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.". They withheld the news from the public. 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. (The actual U.S. landings on Okinawa commenced 1 April 1945, but carrier strikes and shore bombardment began a week earlier and the landings on the small islands of the Kerama-shtto group just southwest of Okinawa occurred on 27 March.). Far more effective was the extraordinary skill of Japanese ship captains in making evasive maneuvers to throw off aim and avoid numerous bombs and torpedoes. Photographed from a USS Yorktown (CV-10) plane (NH 62581). How many Japanese submarines were lost in ww2? In the interviews below, meet two Yamato veterans still haunted by memories of the battle that took most of their comrades lives. 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). guns ever mounted at sea. Operation Ten-Go ( (Kyjitai) or ja: (Shinjitai) Ten-g Sakusen) was a Japanese naval operation plan in 1945, consisting of four likely scenarios. Lagging behind the main force, destroyer ASASHIMO is attacked and sunk by aircraft from SAN JACINTO. I hope you enjoy the video! Turret #1 can also be seen upfront. Her nine 18.1-inch guns firing Sanshikidan beehive shells, twenty-four 127-mm. Then it was supposed to beach itself, run aground, and use the ship as a makeshift fort. 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. All these years later I remember each one of those men fondly and with great respect. Additionally, aircraft damaged most of the . Of the 3,332 crew members aboard the Yamato, only 276 survived the sinking. USS Iowa Class Battleships Versus IJN Yamato Class, This slowed Yamato down to 10 knots and made her a sitting duck. Thanks for your presentation of this event! 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. 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.). 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. Yamato produced the mushroom cloud seen here shortly before she sank. Around 2:00pm all power was lost and permission was given to abandon ship. She had suffered minor damage in the bridge area from a bomb hit by a Helldiver dive-bomber off Intrepid (CV-11) during U.S. carrier strikes on Kure and the Inland Sea on 19 March, but was fully fit for battle. Surrounding Japanese ships lost an additional 1,167 men. U.S. losses were 10 aircraft and 12 pilots and aircrewmen. Air search reports two groups of aircraft, range 44 miles, closing at high speed. 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.. YAMATO has taken a total of four torpedo hits. Japanese Battleship Yamato - minutes before sinking. 7. A report that had been delayed for 25 minutes by ransmission and decoding, is received finally. One of the torpedo planes took a hit in the wing, pulled up in flames, then plunged into the sea. A lookout spots American planes 25 degrees to port, levation 8, range 4,375 yards, moving to port. This was taken by senior Japanese navy leaders as implicit criticism of their services inaction. The Japanese naval defense plan was code-named named Sho-I-Go ("Victory"), and its objective was simple: Sink the American invasion fleet, maintain the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, and, by doing this, protect Japan from invasion. 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. What is not mentioned above is that this mission was considered a potential suicide mission for the American aviators due the distance they were required to fly. Twelve Helldivers claimed several hits in the bridge area in exchange for five Helldivers damaged by anti-aircraft fire. I was in a ASW squadron that still had many veterans serving and flying. 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. A U.S. PBM Mariner also rescued several Japanese survivors. as she turns to avoid the onslaught from bombers. Smoke rises from the vicinity of the mainmast and a bomb explodes in the same area. 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. Jan 6, 2019 Conan White, Guest Author. YAMATO is hit by two AP bombs. 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. 3s USS ESSEX (CV-9), BUNKER HILL (CV-17), BATAAN (CVL-24) and CABOT (CVL-28). Twenty Avengers make a new torpedo run from 60 degrees to port. The real story of the Yamato sinking March 06, 2008 On April 7, 1945, three southern boys were above the clouds north of Okinawa, 125 miles from the southernmost tip of the main Japanese islands searching for "the largest, heaviest and most powerful battleship ever constructed." The Attack Force changes course to 100 degrees. Yamato's remains were located and examined in 1985 and again examined, more precisely, in 1999. At 1107, Yamatos Type 13 air search radar detected a large aircraft formation inbound at the radars maximum range of 63 nautical miles, and noted the aircraft formation was splitting into two groups. At flank speed, YAMATO commences a right turn but two 1000-lb AP bombs hit her. Another 110 aircraft from Task Group 58. Thank you to all the brave men and women of the US armed forces! At 1014, the Yamato force sighted the two Martin Mariner PBM flying boats, and also noted that Hackleback was still trailing (the Japanese had made so many course changes during the night that the sub was able to cut the corner and maintain contact on the force). The force would transit to Okinawa on 7 April (with only a few hours of minimal air cover), to arrive in daylight hours in the U.S. transport area off southwestern Okinawa on 8 April. The aircraft are lost behind the clouds. 