All ships increase speed to 25 knots and commence a simultaneous turn. This was taken as a yet another bad omen. 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). Although the battleship was in no danger of sinking at this point, the list meant that the main battery was unable to fire . This great vessel had a . Although born a U.S. citizen, he had been studying in Japan when the war broke out and had the choice of execution or serving in the Imperial Japanese Navy.). By this point, the uncorrected list was passing 15 degrees to port, and alarms were warning of critical temperatures in the forward main battery magazines, with no working pumps to flood them. 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. The ship was split in two and was found resting at a depth of 1,120 feet (340 m). 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.". The engagement was an unmitigated disaster for the Japanese. The destroyer Isokaze attempted to come to her aid but was heavily damaged and driven off. Additionally, 1,178 people were wounded. 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. VA-6B (1946) 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 The big carriers got all the credit. In 1945 Carrier Air Group 17 consisted of VF-17, VBF-17, VB-17, and VT-17. Legendary Lost Japanese WWII Battleship Found by Billionaire Paul Allen.The search was funded by Paul Allen, the Microsoft co . as she turns to avoid the onslaught from bombers. Surrounding Japanese ships lost an additional 1,167 men. A U.S. PBM Mariner also rescued several Japanese survivors. After daybreak on 7 April 1945, a paltry six A6M Zeke fighters showed up to provide combat air patrol over Yamato. After a dozen torpedo hits, even the Yamato's Later that day, the battered destroyers ISOKAZE and KASUMI are scuttled and sink. 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. Yamato's injuries were fatal. 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. Fourteen F4U Chance-Vought Corsairs from BUNKER HILL strafe and rocket YAMATO but cause only minor damage. 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 Yamato group cranked up speed to 25 knots. YAMATO increases speed to 22 knots. 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. A torpedo strikes HAMAKAZE starboard, aft of amidships and she jackknifes. Of the Japanese destroyers, Asashimo was sunk with all hands (about 330) and Hamakaze sank with a loss of 100 crewmen and 45 wounded (257 were rescued). blasts were perhaps the largest ever to occur at sea. The Attack Force briefly sights seven "Hellcat" fighters, but they are not seen by the escorting Zekes. [28] An estimated 2,498 of the 2,700 crew members on Yamato were lost, including Vice-Admiral Seiichi It, the fleet commander.[1]. Vice Admiral Ito retired to his stateroom to go down with the ship. Thanks!!! Her waterline armor belt was 16 inches thick. The age of the battleship was over forever. Quickly spotted by Allied aircraft, Yamato and its consorts were subjected to a series of heavy air attacks that resulted in the loss of the battleship and most of its supporting ships. Yamato (), named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. 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.. World War II would see the aircraft carrier emerge as the key to naval supremacy, supplanting the battleship. The carriers were among seven ships that went down in the Battle of Midway, a major air and sea battle fought between the US and Japan in 1942. ), named after an ancient Japanese province, was one of two Yamato-class battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy, beginning in the late 1930s. VA-25 (1959) Air Group VI (6) Baka, essentially a piloted cruise missile, made its debut at Okinawa. [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. The light cruiser YAHAGI, without headway, drifts helplessly behind the main force. 1300 hour YAMATO changes course to 180 degrees, due South. Deployment: In the fall of 1941,. About 1,620 survivors of Yamato, Yahagi, Hamakaze, Isokaze, and Kasumi were rescued by the surviving Japanese destroyers. this one exploding off Yamato's port bow, it was their air-launched torpedoes 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. At this point, after just a few hours of battle, The attack lasted just two hours, but it was devastating: The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. 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. Two other destroyers were heavily damaged, one, the Hamakaze later sank. Had Yamato ever encountered an Allied battleship group, she could have floated safely out of range, while destroying each ship in turn. Combined with Yamato, about 4,242 Japanese sailors gave their lives for the emperor on 7 April. And it was never more apparent than during the Battle of Okinawa. The Attack Force turns towards Sasebo. The first U.S. attack wave ended about 1250. Baka claimed its first victim, the destroyer USS Abele, in the seas off Okinawa on April 12. Mitscher, CTF 58, was embarked on Bunker Hill. According to Morison, there were only 23 officers and 246 enlisted sailors who survived, which doesnt exactly match, but is close. At 1423 as she began to capsize, the raging fires onboard ignited her magazines and the resultant explosion unleashed a huge mushroom cloud that rose to 20,000 feet and took out a few American planes that were overhead. A Corsair from ESSEX drops a 1000-lb GP bomb that hits the superstructure in the port bow area. 