| Isoroku Yamamoto | |
|---|---|
Isoroku Yamamoto
| |
| Native name | 山本 五十六 |
| Born | April 4, 1884 Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan |
| Died | April 18, 1943 (aged 59) Buin, New Guinea |
| Allegiance |  Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1901–1943 |
| Rank | |
| Unit | Combined Fleet among others |
| Commands held | Isuzu, Akagi Naval Air Command, Navy Ministry, Naval Air Command,1st Fleet, Combined Fleet, 1st Battleship Division[1] |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
|
Isoroku Yamamoto (山本 五十六 Yamamoto Isoroku?, April 4, 1884 – April 18, 1943) was a Japanese Marshal Admiral and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, a graduate of theImperial Japanese Naval Academy.
Yamamoto held several important posts in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and undertook many of its changes and reorganizations, especially its development of naval aviation. He was the commander-in-chief during the decisive early years of the Pacific War and so was responsible for major battles such as Pearl Harbor and Midway. He died when American codebreakers identified his flight plans and his plane was shot down. His death was a major blow to Japanese military morale during World War II.
Yamamoto's plan for Midway Island was an extension of his efforts to knock the U.S. Pacific Fleet out of action long enough for Japan to fortify her defensive perimeter in the Pacific island chains. Yamamoto felt it necessary to seek an early, offensive decisive battle.
This plan was long believed to have been to draw American attention—and possibly carrier forces—north from Pearl Harbor by sending his Fifth Fleet (two light carriers, five cruisers, 13 destroyers, and four transports) against the Aleutians, raidingDutch Harbor on Unalaska Island and invading the more distant islands of Kiska and Attu. Recent scholarship[21] using Japanese language documents has revealed it was, rather, an unrelated venture of the Naval General Staff which Yamamoto agreed to conduct concurrently with the Midway operation, in exchange for the latter's approval.
While Fifth Fleet attacked the Aleutians, First Mobile Force (4 carriers, 2 battleships, 3 cruisers, and 12 destroyers) would raid Midway and destroy its air force. Once this was neutralized, Second Fleet (1 light carrier, 2 battleships, 10 cruisers, 21 destroyers, and 11 transports) would land 5,000 troops to seize the atoll from the American Marines.
The seizure of Midway was expected to draw the American carriers west into a trap where the First Mobile Force would engage and destroy them. Afterward, First Fleet (1 light carrier, 7 battleships, 3 cruisers and 13 destroyers), in conjunction with elements of Second Fleet, would mop up remaining American surface forces and complete the destruction of the Pacific Fleet.
To guard against mischance, Yamamoto initiated two security measures. The first was an aerial reconnaissance mission (Operation K) over Pearl Harbor to ascertain if the American carriers were there. The second was a picket line of submarines to detect the movement of the American carriers toward Midway in time for First Mobile Force, First Fleet, and Second Fleet to combine against it. In the event, the first was aborted and the second delayed until after American carriers had sortied.
The plan was a compromise and hastily prepared (apparently so it could be launched in time for the anniversary ofTsushima),[22] but appeared well thought out, well organized, and finely timed when viewed from a Japanese viewpoint. Against four carriers, two light carriers, 11 battleships, 16 cruisers and 46 destroyers likely to be in the area of the main battle the Americans could field only three carriers, eight cruisers, and 15 destroyers. The disparity appeared crushing. Only in numbers of carrier decks, available aircraft, and submarines was there near parity between the two sides. Despite various frictions developed in the execution, it appeared—barring something extraordinary—Yamamoto held all the cards.
Unfortunately for Yamamoto, something extraordinary had happened. The worst fear of any commander is for an enemy to learn his battle plan in advance, which was exactly what American cryptographers had done, thanks to breaking the Japanese naval code D (known to the U.S. as JN-25). As a result, Admiral Chester Nimitz, the Pacific Fleet commander, was able to circumvent both of Yamamoto's security measures and position his outnumbered forces in the exact position to conduct a devastating ambush. By Nimitz's calculation, his three available carrier decks, plus Midway, gave him rough parity with Nagumo's First Mobile Force.
Following a nuisance raid by Japanese flying boats in May,[23] Nimitz dispatched a minesweeper to guard the intended refueling point for Operation K near French Frigate Shoals, causing the reconnaissance mission to be aborted and leaving Yamamoto ignorant of whether Pacific Fleet carriers were still at Pearl Harbor. (It remains unclear why Yamamoto permitted the earlier attack, and why his submarines did not sortie sooner, as reconnaissance was essential to the success of MI.) He also dispatched his carriers toward Midway early, and they passed the intended picket line force of submarines en route to their station, negating Yamamoto's back-up security measure. Nimitz's carriers positioned themselves to ambush the Kido Butai (Striking Force) when it struck Midway. A token cruiser and destroyer force was sent toward the Aleutians, but otherwise Nimitz ignored them. On June 4, 1942, days before Yamamoto expected them to interfere in the Midway operation, American carrier-based aircraft destroyed the four carriers of the Kido Butai, catching the Japanese carriers at an especially vulnerable moment.
With his air power destroyed and his forces not yet concentrated for a fleet battle, Yamamoto attempted to maneuver his remaining forces, still strong on paper, to trap the American forces. He was unable to do so because his initial dispositions had placed his surface combatants too far from Midway,[24] and because Admiral Raymond Spruance prudently withdrew to the east in a position to further defend Midway Island, believing (based on a mistaken submarine report) the Japanese still intended to invade.[25] Not knowing several battleships, including the powerful Yamato, were on the Japanese order of battle, he did not comprehend the severe risk of a night surface battle, in which his carriers and cruisers would be at a disadvantage.[25] However, his move to the east did avoid the possibility of such a battle taking place. Correctly perceiving he had lost and could not bring surface forces into action, Yamamoto aborted the invasion of Midway and withdrew. The defeat marked the high tide of Japanese expansion.