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. Aircrews were astonished at the size of the ship, which had seen very little naval action during the war. Barrett is the world leader in long-range, large-caliber, precision rifle design and manufacturing. Was the Bismarck bigger than the Yamato? In total, the U.S. lost 12 men. The light cruiser YAHAGI, without headway, drifts helplessly behind the main force. It. The explosion was heard over 120 miles away. The attack of hundreds of US air force against Japan made Japan's biggest battleship Yamato sink. Light cruiser YAHAGI, hit by 12 bombs and seven torpedoes sinks exactly one minute after the last bomb hits. H-044-3: Operation Heaven Number One (Ten-ichi-go)the Death of Yamato, 7 April 1945. 1,187 crewmen of DesRon 2s light cruiser YAHAGI and the four destroyers are also lost. What are they doing to assist in defending Okinawa? Submarine Hackleback (SS-295) then picked up surveillance, issuing four contact reports during the night as Yamato transited southwesterly along the coast of Kyushu. . The attack on Pearl Harbor 71 years ago left a tangled mess of burning and shattered warships. Updated on July 03, 2019. A Japanese destroyer peeled off three times to keep Hackleback at bay. They truly were the Greatest Generation. At 1407, she was struck by at least the seventh torpedo, this time to starboard. The Yamato group cranked up speed to 25 knots. The big carriers got all the credit. YAMATO and YAHAGI open fire, increase speed to 24 knots and commence a series of sharp evasive maneuvers. 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. He considered it a waste of good men and ships. In viewing cite, this the first time I have seen any mention of the carrier Langley. Yahagi lost 446; Asashimo lost 330; the seven destroyers, 391 officers and men. The execute order for Operation Ten-ichi-go (Heaven Number One) was intercepted on 26 March 1945 and decrypted. The Japanese also noted eight Hellcats circling the force with impunity because of no Japanese fighter cover, and remaining outside anti-aircraft range. The first U.S. attack wave ended about 1250. This Is A Great Article Of An Historic Event. The carriers were among seven ships that went down in the Battle of Midway, a major air and . In addition, sick sailors and also the oldest sailors were sent to shore. This photograph was taken in December 1941, shortly Between then and 1000, a total of 14 Zekes would provide cover. How many Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk in ww2? 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. By the end of the battle, Yahagi and all eight destroyers were lost. [1][26] Led by the man who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor, Minoru Genda, the appearance of these fighters, which were equal or superior to the F6F Hellcat in performance, surprised the attackers, and several American planes were shot down. But the Americans also had a battle group of eight aircraft carriers (Hornet, Bennington, Belleau Wood, San Jacinto; TG 58.3 Essex, Bunker Hill, Hancock, and Bataan) that were covering the landings. They also mounted numerous smaller guns to . Yukikaze suffered three dead from strafing and survived the war. Deyo had just received a cheery send-off from his immediate boss: "We hope you will bring back a nice fish for breakfast." At 2144, the submarine issued a detailed contact report with an accurate force disposition. One Helldiver was shot down. One Avenger is shot down but her barrage is largely ineffective because each AA battery fires independently without coordination. Workers are gathered around the gaping opening that will house main turret #2. At 1232, lookouts in the Yamato force sighted the first incoming strike wave. Lieutenant J.G. Relive the super battleship's last moments in photographs. 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. Everyone of them, enlisted and officers, were a true gentleman. Spruance gave orders to Rear Admiral Morton Deyo, commander of the Bombardment Force, to take his six old battleships and set up a blocking force northwest of Okinawa (as Yamato was circling around in that direction with the intent to stay as far from TF 58 as possible). 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. While still a token of national pride, the sinking of Yamato also symbolized the sad end of the once invincible Imperial Japanese Navy. WORLD WAR II. There are many stories about the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamato. Sieber was officially credited with two bomb hits on the Yamato and received the Navy Cross for his part in helping sink the huge ship that day. 1000 hour The Attack Force sights two large Martin Mariner PBM flying boats. The aft secondary battery fire control, secondary gun turret and the air search radar are knocked out. By dawn on April 7, Asashimo, one of the destroyers developed engine trouble and started heading back to port in Japan. 