how many planes were lost sinking the yamato

Everyone of them, enlisted and officers, were a true gentleman. The battleship received a 30-minute time-late report from an observation post on a small Japanese island north of Okinawa that 150 U.S. planes were headed in Yamatos direction. 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. Some of the Japanese survivors reported that U.S. fighter aircraft strafed Japanese survivors floating in the water. In total, the U.S. lost 12 men. Hancock for some reason launched her 53-plane strike late, and it never found Yamato in the murk, reducing the overall first strike to 227 aircraft. The Attack Force resumes zigzagging. VA-25 (1959) Air Group VI (6) How many US planes were lost sinking the Yamato? At 1322, an Essex Corsair hit Yamato in the port bow with a 1,000-pound general-purpose bomb. Where is the wreck of the Yamato? 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. A heartfelt salute from myself, a navy vet in the 70s! The sinking of the Yamato on April 7 conclusively signaled the end of the "all-big-gun" battleship era of naval warfare. 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. Twenty Avengers attacked from the port side (concentrating torpedo attacks from the port side was deliberate, with the intent to capsize the ship). The pride of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Yamato was said to be the most powerful warship in history, but it was also beautiful, "like something in a tapestry.". He asked what the Japanese navy was doing. Since Yamatos radios were destroyed, Vice Admiral Ito sent out a signal via flag hoist cancelling the operation and freeing the other ships to try to get back to Japan. Relive the super battleship's last moments in photographs. They withheld the news from the public. In total, 97 combatants were killed and 122 wounded. The first U.S. attack wave ended about 1250. It starts a fire that cannot be extinguished and rips a 60-foot hole in the weather deck. He suggests the order to abandon ship be given. 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. 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. The ships were to sink as many troop transports as possible, then beach themselves and continue firing as long as they had ammunition. The ship was split in two and was found resting at a depth of 1,120 feet (340 m). 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. Vice Admiral Ito initially objected to the mission, viewing it as futile and wasteful. 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. 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. American aviators received orders to drop their In 1945 Carrier Air Group 17 consisted of VF-17, VBF-17, VB-17, and VT-17. 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). Yamato was still more than 300 nautical miles from Okinawa when she went down. The carriers were among seven ships that went down in the Battle of Midway, a major air and . But in 'one of history's greatest salvage jobs,' many of the sunken ships rose to fight the Axis. 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. They also mounted numerous smaller guns to . The attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including sailors, soldiers and civilians. The most powerful battleship in the world was no match for 390 U.S. carrier aircraft. Five Helldivers are damaged by AA fire. About 1,187 crewmen of Yahagi and the four destroyers were lost. (Based on erroneous San Jacinto report, Samuel Eliot Morison misidentifies this ship as Hamakaze, but a photo shows a Yugumo-class destroyer, which would be Asashimo, and which was also the one lagging behind.). Yamato was essentially doomed by a question from Emperor Hirohito during a briefing on 29 March about plans for Japanese air opposition to expected landings on Okinawa. (Although U.S. carrier air groups complement had been changed to have a mix of about three quarters fighters to defend against kamikaze and only one quarter bombers and torpedo planes, the fighters had been trained and gotten pretty good at being used in a fighter-bomber role, and, with no Japanese air opposition, had the freedom to do so.) 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. The element of surprise was gone for the Japanese. They would not be needed. [26] Heavy antiaircraft defensive fire and the heavy upper-deck armour plating on Yamato also prevented any significant damage to the vessel. Praesidus brings homage to the military watch tradition. Three of the torpedoes hit in quick succession, and Yamato took on another 3,000 tons of water and a 7-degree list. (Although some accounts say that, according to the plan, the ships were only given enough fuel to reach Okinawa, they actually received as much fuel as was available to give. So, the admirals concocted what they termed, Operation Ten-Go (Operation Heaven One). Did anyone survive the Yamato sinking? The result was arguably the largest suicide mission in history. At 1246, she took a direct torpedo hit in the engine room that killed the entire engine room crew and left her dead in the water, unable to avoid further hits. Light cruiser Yahagi steered away from Yamato in an attempt to draw attention away from the battleshiptoo successfully. SUZUTSUKI takes a 500-lb GP bomb hit to starboard, abreast her No. her bow and stern where her armor was thinnest. You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article. 1 magazine causing a huge explosion with a mushroom smoke cloud that was visible for 100 miles away. VA-6B (1946) 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. Around 3,700-4,250 men from Yamato and her escort ships were dead. Almost all of the nearly 400 American fighters and bombers In viewing cite, this the first time I have seen any mention of the carrier Langley. World War II would see the aircraft carrier emerge as the key to naval supremacy, supplanting the battleship. Also, accounts differ as to whether he was a captain or rear admiral. Though incredibly powerful, Yamato suffered from a relatively low top speed as its engines were . H-044-3: Operation Heaven Number One (Ten-ichi-go)the Death of Yamato, 7 April 1945. My dads name is Ronald R. LeFebvre (Ding). Finally some detail1st attack vb82 loses a helldiver (my uncleensign jack Carl fuller and chas. Yukikaze suffered three dead from strafing and survived the war. 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. Yahagi lost 446 of about 1,000 crewmen. The wreck lies 290 kilometres (180 mi) southwest of Kyushu under 340 metres (1,120 ft) of water in two main pieces; a bow section comprising the front two thirds of the ship, and a separate stern section.. Who found 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. The extremely large number of antiaircraft guns, added during a refit, were meant to keep the ship afloat in the face of American airpower until it could close within striking range of enemy. YAMATO starts a turn starboard to course 230 degrees. 3. A 500-pound general-purpose bomb hit Suzutsuki and blew off her bow. She sunk shortly after. They lost their best battleship, a cruiser, and four destroyers along with nearly 4,200 sailors. At 1000 hours he launched a total of 386 aircraft consisting of fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers. 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. Deyo had just received a cheery send-off from his immediate boss: "We hope you will bring back a nice fish for breakfast." Just then, eight F6F Hellcats appear and begin circling over the force to maintain contact until the main formation arrives. About 120,000 were held at 10 camps because of fears that Japanese Americans were enemy sympathizers. At that point, the crews would go ashore to fight and die to the last man along with their army comrades. Six Yorktown Avengers attacked from the starboard side, with their Mark 13 torpedoes re-set for a 20-foot depthseveral hit. burning just prior to disappearing beneath the waves. most likely to cause flooding and eventual sinking. 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. He had friends wounded and killed, but the small carriers were never given credit for anything that happened. April 1945 Death of Yamato, 7 how many planes were lost sinking the yamato 1945 for 390 U.S. carrier aircraft vice Admiral Ito initially to! Yamato took on another 3,000 tons of water and a 7-degree list, but not promoted... Were among seven ships that went down in the Battle of Midway, a navy vet the. Attack vb82 loses a helldiver ( my uncleensign jack Carl fuller and chas 26 ] Heavy antiaircraft fire... Launched a total of 386 aircraft consisting of fighters, dive bombers, torpedo. From myself, a cruiser, and torpedo bombers 3,700-4,250 men from Yamato and her escort were... Though incredibly powerful, Yamato suffered from a relatively low top speed as its engines.! 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