Yamamoto's plan for MI has been the subject of much criticism. Many commentators state it violated the principle of concentration of force, and was overly complex. Others point out similarly complex Allied operations (such as Operation MB8) that were successful, and note the extent to which the American intelligence coup derailed the operation before it began. Had Yamamoto's dispositions not denied Nagumo adequate pre-attack reconnaissance assets, both the American cryptanalytic success and the unexpected appearance of Fletcher's carriers would have been irrelevant.[24]
Actions after Midway[edit]
 | This section does not cite any references or sources. (February 2013) |
The Battle of Midway solidly checked Japanese momentum, but the IJN was still a powerful force and capable of regaining the initiative. They planned to resume the thrust with Operation FS aimed at eventually taking Samoa and Fiji to cut the American life-line to Australia. This was expected to short-circuit the threat posed by General Douglas MacArthur and his American and Australian forces in New Guinea. To this end, development of the airfield on Guadalcanal continued and attracted the baleful eye of Yamamoto's opposite number, Admiral Ernest King.
To prevent the Japanese from regaining the initiative, King ramrodded the idea of an immediate American counterattack through the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This precipitated the American invasion of Guadalcanal and beat the Japanese to the punch, with Marines landing on the island in August 1942 and starting a bitter struggle that lasted until February 1943 and commenced a battle of attrition Japan could ill afford.
Yamamoto remained in command as Commander-in-Chief, retained at least partly to avoid diminishing the morale of the Combined Fleet. However, he had lost face as a result of the Midway defeat and the Naval General Staff were disinclined to indulge in further gambles. This reduced Yamamoto to pursuing the classic defensive Decisive Battle strategy he had attempted to overturn.
The naval and land battles at Guadalcanal caught the Japanese over-extended and attempting to support fighting in New Guinea while guarding the Central Pacific and preparing to conduct Operation FS. The FS operation was abandoned and the Japanese attempted to fight in both New Guinea and Guadalcanal at the same time. Already stretched thin, they suffered repeated setbacks due to a lack of shipping, a lack of troops, and a disastrous inability to coordinate Army and Navy activities.
Yamamoto committed Combined Fleet units to a series of small attrition actions across the south and central Pacific that stung the Americans, but suffered losses he could ill afford in return. Three major efforts to carry the island precipitated a pair of carrier battles that Yamamoto commanded personally at the Eastern Solomons and Santa Cruz Islands in September and October, and finally a wild pair of surface engagements in November, all timed to coincide with Japanese Army pushes. The timing of each major battle was successively derailed when the army could not hold up its end of the operation. Yamamoto's naval forces won a few victories and inflicted considerable losses and damage to the U.S. Fleet in several naval battles around Guadalcanal which included the battles of Savo Island, Cape Esperance, and Tassafaronga, but he could never draw the Americans into a decisive fleet action. As a result, the Japanese Navy's strength began to bleed off.
There were severe losses of carrier dive-bomber and torpedo-bomber crews in the carrier battles, emasculating the already depleted carrier air groups. Japan could not hope to match the United States in quantities of well-trained replacement pilots, and the quality of both Japanese land-based and naval aviation began declining. Particularly harmful, however, were losses of numerous destroyers in the unsuccessful Tokyo Express supply runs. The IJN already faced a shortage of such ships, and these losses further exacerbated Japan's already weakened commerce defense.[19] With Guadalcanal lost in February 1943, there was no further attempt by the Japanese navy to seek a major battle in the Solomon Islands against the U.S. fleet, although smaller attrition battles continued. Yamamoto shifted the load of the air battle away from the depleted carriers groups and to the land-based naval air forces.
| Takeo Kurita | |
|---|---|
Japanese Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita
| |
| Born | April 28, 1889 Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | December 19, 1977 (aged 88)[1] |
| Allegiance |  Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1910–1945 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral (Kaigun Chujo) |
| Commands held | Shigure, Oite, Wakatake, Hagi,Hamakaze, Urakaze, 25th Destroyer Group and 10th Destroyer Group, 12th Destroyer Group, Abukuma, Kongō, 1st Destroyer Flotilla, 4th Destroyer Flotilla, 7th Cruiser Division, 3rd Battleship Division, IJN 2nd Fleet[1] |
| Battles/wars | World War II Battle of Sunda Strait Indian Ocean Raid Battle of Midway Guadalcanal campaign Battle of the Philippine Sea Battle of Leyte Gulf Battle of the Sibuyan Sea Battle off Samar |
| Awards | Order of the Sacred Treasure (2nd class) |
In this Japanese name, the family name is "Kurita".
Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita (栗田 健男 Kurita Takeo?, 28 April 1889 – 19 December 1977) was a vice-admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navyduring World War II.
World War II[edit]
Early campaigns[edit]
Kurita's 7th Cruiser Division participated in the invasion of Java in the Dutch East Indies in December 1941, and in theIndian Ocean Raid where he led a fleet of six heavy cruisers and the light carrier Ryūjō that sank 135,000 tons of shipping in the Bay of Bengal.[2] During the Battle of Midway (serving under Nobutake Kondō), he lost the cruiser Mikuma. Kurita was promoted to vice admiral on 1 May 1942, and was reassigned to the 3rd Battleship Division in July.
The Yamato during sea trials off Japan near Bungo Strait, 20 October 1941.
| |
| Career ( Empire of Japan) |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | March 1937[1] |
| Builder: | Kure DY[2] |
| Laid down: | 4 November 1937[2] |
| Launched: | 8 August 1940[2] |
| Commissioned: | 16 December 1941[2] |
| Struck: | 31 August 1945 |
| Fate: | Sunk 7 April 1945 north ofOkinawa[3] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Yamato-class battleship |
| Displacement: | 65,027 tonnes (64,000 long tons)[4] 71,659 tonnes (70,527 long tons) (full load)[4] |
| Length: | 256 m (839 ft 11 in) (waterline) 263 m (862 ft 10 in) (overall)[4] |
| Beam: | 38.9 m (127 ft 7 in)[4] |
| Draft: | 11 m (36 ft 1 in)[4] |
| Installed power: | 150,000 shp (111,855 kW)[4] |
| Propulsion: | |
| Speed: | 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)[4] |
| Range: | 7,200 nmi (13,334 km; 8,286 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)[4] |
| Complement: | 2,500–2,800[4][5] |
| Armament: (1941) | 9 × 46 cm (18.1 in) (3×3)[4]
12 × 155 mm (6.1 in) (4×3)[4]
12 × 127 mm (5.0 in) (6x2)[4] 24 × 25 mm (0.98 in) (8×3)[4] 4 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) AA (2×2)[4] |
| Armament: (1945) | 9 × 46 cm (18.1 in) (3×3)[6] |
| Armor: | 650 mm (26 in) on face of main turrets[7] 410 mm (16 in) side armor[7] 200 mm (7.9 in) central(75%) armored deck[7] 226.5 mm (8.92 in) outer(25%) armored deck[7] |
| Aircraft carried: | 7[7] |
| Aviation facilities: | 2 aircraft catapults[7] |
Yamato (大和?), named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was the lead ship of the Yamato class of battleships that served with theImperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She and her sister ship,Musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing 72,800 tonnes at full load and armed with nine 46 cm (18.1 inch) main guns. Neither ship survived the war.
