–S. E. Smith
From: The United States Navy in World War II
Preface to Part III: Chapter 8
Slaughter of Torpedo 8
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Hornet shortly after completion
| |
| Career (United States) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Hornet |
| Operator: |  United States Navy |
| Ordered: | 30 March 1939 |
| Builder: | Newport News Shipbuilding Company |
| Laid down: | 25 September 1939 |
| Launched: | 14 December 1940 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. Frank Knox |
| Commissioned: | 20 October 1941 |
| Struck: | 13 January 1943 |
| Honors and awards: | American Defense Service Medal with "Fleet" clasp; American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with (4 Battle Stars);[1][2] World War II Victory Medal; |
| Fate: | Sunk in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, 27 October 1942 |
| Notes: | Last U.S. fleet carrier lost in action |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Yorktown-class aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: | As built:20,000 long tons (20,000 t) standard (design),26,507 long tons (26,932 t) (full load), 29,114 long tons (29,581 t) (maximum) |
| Length: |
|
| Beam: | As built:83 ft 3 in (25.37 m) (waterline), 114 ft (35 m) (overall) |
| Draft: | 24 ft 4 in (7.42 m) design, 28 ft (8.5 m) full load |
| Installed power: | 120,000 shp (89,000 kW) |
| Propulsion: | 4 × Parsons geared steam turbines 9 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers 4 × shafts |
| Speed: | 32.52 kn (37.42 mph; 60.23 km/h) (design) 33.84 kn (38.94 mph; 62.67 km/h) (builder's trials) |
| Range: | 12,500 nmi (14,400 mi; 23,200 km) at 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h) |
| Complement: | 2,919 officers and enlisted (wartime) |
| Armament: |
As Built:
From July 1942:8 × 5 in (130 mm)/38 cal dual purpose guns 16 × 1.1 in (28 mm)/75 cal anti-aircraft guns (4x4) 24 × .50 in (13 mm) machine guns From February 1942: 8 × 5 in/38 cal dual purpose guns 16 × 1.1 in (28 mm)/75 cal anti-aircraft guns (4x4) 30 × 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons 8 × 5 in (130 mm)/38 cal dual purpose guns 20 × 26 ft 9 in (8.15 m)1.1 in/75 cal 32 × 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons |
| Armor: |
As built:*2.5–4 in (6.4–10.2 cm) belt
|
| Aircraft carried: | As built: 90 × aircraft |
| Aviation facilities: | 3 × elevators 3 × hydraulic catapults (2 flight deck, 1 hangar deck) |
USS Hornet CV-8, the seventh ship to carry the name Hornet, was aYorktown-class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. During World War II in the Pacific Theater, she launched the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and participated in the Battle of Midway and the Buin-Faisi-Tonolai Raid. In the Solomon Islands campaign she was involved in the capture and defense of Guadalcanal and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands where she was irreparably damaged and sunk. Hornet was in service for a year and six days and was the last US fleet carrier ever sunk by enemy fire. For these actions, she was awarded four service stars, a citation for the Doolittle Raid in 1995, and her Torpedo Squadron 8 received a Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism for the Battle of Midway.
Battle of Midway, June 1942[edit]
Main article: Battle of Midway
On 28 May, Hornet and Task Force 16 steamed out of Pearl Harbor heading for Point "Luck", an arbitrary spot in the ocean roughly 325 miles northeast of Midway, where they would be in a flank position to ambush Japan's mobile strike force of four frontline aircraft carriers the Kido Butai.[17] Japanese carrier-based planes were reported headed for Midway in the early morning of 4 June 1942.[18] Hornet,Yorktown, and Enterprise launched aircraft,[19] just as the Japanese carriers struck their planes below to prepare for a second attack on Midway. Hornet dive bombersfollowed an incorrect heading and did not find the enemy fleet. Several bombers and all of the escorting fighters were forced to ditch when they ran out of fuel attempting to return to the ship.[20] Fifteen torpedo bombers of Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) found their enemy and pressed home their attacks. They were met by overwhelming fighter opposition about 8 nmi (9.2 mi; 15 km) out, and with no escorts to protect them, they were shot down one by one.Ensign George H. Gay, USNR, was the only survivor of 30 men.[21]
Further attacks by Enterprise and Yorktown torpedo planes proved equally disastrous, but succeeded in forcing the Japanese carriers to keep their decks clear for CAP operations, rather than spotting a counter-attack against the Americans. Japanese fighters were finishing off the last of the torpedo planes over Hiryū when dive bombers of Enterpriseand Yorktown attacked, starting enormous fires aboard the three other Japanese carriers that led to their loss. Hiryu was hit late in the afternoon of 4 June by a strike from Enterprise and sank early the next morning. Hornet aircraft, launching late due to the necessity of recovering Yorktown scout planes and faulty communications, attacked a battleship and other escorts, but failed to score hits. Yorktown was lost to combined aerial and submarine attack.[22]
The Hornet's warplanes attacked the fleeing Japanese fleet on 6 June 1942, and they assisted in sinking the heavy cruiserMikuma, damaging a destroyer, and leaving the heavy cruiser Mogami, heavily damaged and on fire, to limp away from the battle zone. The attack by the Hornet's on the Mogami ended one of the great decisive battles of naval history.[22] Midway Atoll was saved as an important base for American operations into the Western Pacific Ocean. Of greatest importance was the crippling of the Japanese carrier strength, a severe blow from which the Imperial Japanese Navy never fully recovered. The four large carriers took with them to the bottom about 250 naval aircraft and a high percentage of the most highly trained and experienced Japanese aircraft maintenance personnel. The victory at Midway was a decisive turning point in the War in the Pacific. See History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume 4.
