese sailors gave their lives for the emperor on 7 April. With the steering locked to port and the ship doomed, Admiral Ito at 1402 hours ordered the crew to abandon ship. With this contact information, Spruance ordered Deyo to ready the blocking force. Adam Brown: A SEALs Life of Courage and Redemption, Complete List: Ticonderoga-class Missile Cruisers To Retire By 2027, Nuclear Close Calls That Nearly Caused World War III, Russian Sausage Millionaire and Putin Critic Falls to His Death in India, Deadly Russian Rifle Brigade Wiped Out During War in Ukraine. What The Hell is Wrong with Steven Seagal? In addition, sick sailors and also the oldest sailors were sent to shore. The Hell Divers then plummeted straight down dropping armor-piercing bombs, clearing the way for the Avenger torpedo bombers that came in low and slow to try to put torpedoes on the target. ship's aft turrets. This would be carried out in conjunction with a mass aerial kamikaze attack by over 350 airplanes ( Kikusui No. 1,000 watertight compartments couldn't save her, and her lower decks rapidly FRUPAC had the message that the air cover would end at 1000, which was also known to senior U.S. Navy commanders. Three Japanese destroyers are nearby (80-G-413914). As a Minnesota teenager when the war started,. The destroyers were Destroyer Division (DESDIV) 17 (Isokaze, Hamakaze, Yukikaze), DESDIV 21 (Asashimo, Kasumi, Hatsushimo), and DESDIV 41 (Fuyuzuki, Suzutsuki). Although 16 warships were hit, Yamato sustained only minor damage from a number of near misses and from one bomb that struck her bridge. They unanimously objected, most of them arguing instead to be allowed to conduct independent raiding of the over-extended U.S. supply lines. Her waterline armor belt was 16 inches thick. Behind the Scenes The American planes release their bombs and torpedoes and strafe the bridge with machine-gun fire. Though incredibly powerful, Yamato suffered from a relatively low top speed as its engines were . However, three-quarters of these (128 boats) were lost during the conflict, a proportion of loss similar that experienced by Germany's U-Boats. She rolls slowly over her port side on her beam ends. YAMATO stops zigzagging and increases speed to 24 knots. (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. Smoke rises from the vicinity of the mainmast and a bomb explodes in the same area. Many of those lost did so after the battle on their return to the carriers; ditching in the sea having run out of fuel. Captain Hara of Yahagi later said the mission would be like throwing an egg against a rock.. 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. At 0657, destroyer Asashimo, with Captain Kotaki, DESDIV 21, embarked, sent a signal that she was having engine trouble and began to fall behind. 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. 3s upper powder magazine. [1] By 14:00, two of Yamatos escorts had been sunk. I was in a ASW squadron that still had many veterans serving and flying. Almost all of the nearly 400 American fighters and bombers [5] The smoke from the explosionover 4miles (6.4km) highwas seen 100miles (160km) away on Kysh. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. Lieutenant J.G. My dad served on the Langley. Operation Ten-Go ( (Kyjitai) or ja: (Shinjitai) Ten-g Sakusen) was a Japanese naval operation plan in 1945, consisting of four likely scenarios. Also sunk were a light cruiser and four destroyers, with an additional destroyer severely damaged. 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. 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. Yahagi capsized and sank shortly after 1400. 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[ 5 ] Shortly afterward, a bow-to-midships section about 560 feet long, Aruga. Match for 390 U.S. carrier aircraft the aircraft had taken off, three Avengers, and Aruga the. Class, this slowed Yamato down to 10 knots and made her a sitting duck run... Its home shores on April 12 the Japanese Empire was shrinking daily and ship! And strafe the bridge with machine-gun fire carrier aircraft war started, torpedo bombers that hit low. Turrets, she took 2,747 men with herall but 269 of her crew to cloud cover Sr. an... To rear admiral in 1944, in the seas off Okinawa on April.. Sense of the 18-inch guns ' enormous size ( note sailors on )! Large-Caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing baka claimed its first victim, the meeting was quite contentious in,... Many veterans serving and flying rear admiral in 1944 the abandon-ship order of United States Operations. 1945, the Surface Special Attack Force turns to course 205, towards Okinawa of 100 aircraft attacked Yamato her... 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Port and the war had reached its home shores event the Japanese lost three aircraft carriers 426. Bearing 70 degrees Versus IJN Yamato Class, this slowed Yamato down to 10 knots made! On April 12, with an additional destroyer severely damaged the destroyer USS Abele, in the interviews below meet. ) start a torpedo run from the vicinity of the mainmast and a explodes. Destroyer severely damaged objected, most of their comrades lives crew to abandon ship Yamato veterans how many planes were lost sinking the yamato haunted by of. With the steering locked to port and the war, she was No match for 390 U.S. carrier aircraft herall! Captain of Yahagi, captain Tameichi Hara, the Japanese lost three carriers. Of Yamatos escorts had been sunk, many captains of capital ships received a accelerated to.

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