Laid down in 1937 and formally commissioned a week after the Pearl Harbor attack in late 1941, Yamato was designed to counter the numerically superior battleship fleet of the United States, Japan's main rival in the Pacific. Throughout 1942 she served as the flagship of theJapanese Combined Fleet, and in June 1942 Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto directed the fleet from her bridge during the Battle of Midway, a disastrous defeat for Japan. Musashi took over as the Combined Fleet flagship in early 1943, and Yamato spent the rest of the year, and much of 1944, moving between the major Japanese naval bases of Truk and Kure in response to American threats. Although she was present at the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, Yamatoplayed no part in the battle.
The only time she fired her main guns at enemy surface targets was in October 1944, when she was sent to engage American forces invading the Philippines during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The Japanese were unaware that Admiral Halsey's entire massive fast carrier task force with battleships had been successfully lured away by a feint. Left behind was only a slow escort carrier task force armed against ground forces with no hope of protecting vulnerable troop transports from the Yamato. But as the American light ships resembled larger cruisers and carriers, the Japanese believed they were fighting the main fleet. The massive guns of Yamato would not be turned against battleships, but in the Battle off Samar would instead be used in a seemingly mismatched showdown against small and inexpensive light ships and carriers. Nevertheless desperate American sailors and aviators delivered accurate shellfire and torpedoes from ships as small as destroyer escorts. These attacks wrought enough havoc on the Japanese surface force to cause it to turn back, but only after inflicting losses comparable in ships and men to the Battle of Midway.
During 1944, the balance of naval power in the Pacific decisively turned against Japan and, by early 1945, the Japanese fleet was much depleted and critically short of fuel stocks in the home islands, limiting its usefulness. In April 1945, in a desperate attempt to slow the Allied advance, Yamato was dispatched on a one way voyage to Okinawa, where it was intended that she should protect the island from invasion and fight until destroyed. 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.
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[hide]Design and construction
Main article: Yamato-class battleship
During the 1930s the Japanese government adopted an ultranationalist militancy with a view to greatly expand theJapanese Empire.[8] Japan withdrew from the League of Nations in 1934, renouncing its treaty obligations.[9] After withdrawing from the Washington Naval Treaty, which limited the size and power of capital ships, the Imperial Japanese Navy began their design of the new Yamato class of heavy battleships. The class design was not finalized until 1937.[10]When the class was finally laid down, a great effort was made in Japan to ensure that the ships were built in extreme secrecy to prevent American intelligence officials from learning of their existence and specifications.[6][11] As part of the secrecy, the Japanese referred to their armament as 40 cm guns. It was not until the end of the war that her true displacement and the caliber of her weaponry were known. Yamato was the lead ship of the class.[12] Planners recognized that Japan would be unable to compete with the output of naval shipyards of the United States should war break out, so the vessels of the Yamato class were designed to be capable of engaging multiple enemy battleships at the same time.[13][14]They displaced over 70,000 tons each, and it was hoped that their firepower would offset American naval production capabilities.[4]
Yamato's keel was laid down at the Kure Naval Arsenal, Hiroshima, on 4 November 1937, in a dockyard that had to be adapted to accommodate her enormous hull.[6][15] The dock was deepened by one meter, and gantry cranes capable of lifting up to 350 tonnes were installed.[6][16] Fearful that the United States would learn of the vessel's characteristics, the Japanese erected a canopy over part of the slipway to screen the ship from view.[17] Yamato was launched on 8 August 1940, with Captain (later Vice-Admiral) Miyazato Shutoku in command.[18]
Armament
Yamato's main battery consisted of nine 46 cm (18.1 in) 45 Caliber Type 94 naval guns—the largest caliber of naval artillery ever fitted to a warship,[20] although the shells were not as heavy as those fired by the British 18-inch naval guns of World War I. Each gun was 21.13 metres (69.3 ft) long, weighed 147.3 tonnes (162.4 short tons), and was capable of firing high explosive or armor piercing shells 42 kilometres (26 mi).[21] Her secondary battery comprised twelve 155-millimetre (6.1 in) guns mounted in four triple turrets (one forward, one aft, two midships), and twelve 127-millimetre (5.0 in) guns in six twin mounts (three on each side amidships). These turrets had been taken off the Mogami-class cruisers when those vessels were converted to a main armament of 8 inch guns. In addition, Yamato carried twenty-four 25-millimetre (0.98 in) anti-aircraft guns, primarily mounted amidships.[20] When refitted in 1944 and 1945 for naval engagements in the South Pacific,[5] the secondary battery configuration was changed to six 155 mm guns and twenty four 127 mm guns, and the number of 25 mm anti-aircraft guns was increased to 162.[22]
Service
Trials and initial operations
During October or November 1941 Yamato underwent sea trials, reaching her maximum possible speed of 27.4 knots (50.7 km/h; 31.5 mph).[18][N 1] As war loomed, priority was given to accelerating military construction. On 16 December—months ahead of schedule—the battleship was formally commissioned at Kure. The ceremony was more austere than usual; the Japanese were still intent on concealing the ship's characteristics.[18] The same day, under Captain (later Vice-Admiral) Gihachi Takayanagi, she joined fellow battleships Nagato and Mutsu in the 1st Battleship Division.[24]
On 12 February 1942, Yamato became the flagship of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's Combined Fleet.[18][23] The Japanese admiral was planning a decisive engagement with the United States Navy at Midway Island, so after participating in war games Yamato departedHiroshima Bay on 27 May for duty with Yamamoto's main battleship group.[18][25] US codebreakers were aware of Yamamoto's intentions and the Battle of Midway proved disastrous for Japan's carrier force, with four fleet carriers and 332 aircraft destroyed.[18] Yamamoto exercised overall command from Yamato's bridge,[25] but his battleplan had widely dispersed his forces to lure the Americans into a trap, and the battleship group was too far away to take part in the engagement.[18] On 5 June, Yamamoto ordered the remaining ships to return to Japan, so Yamato withdrew with the main battleship force to Hashirajima before making her way back to Kure.