James, Sidney L.: Sidney James (died March 11, 2004) was an executive journalist. He was a longtime journalist and executive with Time-Life and the founding managing editor of Sports Illustrated magazine. He was credited with helping make the magazine a success, when Time-Life thought it would fail.
Career[edit]
James began working for Time-Life in 1929 as a stringer. In 1936, he joined the staff full-time working as a writer, editor, and national correspondent in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In 1960, he became publisher of Sports Illustrated, a job he held for five years. In the late 1960s James was Time's Inc.'s vice president in Washington. He decided to retire in 1974 and moved to Laguna Hills, California.
| John Charles Waldron | |
|---|---|
LCDR John C. Waldron
| |
| Born | August 24, 1900 Fort Pierre, South Dakota |
| Died | June 4, 1942 (aged 41) near Midway Atoll |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1924-1942 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Commands held | Torpedo Squadron 8 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Navy Cross Presidential Unit Citation (US) Purple Heart |
John Charles Waldron (August 24, 1900 – June 4, 1942) was a United States Navy aviator who led a squadron of torpedo bombers in World War II. He and most of his squadron perished in the Battle of Midway.
At Midway[edit]
"Torpedo 8" did not get a chance to practice its trade, however, until nearly 10 months after it had been commissioned atNorfolk. Too late to take part in the Battle of the Coral Sea, VT-8 would receive its brutal baptism of fire at the turning point of the Pacific War—the Battle of Midway. In the days preceding that battle, VT-8 led a relaxed existence on board the carrier as she steamed toward "Point Luck" from Pearl Harbor in the first few days of June 1942. Finally, on the eve of battle, Commander Waldron called his men together and distributed a mimeographed plan of attack. He concluded by saying that if worst came to worst, he wanted each man to do his utmost to destroy the enemy. "If there is only one plane left to make a final run-in," he told his men, "I want that man to go in and get a hit. May God be with us all. Good luck, happy landings, and give 'em hell."
The next day, June 4, the 15 Douglas TBD-1 Devastators of VT-8 launched from Hornet's flight deck in search of the enemy. Before takeoff, LCDR Waldron had a dispute with the Hornet's Commander, Air Group, Stanhope C. Ring, andHornet CO Marc Mitscher about where the Japanese carriers would be found. Despite having a contact report showing the Japanese southwest of Hornet, Mitscher and Ring ordered the flight to take a course due west, in the hopes of spotting a possible trailing group of carriers. Waldron argued for a course based on the contact report, but was overruled.[9] Once in the air, Waldron attempted to take control of the Hornet strike group by radio. Failing that, he soon split his squadron off and led his unit directly to the Japanese carrier group. Waldron, leading the first carrier attack group to approach the Japanese carriers (somewhat after 9:00AM local time, over an hour before the American dive bombers would arrive), was grimly aware of the lack of fighter protection, but true to his plan of attack committed Torpedo 8 to battle. Without fighter escort, his attack bombers vulnerably underpowered and lacking in defensive armament, and forced by the unreliability of their own torpedoes to fly low and slow directly at their targets, all of the Hornet's torpedo planes soon fell to the undivided attention of the enemy's combat air patrol of Mitsubishi "Zero" fighters. Of the 30 men who set out that morning, only one—Ens. George H. Gay, Jr., USNR—survived. Their sacrifice, however, had not been in vain. The TBDs had drawn down the fighter cover over the Japanese carriers and forced the ships to maneuver radically, delaying the aircraft rearming operations the Japanese were committed to. After two further, separate attacks by the remaining two attack squadrons over the next hour, the Japanese fighter cover and anti-air coordination had become overly focused on low-level defense, leaving the Japanese carriers completely vulnerable to the late-arriving Douglas SBD Dauntless high-altitude carrier dive bombers from Yorktown(CV-5) and Enterprise (CV-6). These U.S. planes then successfully dive-bombed and fatally damaged three of the four Japanese carriers, changing the course of the battle.