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. heaviest and most powerful battleship ever built, carrying the most formidable the Japanese were aware of Yamato's poor anti-aircraft defense and . Lagging behind the main force, destroyer ASASHIMO is attacked and sunk by aircraft from SAN JACINTO. The battleship and its sister, Musashi, were the only battleships ever constructed with 18.1" guns. With nearly all of her anti-aircraft guns out of action, the Avenger torpedo planes wreaked havoc. Turret #1 can also be seen upfront. This image Most of her engineering drawings have disappeared and few photographs survive, making Yamatos exact dimensions and design a mystery. 1). Though many Japanese naval leaders considered Operation Ten-Go to be a waste of their remaining resources, it moved forward on April 6, 1945. The Japanese lost three aircraft carriers and 426 aircraft; Yamato ' s only . They were also instructed to 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. He had friends wounded and killed, but the small carriers were never given credit for anything that happened. In total, 97 combatants were killed and 122 wounded. 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. 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. miles southwest of Kyushu, Japan. 1200 hour A lookout spots three Japanese troopships on bearing 0250 heading for Amami-Oshima. On her last morning, before the first American planes intercepted her, Yamato avoided two, but the third hit her port side at 1245. TG 58.2 was in the act of refueling and wouldnt get there in time. most of the American pilots returned to their carriers, knowing U.S. aircrew claimed additional bomb and torpedo hits in this first wave, but these were mostly near misses. Now I know a little bit. Five Helldivers are damaged by AA fire. Asashimo went down with all 330 hands. 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. 1100 hour YAMATOs Type 13 air search radar operator reports contact with a large aircraft formation at his sets maximum range of 63 miles. 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. 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. 2023 The SOFREP Media Group. She continues to throw up a screen of desperate flak fire. YAMATO stops zigzagging and increases speed to 24 knots. The Japanese battleship Yamato in the late stages of construction alongside of a large fitting out pontoon at the Kure Naval Base, Japan, 20 September 1941.The aircraft carrier Hsh is visible at the extreme right.The store ship Mamiya is anchored in the center distance.Note Yamato's after 460mm main battery gun turret, and superfiring 155mm secondary battery gun turret. 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. I am fortunate to be living as long as I have , I know us WWII vets are living on borrowed time, but glad to be of sound mind yet and can remember incidents like this. Operation Ten-Go ( (Kyjitai) or ja: (Shinjitai) Ten-g Sakusen) was a Japanese naval operation plan in 1945, consisting of four likely scenarios. Japanese reports claim U.S. aircraft strafed survivors in the water, but also report that attacks ceased on destroyers that were picking up survivors. There were few Japanese survivors. Though incredibly powerful, Yamato suffered from a relatively low top speed as its engines were . 3s USS ESSEX (CV-9), BUNKER HILL (CV-17), BATAAN (CVL-24) and CABOT (CVL-28). Kasumi, which had her steering disabled by two bomb hits, suffered 17 dead and 47 wounded, and was scuttled by two torpedoes from Fuyuzuki. (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.). The first attack wave retires. The Avengers drop three torpedoes. Throughout 1943, Yamato continually transferred between Truk, Kure and Brunei in response to American airstrikes on Japanese island bases. went down in the battle, with the loss of just 12 men. Just then, eight F6F Hellcats appear and begin circling over the force to maintain contact until the main formation arrives. 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? Finally some detail1st attack vb82 loses a helldiver (my uncleensign jack Carl fuller and chas. Operation Ten-Go never should have happened. YAMATO starts a turn starboard to course 230 degrees. I joined the Navy in 1964. All these years later I remember each one of those men fondly and with great respect. The Yahagi was too tempting a target for the hundreds of attacking aircraft. one-third of which were torpedo bombers that hit from low altitudes. John Carter, was in a perfect position to watch what unfolded. She quickly shipped 2,235 tons of water, but the list was soon corrected with effective counter-flooding. Survivor Stories The Japanese also noted eight Hellcats circling the force with impunity because of no Japanese fighter cover, and remaining outside anti-aircraft range. The 40 mm Bofors, with radar guidance and proximity fuses, were marginally effective in shooting down attacking planes. It. 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. The largest battleships ever built were Yamato and Musashi of the Imperial Japanese Navy. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ , When the U.S. invaded Okinawa on April 1, 1945, the Japanese had, So, the admirals concocted what they termed, Operation Ten-Go (Operation Heaven One). The explosion was heard over 120 miles away. With the steering locked to port and the ship doomed, Admiral Ito at 1402 hours ordered the crew to abandon ship. 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 . 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