Fletcher, Frank Jack, Admiral-
| Frank Jack Fletcher | |
|---|---|
 
Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, USN Photographed aboard USS Saratoga (CV-3), September 17, 1942. Official U.S. Navy Photograph
| |
| Born | April 29, 1885 Marshalltown, Iowa |
| Died | April 25, 1973 (aged 87) Bethesda, Maryland |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1906-1947 |
| Rank |  Admiral |
| Battles/wars | Mexican Revolution –Battle of Veracruz World War I –Battle of the Atlantic World War II –Battle of the Coral Sea –Battle of Midway –Guadalcanal campaign –Tulagi –Eastern Solomons |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Navy Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal |
| Relations | Nephew of Frank Friday Fletcher |
Frank Jack Fletcher (April 29, 1885 – April 25, 1973) was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. Fletcher was the operational commander at the pivotal Battles of Coral Sea and ofMidway. As a lieutenant, Fletcher was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in battle at Veracruz. He was the nephew of Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher, another Medal of Honor recipient.
Midway — June 4–7, 1942[edit]
In June 1942, Fletcher was the Officer in Tactical Command at the Battle of Midway with two task forces, his usual TF 17 with quickly repaired Yorktown, plus TF 16 with USS Enterprise and USS Hornet. Vice Admiral William Halsey normally commanded this task force, but became ill and was replaced by Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance. When aircraft from four Japanese carriers attacked Midway Island, the three U.S. carriers, warned by broken Japanese codes and waiting in ambush, attacked and sank three enemy carriers – Akagi, Kaga, Soryu. Enterprise and Hornet lost seventy aircraft. Japanese attacks on June 4 severely damaged Yorktown; repairs returned her to the battle until she was hopelessly disabled by a new round of attacks two hours later. Fletcher's scouts found the fourth carrier and Enterprise with Yorktownplanes then sank Hiryu. At dusk, Fletcher released Spruance to continue fighting with TF 16 the next day. During the next two days, Spruance found two damaged cruisers and sank one. The enemy transport and battle fleets got away. A Japanese submarine, I-168, found crippled Yorktown under tow on June 5 and sank her, along with an adjacent destroyer,USS Hammann (DD-412). Japan had had seven large carriers (six at Pearl Harbor and one new construction) – four were sunk at Midway. This did not win the war, but evened the odds between Japanese and American fleet carriers. Following the battle Fletcher was promoted to Vice Admiral and continued to command a carrier group at sea after shifting his flag toUSS Saratoga.
| Raymond A. Spruance | |
|---|---|
Spruance in April 1944
| |
| Birth name | Raymond Ames Spruance |
| Born | July 3, 1886 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Died | December 13, 1969 (aged 83) Pebble Beach, California |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1907–1948 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | United States Pacific Fleet |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Navy Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal (3) Army Distinguished Service Medal |
| Other work | Ambassador to the Philippines |
Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 – December 13, 1969) was aUnited States Navy admiral in World War II.
Spruance commanded US naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles that took place in the Pacific theater, the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The Battle of Midwaywas the first major victory for the United States over Japan and is seen by many as the turning point of the Pacific war. The Battle of the Philippine Sea was also a significant victory for the US. The Navy's official historian said of the Battle of Midway "...Spruance's performance was superb...(he) emerged from this battle one of the greatest admirals in American naval history".[1] After the war, Spruance was appointedPresident of the Naval War College, and later served as Americanambassador to the Philippines.
Spruance was nicknamed "electric brain" for his calmness even in moments of supreme crisis: a reputation enhanced by his successful tactics at Midway.
Before Midway[edit]
In the first months of World War II in the Pacific, Spruance commanded the four heavy cruisers and support ships of Cruiser Division Five from his flagship, the USS Northampton . His division was an element of the task force built around the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise commanded by Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr. Early on, Halsey had led his task force on hit and run raids against the Japanese in the western Pacific: striking the Gilbert and Marshall islands in February, 1942, Wake Island in March, and projecting the air power of the Doolittle Raid against the Japanese homeland in April. These raids were critical to morale—setting a new tone of aggressiveness by US commanders while providing invaluable battle experience for the commanders and sailors of the US Navy.[3]
Spruance at Midway[edit]
Main article: Battle of Midway
During the third week of May 1942 US naval intelligence units confirmed that the Japanese would—by early June—invadeMidway Island. Capturing and occupying Midway was the brainchild-plan of Commander in Chief of the Combined FleetAdmiral Isoroku Yamamoto. With it he intended to significantly expand the IJN's outer defense perimeter across the central Pacific; and, he believed, this very powerful stroke against Midway would so severely threaten Hawaii and Pearl Harbor that the US government would be induced to sue for peace[6] (see Battle of Midway: Background). On the other hand, Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz knew he must intercept the Japanese invasion fleet, and that he must give battle to the enemy aircraft carriers before they could project their overwhelming power against the naval air station at Midway.
Less than two days before launch from Pearl Harbor, Nimitz's commander of the Fleet carrier force, Admiral Halsey, was hospitalized with severe shingles;[7] Halsey immediately recommended Admiral Spruance to Nimitz as his replacement. Although Spruance was proven as a cruiser division commander, he had no experience handling carrier-air combat; Halsey reassured Nimitz, and he told Spruance to rely on his newly inherited staff, particularly Captain Miles Browning, a battle-proven expert in carrier warfare.[8] Spruance assumed command of Task Force 16 with its two carriers USS Enterprise andUSS Hornet under battle command of Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. Fletcher’s flagship USS Yorktown had been badly damaged at the Battle of the Coral Sea, but—at Nimitz's behest—it was patched-repaired in 'rush' time purposefully to join the Midway operation.
The US Navy intercept force centered on the three carriers Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown and their air-attack squadrons; it faced an IJN invasion fleet organized into two groups: the air-attack task force of four carriers with support ships under command of Admiral Nagumo; and the surface and occupation forces under Admiral Kondo and others. Admiral Yamamoto commanded the combined invasion fleet from aboard his flagship Yamato.