1200 hour A lookout spots three Japanese troopships on bearing 0250 heading for Amami-Oshima. This great vessel had a . However, three-quarters of these (128 boats) were lost during the conflict, a proportion of loss similar that experienced by Germany's U-Boats. Fuyutsuki was hit by two dud rockets. So, the admirals concocted what they termed, Operation Ten-Go (Operation Heaven One). ship's aft turrets. Also interviewed is an American dive-bomber pilot who took part in the attack. (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. 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 age of the battleship was over forever. Combined with Yamato, about 4,242 Japanese sailors gave their lives for the emperor on 7 April. The Americans lost a total of only 10 aircraft four Helldivers, three Avengers, and three Hellcats and 12 men. She and her sister ship, Musashi, were the largest and heaviest battleships ever constructed, displacing 72,800tonnes at full load, and armed with nine 46cm (18.1inch) main guns. Vice Admiral Ito initially objected to the mission, viewing it as futile and wasteful. YAMATO turns hard to port. But even as Deyo was deploying his force, Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher, the commander of Task Force 58 (TF 58), acting completely on his own without orders from Spruance, launched a massive airstrike using all eight of his carriers to attempt to strike a deathblow. Mitscher correctly assumed that the Japanese were operating without air cover and would be sitting ducks for his huge airwing. While the Americans' 1,000-pound bombs held fearsome destructive power, as seen in Light cruiser Yahagi steered away from Yamato in an attempt to draw attention away from the battleshiptoo successfully. . At this point, after just a few hours of battle, Throughout 1943, Yamato continually transferred between Truk, Kure and Brunei in response to American airstrikes on Japanese island bases. How many planes were lost attacking the Yamato? Below are some of those stories and some links to other web sites with more stories about the ship and its final day, April 7, 1945. The element of surprise was gone for the Japanese. They eventually fell in line when informed that this was what the emperor wanted, that the force would serve to support the mass kamikaze air attack, and that it was an order. More than 4,000 Japanese sailors were involved in the operation. The battleship and its sister, Musashi, were the only battleships ever constructed with 18.1" guns. 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. Although the battleship was in no danger of sinking at this point, the list meant that the main battery was unable to fire . Anatomy of Yamato battleship's aft secondary magazine caused tons of ammunition to ignite almost simultaneously, 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). After all, she was the strafe the battleship with bullets and drop 1,000-pound bombs. 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 14:23, having taken 10 torpedo and 7 bomb hits, Yamatos forward ammunition magazines detonated. One Avenger is shot down. At 1017, Yamato opened fire with several of her special main-battery anti-aircraft shells (sanshikidan or beehive shells, somewhat like a giant shotgun shell), at the Mariners, which was equally futile, although the Mariners ducked back in the clouds. 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 Imperial Japanese Navy ceases to exist as a fighting force. 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 Experts believe that a fire raging in the However, in order to keep up with Yamato, these forays were short-lived. Some who were shot down were later picked up by seaplanes or submarines. Destroyer SUZUTSUKI wreathed in black smoke, burns furiously. Ito and Captain Aruga went down with the ship. 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. The second penetrates the port side of the aft Command station and explodes between the 155-mm gun magazine and main gun turret No. Yamato (, lit. Have we no more ships?. Yahagi capsized and sank shortly after 1400. The fighters attacked first, strafing the anti-aircraft guns on the decks with machine guns and rockets. US warplanes sank the Musashi on 24 October 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, believed to be. About 1,620 survivors of Yamato, Yahagi, Hamakaze, Isokaze, and Kasumi were rescued by the surviving Japanese destroyers. 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. Yamato Where is the wreck of the Yamato? 4: Factual error; Musashi was sunk on Oct. 23, 1944 in the Sibuyan Sea. 