Torpedo 8 earned the Presidential Unit Citation (US); Lt. Comdr. Waldron received the Navy Cross posthumously, as well as a share of the unit citation. His role was reprised by actor Glenn Corbett in the Hollywood movie Midway.
| George H. Gay, Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 8, 1917 Waco, Texas |
| Died | October 21, 1994 (aged 77) Marietta, Georgia |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Unit | Torpedo Squadron 8 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Navy Cross Purple Heart Presidential Unit Citation Air Medal |
Ensign (later Lieutenant Commander) George Henry Gay Jr. (March 8, 1917–October 21, 1994) was a TBD Devastator pilot in United States Navy Torpedo Squadron 8 operating from the USS Hornet (CV-8) in thePacific Theater of Operations during World War II. Of the 30 VT-8 aircrew from Hornet that participated in the pivotal Battle of Midway, Ensign Gay was the sole survivor.
Early years[edit]
George Henry Gay, Jr. was born on March 8, 1917 in Waco, Texas. He attended school in both Austin and Houston before enrolling at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University).
World War II[edit]
Like millions of Americans at the time, Gay chose to sign up for the coming war, leaving Texas A&M University. He tried to join the Army Air Corps as a pilot but was rejected for medical reasons. He then tried theUnited States Navy in early 1941. Gay completed flight training and was commissioned as an Ensign in Sept 1941.
He joined the newly formed Torpedo Squadron 8 under Lieutenant Commander John Charles Waldron. He and his unit were aboard the USS Hornet in April 1942 when Lieutenant ColonelJimmy Doolittle launched his raid on Tokyo. One week later, the Hornet arrived at Pearl Harbor to join the USS Enterpriseas part of Task Force 16 during the Battle of Midway.
During the Battle of Midway Gay was the first of his squadron to take off from Horneton June 4, 1942. Gay's unit found the Japanese carrier fleet and launched an attack without any fighter plane support. Although he was wounded and his radioman/gunner was dying, Gay completed his torpedo attack on the Japaneseaircraft carrier Kaga, but the Kaga evaded his torpedo. Rather than banking away from the ship and presenting a larger target to its anti-aircraft gunners, Gay continued in toward the carrier at low altitude. He then brought his Devastator into a tight turn as he approached the carrier's island, and flew aft along the flight deck's length, thus evading anti-aircraft fire. He later stated he had a "split second" thought of crashing into the Japanese aircraft he saw being serviced on the flight deck.[2]
It's when a fellow is just gone and knows it, it is just crash into the ship or crash into the sea, and you have enough control to do a little bit more damage, why you crash into the ship.— George H. Gay[2]
His plane still in relatively good condition, he decided to make for the Hornet after clearing the Japanese carrier. However, five A6M Zeros brought his aircraft down in a hail of machine gun and cannon fire, killing his rear gunner.[2] Exiting his aircraft, and floating in the ocean, he hid under his seat cushion to avoid Japanese strafing attacks and witnessed thesubsequent dive bombing attacks and sinking of three of the four Japanese aircraft carriers present.[3]
After dark, Gay felt it was safe to inflate his life raft. He was rescued by a Navy PBY after spending over 30 hours in the water. Gay was later flown to the USS Vincennes (arriving June 28, 1942), before being transferred home.[4] Of the squadron's thirty pilots and radiomen, Gay was the only survivor. Gay met with Admiral Nimitz and confirmed the destruction of three Japanese carriers that he had witnessed - the Akagi, Kaga and Soryu. He was featured in the 31 August 1942 issue of Life Magazine.
Following Midway, Gay took part in the Guadalcanal Campaign with another squadron, and he later became a Navy flight instructor. He was awarded the Navy Cross, Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation for his actions in combat at Midway. He was also later awarded the Air Medal.
Later years[edit]
After World War II, Gay spent over 30 years as a pilot for Trans-World Airlines.[5] He often lectured on his Midway experiences,[6] and authored the book Sole Survivor.[7] In 1975, he served as a consultant on the set for the movie Midway, in which Kevin Dobson played Gay.[8] He attended the decommissioning ceremony of the USS Midway on April 11, 1992.
On October 21, 1994, Gay died of a heart attack at a hospital in Marietta, Georgia.[8] Following his death, Gay was cremated and his ashes were spread over the Pacific in the same place that his squadron launched its ill-fated attack.
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