The battle commenced on the morning of June 4; the first several waves of US attack aircraft were badly beaten, both near Midway and at sea around the Japanese task force. Then US dive bombers from Spruance's Enterprise located Nagumo's fleet of four carriers—which, fatefully, were without air cover. Most of Nagumo's attack planes had just returned from the first strike on Midway and were immobilized on the carrier decks, while his CAP cover planes were engaged with battling torpedo bombers sent by Spruance from Hornet (see Battle of Midway: Spruance judged.. and he gambled..). The US dive bombers critically damaged three Japanese carriers including Nagumo's flagship Akagi; all three eventually sank. The surviving carrier, Hiryū, gave the Japanese some (brief) respite by sending strikes that crippled Yorktown. But several hours later—near the end of daylight hours—a US scout plane located Hiryū again. Spruance quickly ordered his dive bombers to strike, which fatally damaged the fourth Japanese carrier; it was scuttled the next day.
The US Navy counterforce sank all four Japanese carriers while losing one of its own, Yorktown. The devastating repulse of the IJN invasion fleet at Midway, largely directed by Spruance, essentially ended Japanese superiority in naval air-fleet power in the Pacific.
In 1949 naval historian Samuel E. Morison noted that Spruance was subjected to criticism for not pursuing the retreating Japanese and allowing the surface fleet to escape.[9] But in summing up Spruance's performance in the battle, Morison wrote: "Fletcher did well, but Spruance's performance was superb. Calm, collected, decisive, yet receptive to advice; keeping in his mind the picture of widely disparate forces, yet boldly seizing every opening. Raymond A. Spruance emerged from the battle one of the greatest admirals in American Naval history".[10][11]
For his actions at the battle of Midway Rear Admiral Spruance was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and cited as follows: “For exceptionally meritorious service… as Task Force Commander, United States Pacific Fleet. During the Midway engagement which resulted in the defeat of and heavy losses to the enemy fleet, his seamanship, endurance, and tenacity in handling his task force were of the highest quality.”[12] Both Fletcher and Nimitz recommended Spruance for the Distinguished Service Medal for his role in the battle.[13]
The Battle of Midway is generally considered to be the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Before Midway, a small and fractional US Navy faced an overwhelmingly larger and battle-hardened Japanese Combined Fleet. After Midway, although the Japanese still held a temporary advantage in vessels and planes, the US Navy and the nation gained confidence and, most critically, time. The setback in the IJN timetable to encircle the Pacific gave the US industrial machine time to crank-up war production, and ultimately, to turn the advantage on Japan in the production of ships, planes, guns, and all the other matériel of war. An epic battle of aircraft carriers and attack air squadrons, Midway infused the US Pacific Navy with confidence. And with this battle the American forces gained, and afterwards continued to gain, hard combat experience; so the Japanese lost that crucial advantage as well.
Shannon, Harold D., Colonel-
Harold Douglas Shannon (September 16, 1892 – February 16, 1943) was an officer in the United States Marine Corps.
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[hide]Biography[edit]
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Shannon enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on October 17, 1913 and served in Mexico in 1914. On July 5, 1917, he was appointed Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve and was subsequently commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. From October 1917 through the end of World War I, he served in France and was awarded the Silver Star and theCroix de Guerre for his actions during the Belleau Wood Campaign. In October 1919, he returned to the United States.
Over the next 20 years, he served at various stations in the United States and completed tours in Santo Domingo,Nicaragua, and the Panama Canal Zone. In July 1941, he was transferred from San Diego, California to Pearl Harbor; and, in September 1941, to Midway Island. He was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership in the defense of that island during the Battle of Midway.
Colonel Shannon remained on Midway into August. He was then transferred to Pearl Harbor; and, in October, to San Diego, California, where he died on February 16, 1943 from pneumonia.
| PBY Catalina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| PBY-5 landing at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. | |
| Role | Maritime patrol and search-and-rescue seaplane |
| Manufacturer | Consolidated Aircraft |
| Designer | Isaac M. Laddon |
| First flight | 28 March 1935 |
| Introduction | October 1936, United States Navy |
| Retired | January 1957, United States Navy Reserve |
| Primary users | United States Navy United States Army Air Forces Royal Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force Royal Australian Air Force |
| Produced | 1936–1945 |
| Number built | 3,305 ( 2,661 US-built,[1] 620 Canadian-built, 24 Soviet-built[2]) |
| Unit cost |
US$90,000 (as of 1935)
Adjusted by inflation: 1548131 |
| Variants | Bird Innovator |
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat, and later an amphibious aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s produced byConsolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes ofWorld War II. Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other nations.
During World War II, PBYs were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escorts, search and rescue missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport. The PBY was the most numerous aircraft of its kind and the last active military PBYs were not retired from service until the 1980s. In 2014, nearly 80 years after its first flight, the aircraft continues to fly as a waterbomber (or airtanker) in aerial firefighting operations all over the world.
The designation "PBY" was determined in accordance with the U.S. Navy aircraft designation system of 1922; PB representing "Patrol Bomber" and Y being the code assigned to Consolidated Aircraft as its manufacturer. Catalinas built by other manufacturers for the US Navy were designated according to different manufacturer codes, thusCanadian Vickers-built examples were designated PBV, Boeing Canadaexamples PB2B (there already being a Boeing PBB) and Naval Aircraft Factory examples were designated PBN. Canadian examples were named Canso by the Royal Canadian Air Force in accordance with contemporary British naming practice of naming seaplanes after coastal port towns, in this case for the town of Canso in Nova Scotia while theRoyal Air Force used the name Catalina. The United States Army Air Forces and later the United States Air Force used the designation OA-10. Navy Catalinas used in the Pacific against the Japanese for night operations were painted black overall, and as a result were sometimes referred to locally as "Black Cats".
| Robert Henry English | |
|---|---|
Robert English prior to his promotion to rear admiral
| |
| Born | 16 January 1888 Warrenton, Georgia |
| Died | 21 January 1943 (aged 55) near Ukiah, California |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1911-1943 |
| Rank |  Rear Admiral |
| Commands held | USS O-4 (SS-65) USS Helena (CL-50) Commander, Submarines, United States Pacific Fleet |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal Navy Cross |
Robert Henry English (January 16, 1888 - January 21, 1943) was aUnited States Navy Commissioned officer who commanded the U.S. Navy's submarine force in the Pacific Ocean early in World War II.
English was born in Warrenton, Georgia, and he was a member of theUnited States Naval Academy class of 1911. Early in his naval career he became a submariner. In 1917, while commanding submarine USS O-4(SS-65), he won the Navy Cross for his great heroism in rescuing an officer trapped in submarine USS O-5 (SS-66) after an explosion.