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. The morale aboard Yamato was described as not being very good, especially after the crews were informed they were on a one-way mission. But in 'one of history's greatest salvage jobs,' many of the sunken ships rose to fight the Axis. One of her junior designers tells NOVA he was completely in the dark about the scale of the vessel that he was helping to create: I was building the biggest ship in the world, and I didnt even know it until after the war.. [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. Aruga would be posthumously promoted to vice admiral and Ito to full admiral. The U.S. 5th Fleet commander, Admiral Raymond Spruance, ordered Task Force 54, which consisted mostly of the battleships under Rear Admiral Morton Deyo, to move in and engage the Japanese task force. TG 58.2 was in the act of refueling and wouldnt get there in time. Here, an One of the surviving destroyers did not have a bow. The ships were to sink as many troop transports as possible, then beach themselves and continue firing as long as they had ammunition. Musashi and her sister ship, Yamato, were by a wide margin the largest battleships ever built. 3. To buck up morale, many captains of capital ships received a accelerated promotion to rear admiral in 1944. most likely to cause flooding and eventual sinking. Had Yamato ever encountered an Allied battleship group, she could have floated safely out of range, while destroying each ship in turn. 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? Senior U.S. Navy commanders in the Pacific, including Admiral Raymond Spruance, Commander U.S. Fifth Fleet, knew what the battleship Yamatos mission was before almost anyone on Yamato did. 1400 hour Three bombs explode port amidships, five minutes later a torpedo hits her starboard side amidships. They had already lost the battles of the Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf, and Iwo Jima. Since Yamato could not get to the landing area before 8 April, there wasnt a big rush and Deyo convened a planning conference on his flagship Eldorado (AGC-11) at 1030 with plans to sortie TF 54 from the bombardment area at 1530. Most of her engineering drawings have disappeared and few photographs survive, making Yamatos exact dimensions and design a mystery. Two other destroyers were heavily damaged, one, the Hamakaze later sank. After daybreak on 7 April 1945, a paltry six A6M Zeke fighters showed up to provide combat air patrol over Yamato. [26] Heavy antiaircraft defensive fire and the heavy upper-deck armour plating on Yamato also prevented any significant damage to the vessel. 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. Three of the torpedoes hit in quick succession, and Yamato took on another 3,000 tons of water and a 7-degree list. Itos chief of staff, Rear Admiral Nobuei Morishita, was the senior survivor of Yamato. The Avengers drop three torpedoes. Armor-piercing and other bombs make a shambles of her upper works. One fire can be observed amidships from the initial strike, but no list has developed at this point. 1,000 watertight compartments couldn't save her, and her lower decks rapidly Ito was posthumously promoted to full admiral. At 0840, the Japanese reported seven Hellcats orbiting around the force. 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). The visibility was highly variable, but often not very good due to cloud cover. This is a movie Yamato 2005. Kasumi, which had her steering disabled by two bomb hits, suffered 17 dead and 47 wounded, and was scuttled by two torpedoes from Fuyuzuki. Three Japanese destroyers are nearby (80-G-413914). her bow and stern where her armor was thinnest. TG 58.4 had just finished refueling and would arrive just in time. He reports the formation at bearing 180, heading north, and splitting into two groups. (Video: Reuters) When the Japanese fleet approached Midway, the Americans were lying in wait. The Attack Force resumes zigzagging. When the U.S. invaded Okinawa on April 1, 1945, the Japanese had no naval answer to the invasion force. The most powerful battleship in the world was no match for 390 U.S. carrier aircraft. When Yamato sank, marking the last Japanese At 1017, Yahagi commenced jamming the Mariners communications, but by then it was too late. Around 3,700-4,250 men from Yamato and her escort ships were dead. The remaining destroyers tried to pick up as many survivors as possible and limped back to Japan. Asashimo went down with all 330 hands. SUZUTSUKI takes a 500-lb GP bomb hit to starboard, abreast her No. Although 16 warships were hit, Yamato sustained only minor damage from a number of near misses and from one bomb that struck her bridge. [5] Shortly afterward, a second strike of 100 aircraft attacked Yamato and her remaining escorts. Only 10 American aircraft An astounding series of explosions onboard What sank the Yamato? 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. Stetsons crewmen reset their Mark 13 torpedoes running depth to 20 feet. 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. At 1342, another Avenger was shot down, but four more torpedoes were inbound from the port side and two hit. 10 aircraft Yamato was still more than 300 nautical miles from Okinawa when she went down. 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. U.S. losses were 10 aircraft and 12 pilots and aircrewmen. Yamato was still more than 300 nautical miles from Okinawa when she went down. 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