After a series of important assignments, he became commanding officer of light cruiser USS Helena (CL-50), and during the Japanese attack onPearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941 was one of the first to bring his ship into action.
On May 14, 1942, he became Commander, Submarines, United States Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC)), and was so serving when killed in the crash of Pan American Flight 1104 into a mountain about 7 miles (11 km) SW of the city of Ukiah in Mendocino County, California on January 21, 1943. In the accident, English and other Navy officers were passengers on a four-engine Martin M-130 flying boat, being flown by aPan American World Airways civilian crew. The aircraft — dubbed the “Philippine Clipper” before it had been purchased by the Navy and pressed into service for the war — was destroyed in the accident; all 19 aboard were killed.
For his exceptionally meritorious service in his last assignment, Rear Admiral English was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
USS Enterprise-
_in_Puget_Sound,_September_1945.jpg)
Aerial view of Enterprise at sea in 1945
| |
| Career (United States) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Enterprise (CV-6) |
| Ordered: | 1933 |
| Builder: | Newport News Shipbuilding |
| Laid down: | 16 July 1934 |
| Launched: | 3 October 1936 |
| Commissioned: | 12 May 1938 |
| Decommissioned: | 17 February 1947 |
| Nickname: |
|
| Honors and awards: |
|
| Fate: | Scrapped 1958–1960 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Yorktown-class aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: |
As built:
From October 1943:
|
| Length: |
As built:
From July 1942:
|
| Beam: |
As built:
From October 1942:
From October 1943:
|
| Draft: | 25 ft 11.5 in (7.912 m) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 32.5 knots (37.4 mph; 60.2 km/h) |
| Range: | 12,500 nautical miles (23,150 km; 14,380 mi) at 15 knots (17 mph; 28 km/h) |
| Complement: | 2,217 officers and men (1941) |
| Sensors and processing systems: | CXAM-1 RADAR[1] |
| Armament: |
As built:
From April 1942:
From mid-June 1942 to mid-September 1942:
From mid-September 1942:
From October 1943:
From September 1945:
|
| Armor: |
|
| Aircraft carried: | 90 aircraft |
| Aviation facilities: |
|
.svg){kind=small}
USS Enterprise (CV-6), was the seventh U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name. Colloquially referred to as the "Big E", she was the sixth aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. A Yorktown class carrier, she was launched in 1936 and was one of only three American carriers commissioned prior to World War II to survive the war (the others beingSaratoga and Ranger). She participated in more major actions of the war against Japan than any other US ship. These actions included theBattle of Midway, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, various other air-sea engagements during theGuadalcanal Campaign, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. On three separate occasions during the Pacific War, the Japanese announced that she had been sunk in battle, earning her the name "The Grey Ghost". Enterprise earned 20 battle stars, the most for any U.S. warship in World War II and became the most decorated US ship of World War II.
The Battle of Midway[edit]
Five days later, the "Big E" sortied toward the South Pacific to reinforce U.S. carriers operating in the Coral Sea. However, the Battle of the Coral Sea was over before Enterprise arrived. After executing, withHornet, a feint towards Nauru and Banaba (Ocean) islands which caused the Japanese to cancel their operation to seize the two islands,Enterprise returned to Pearl Harbor on 26 May, and began intensive preparation to meet the expected Japanese thrust at Midway Island.
On 28 May, Enterprise sortied as Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance's flagship with orders "to hold Midway and inflict maximum damage on the enemy by strong attrition tactics". With Enterprise in CTF 16 were Hornet, sixcruisers, and 10 destroyers. On 30 May, Task Force 17 (TF17), with Rear AdmiralFrank J. Fletcher in Yorktown, left Pearl with two cruisers and six destroyers as CTF-17; as senior officer present, Rear Admiral Fletcher became "Officer in Tactical Command." The usual commander of the Enterprise task force, Vice Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey, was kept in hospital at Pearl with a stress-related skin condition.
Each side launched air attacks during the day in a decisive battle. Though the forces were in contact until 7 June, by 10:45am on 4 June the outcome had been decided. Three Japanese carriers were burning and it was only a matter of time until a fourth was caught and knocked out. The Battle of Midway began on the morning of 4 June 1942, when four Japanese carriers, unaware of the presence of U.S. naval forces, launched attacks on Midway Island. Shortly after the first bomb fell on Midway, the first wave of planes from Midway Island attacked, unsuccessfully. Several more groups attacked, again failing to damage their targets. Planes from the U.S. carriers attacked next. Enterprise torpedo bombers attacked first, scoring no hits and suffering heavy losses, soon after Enterprise dive bombers attacked and disabled the Japanese carriersKaga and Akagi, leaving them ablaze. Within an hour, the one remaining Japanese carrier, Hiryu, launched air strikes that crippled the Yorktown with three bombs and two torpedoes striking home during two separate attacks. In late afternoon, a mixed squadron of Enterprise and Yorktown bombers, flying from the Enterprise, disabled Hiryu,leaving her burning (aircraft from Yorktown had also disabled Sōryū at the same time as the Enterprise planes were bombing Akagi and Kaga, again leaving it burning and dead in the water). While Yorktown and Hammann were the only American ships sunk, TF 16 and TF 17 lost a total of 113 planes, 61 of them in combat, during the battle. Japanese losses were much larger: four carriers(all scuttled),[6] one cruiser, and 272 carrier aircraft. Despite losses to her aircraft squadrons, Enterprise came through undamaged and returned to Pearl Harbor on 13 June 1942.
.jpg)
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 ("A" device); 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.
USS Yorktown-
_Jul1937.jpg)
USS Yorktown in July 1937
| |
| Career (United States) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Yorktown (CV-5) |
| Namesake: | The Battle of Yorktown |
| Ordered: | 3 August 1933 |
| Builder: | Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. |
| Laid down: | 21 May 1934 |
| Launched: | 4 April 1936 |
| Sponsored by: | Eleanor Roosevelt |
| Commissioned: | 30 September 1937 |
| In service: | 1937 |
| Out of service: | 1942 |
| Struck: | 2 October 1942 |
| Honors and awards: | 3 battle stars American Defense Service Medal ("A" device)/American Campaign Medal / Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (3 stars) / World War II Victory Medal |
| Fate: | Sunk 7 June 1942 in the Battle of Midway, 141 men killed. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Yorktown-class aircraft carrier |
| Type: | Aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: | As built: 19,800 long tons (20,100 t) light 25,500 long tons (25,900 t) full load |
| Length: | As built: 770 ft (230 m) (waterline @ design draft) 824 ft 9 in (251.38 m) overall |
| Beam: | As built: 83 ft 3 in (25.37 m) (waterline) 109 ft 6 in (33.38 m) (overall) |
| Draft: | 25 ft 11.5 in (7.912 m) (as built) |
| Propulsion: | 9 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 4 × Parsons geared turbines, 120,000 shp (89 MW) 4 × screws |
| Speed: | 32.5 knots (37.4 mph; 60.2 km/h) |
| Range: | 12,500 nautical miles (23,200 km; 14,400 mi) at 15 knots (17 mph; 28 km/h) |
| Complement: | 2,217 officers and men (1941) |
| Sensors and processing systems: | CXAM RADAR from 1940[1] |
| Armament: |
As built:
From February 1942:
|
| Armor: | As built: 2.5-4 inch belt 60 lb protective decks 4 inch bulkheads 4 inch side and 3 inch top round conning tower 4 inch side over steering gear |
| Aircraft carried: | As built: 90 aircraft 3 × elevators 2 × flight deck hydraulic catapults 1 × hangar deck hydraulic catapults |
USS Yorktown (CV-5) was an aircraft carrier commissioned in theUnited States Navy from 1937 until she was sunk at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. She was named after the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 and the lead ship of the Yorktown class which was designed after lessons learned from operations with the large converted battlecruiserLexington class and the smaller purpose-built Ranger. She represented the epitome of U.S. pre-war carrier design.
Battle of Midway[edit]
Main article: Battle of Midway
_underway_at_Midway_1942.jpg)
Armed with this intelligence Admiral Nimitz began methodically planning Midway's defense, rushing all possible reinforcement in the way of men, planes and guns to Midway. In addition, he began gathering his comparatively meager naval forces to meet the enemy at sea. As part of those preparations, he recalled TF16, Enterpriseand Hornet, to Pearl Harbor for a quick replenishment.
Yorktown, too, received orders to return to Hawaii; and she arrived at Pearl Harbor on 27 May, entering dry dock the following day. The damage the ship had sustained after Coral Sea was considerable, and led to the Navy Yard inspectors estimating that she would need at least two weeks of repairs. However, Admiral Nimitz ordered that she be made ready to sail alongside TF16. Yard workers there, laboring around the clock, made enough repairs to enable the ship to put to sea again in 48 hours. The repairs were made in such a short time that the Japanese Naval Commanders thought they had mistaken Yorktown for another vessel as they thought she had been sunk after the previous battle, yet she had returned. Her air group was augmented by planes and crews fromSaratoga which was then headed for Pearl Harbor after her refit on the West Coast. Yorktown sailed as the core of TF17 on 30 May.
Northeast of Midway, Yorktown, flying Rear Admiral Fletcher's flag, rendezvoused with TF16 under Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and maintained a position 10 miles (16 km) to the northward of him.
Patrols, both from Midway and the carriers, were flown during early June. At dawn on 4 June Yorktown launched a 10-plane group of Dauntlesses from VB-5 which searched a northern semicircle for a distance of 100 miles (160 km) out but found nothing.
Meanwhile, PBYs flying from Midway had sighted the approaching Japanese and broadcast the alarm for the American forces defending the key atoll. Admiral Fletcher, in tactical command, ordered Admiral Spruance's TF16 to locate and strike the enemy carrier force.
Yorktown's search group returned at 0830, landing soon after the last of the six-plane CAP had left the deck. When the last of the Dauntlesses were recovered, the deck was hastily respotted for the launch of the ship's attack group: 17 Dauntlesses from VB-3, 12 Devastators from VT-3, and six Wildcats from "Fighting Three." Enterprise and Hornet, meanwhile, launched their attack groups.
The torpedo planes from the three American carriers located the Japanese striking force, but met disaster. Of the 41 planes from VT-8, VT-6, and VT-3, only six returned to Enterprise and Yorktown; none made it back to Hornet.
As a reaction to the torpedo attack the Japanese CAP had broken off their high-altitude cover for their carriers and had concentrated on the Devastators, flying "on the deck", allowing Dauntlesses from Yorktown and Enterprise to arrive unopposed.
Virtually unopposed, Yorktown's dive-bombers attacked Sōryū, making three lethal hits with 1,000 pound bombs and setting her on fire.[2] Enterprise's planes, meanwhile, hit Akagi and Kaga, effectively destroying them. The bombs from the Dauntlesses caught all of the Japanese carriers in the midst of refueling and rearming operations, causing devastating fires and explosions.
Three of the four Japanese carriers had been destroyed. The fourth, Hiryū, separated from her sisters, launched a striking force of 18 "Vals" and soon located Yorktown.
As soon as the attackers had been picked up on Yorktown's radar at about 1329, she discontinued fueling her CAP fighters on deck and swiftly cleared for action. Her returning dive bombers were moved from the landing circle to open the area for antiaircraft fire. The Dauntlesses were ordered aloft to form a CAP. An auxiliary 800 gallon gasoline tank was pushed over the carrier's fantail, eliminating one fire hazard. The crew drained fuel lines and closed and secured all compartments.
All of Yorktown's fighters were vectored out to intercept the oncoming Japanese aircraft, and did so some 15 to 20 miles (32 km) out. The Wildcats attacked vigorously, breaking up what appeared to be an organized attack by some 18 "Vals" and 6 "Zeroes."[3] "Planes were flying in every direction", wrote Captain Buckmaster after the action, "and many were falling in flames." The leader of the "Vals", Lieutenant Michio Kobayashi, was probably shot down by the VF-3's commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander John S. Thach. Lieutenant William W. Barnes also pressed home the first attack, possibly taking out the lead bomber and damaging at least two others. Despite an intensive barrage and evasive maneuvering, three "Vals" scored hits. Two of them were shot down soon after releasing their bomb loads; the third went out of control just as his bomb left the rack. It tumbled in flight and hit just abaft number two elevator on the starboard side, exploding on contact and blasting a hole about 10 feet (3 m) square in the flight deck. Splinters from the exploding bomb killed most of the crews of the two 1.1-inch (28 mm) gun mounts aft of the island and on the flight deck below. Fragments piercing the flight deck hit three planes on the hangar deck, starting fires. One of the aircraft, a YorktownDauntless, was fully fueled and carrying a 1,000 pound bomb. Prompt action by Lt. A. C. Emerson, the hangar deck officer, prevented a serious fire by activating the sprinkler system and quickly extinguishing the fire.
The second bomb to hit the ship came from the port side, pierced the flight deck, and exploded in the lower part of thefunnel. It ruptured the uptakes for three boilers, disabled two boilers, and extinguished the fires in five boilers. Smoke and gases began filling the firerooms of six boilers. The men at number one boiler remained at their post and kept it alight, maintaining enough steam pressure to allow the auxiliary steam systems to function.
A third bomb hit the carrier from the starboard side, pierced the side of number one elevator and exploded on the fourth deck, starting a persistent fire in the rag storage space, adjacent to the forward gasoline stowage and the magazines. The prior precaution of smothering the gasoline system with carbon dioxide undoubtedly prevented the gasoline from igniting.
While the ship recovered from the damage inflicted by the dive-bombing attack, her speed dropped to six knots; and then at 14:40, about 20 minutes after the bomb hit that had shut down most of the boilers, Yorktown slowed to a stop, dead in the water.
At about 15:40, Yorktown prepared to get steaming again; and, at 15:50, the engine room force reported that they were ready to make 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h) or better.
Simultaneously, with the fires controlled sufficiently to warrant the resumption of fueling, Yorktown began refueling the fighters then on deck; just then the ship's radar picked up an incoming air group at a distance of 33 miles (53 km). While the ship prepared for battle, again smothering gasoline systems and stopping the fueling of the planes on her flight deck, she vectored four of the six fighters of the CAP in the air to intercept the raiders. Of the 10 fighters on board, eight had as little as 23 gallons of fuel in their tanks. They were launched as the remaining pair of fighters of the CAP headed out to intercept the Japanese planes.
At 16:00, maneuvering Yorktown churned forward, making 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h). The fighters she had launched and vectored out to intercept had meanwhile made contact with the enemy. Yorktown received reports that the planes were "Kates." The Wildcats shot down at least three, but the rest began their approach while the carrier and her escorts mounted a heavy antiaircraft barrage.
Yorktown maneuvered radically, avoiding at least two torpedoes before another two struck the port side within minutes of each other, the first at 16:20. The carrier had been mortally wounded; she lost power and went dead in the water with a jammed rudder and an increasing list to port.
As the ship's list progressed Commander C. E. Aldrich, the damage control officer, reported from central station that, without power, controlling the flooding looked impossible. The engineering officer, LCDR. J. F. Delaney, soon reported that all boiler fires were out, that all power was lost and that it was impossible to correct the list. Buckmaster ordered Aldrich, Delaney, and their men to secure and lay up on deck to put on life jackets.
The list, meanwhile, continued to increase. When it reached 26 degrees, Buckmaster and Aldrich agreed that capsizing was imminent. "In order to save as many of the ship's company as possible", the captain wrote later, he "ordered the ship to be abandoned."
Over the next few minutes the crew lowered the wounded into life rafts and struck out for the nearby destroyers and cruisers to be picked up by their boats, abandoning ship in good order. After the evacuation of all wounded, the executive officer, Commander I. D. Wiltsie, left the ship down a line on the starboard side. Buckmaster, meanwhile, toured the ship one last time, to see if any men remained. After finding no "live personnel", Buckmaster lowered himself into the water by means of a line over the stern, by which time water was lapping the port side of the hangar deck.
Salvage and sinking[edit]
After being picked up by the destroyer USS Hammann, Buckmaster transferred to the cruiser Astoria and reported to Rear Admiral Fletcher, who had shifted his flag to the heavy cruiser after the first dive-bombing attack. The two men agreed that a salvage party should attempt to save the ship, since she had stubbornly remained afloat despite the heavy list and imminent danger of capsizing.
While efforts to save Yorktown had been proceeding apace, her planes were still in action, joining those from Enterprise in striking the last Japanese carrier - Hiryū - late that afternoon. Taking four direct hits, the Japanese carrier was soon helpless. She was abandoned by her crew and left to drift out of control.
Yorktown, as it turned out, floated throughout the night. Two men were still alive on board her; one attracted attention by firing a machine gun, heard by the sole attending destroyer, Hughes. The escort picked up the men, one of whom later died.
Meanwhile, Buckmaster had selected 29 officers and 141 men to return to the ship in an attempt to save her. Five destroyers formed an antisubmarine screen while the salvage party boarded the listing carrier, the fire in the rag storage still smouldering on the morning of the 6th. The Fleet Tug USS Vireo, summoned from Pearl and Hermes Reef, soon commenced towing the ship, although progress was painfully slow.
Yorktown's repair party went on board with a carefully predetermined plan of action to be carried out by men from each department - damage control, gunnery air engineering, navigation, communication, supply and medical. To assist in the work, Lt. Cdr. Arnold E. True brought his ship, USS Hammann, alongside to starboard, aft, furnishing pumps and electric power.
By mid-afternoon, it looked as if the gamble to save the ship was paying off. The process of reducing topside weight was proceeding well - one 5-inch (127 mm) gun had been dropped over the side, and a second was ready to be cast loose; planes had been pushed over the side; the submersible pumps (powered by electricity provided by Hammann) had pumped a lot of water out of the engineering spaces. The efforts of the salvage crew had reduced the list about two degrees.
Unknown to Yorktown and the six nearby destroyers, Japanese submarine I-168had achieved a favorable firing position. Remarkably - but perhaps understandably due to the debris and wreckage in the water in the vicinity - none of the destroyers picked up the approaching I-boat. At 15:36 lookouts spotted a salvo of four torpedoes approaching the ship from the starboard beam.
Hammann went to general quarters, a 20 millimeter gun going into action in an attempt to explode the torpedoes in the water, her screws churning the water beneath her fantail as she tried to get underway. One torpedo hit Hammann directly amidships and broke her back. The destroyer jackknifed and went down rapidly.
Two torpedoes struck Yorktown just below the turn of the bilge at the after end of the island structure. The fourth torpedo passed just astern of the carrier.
About a minute after Hammann sank there was an underwater explosion, possibly caused by the destroyer's depth charges going off. The blast killed many of Hammann's and a few of Yorktown's men who had been thrown into the water. The concussion battered the already-damaged carrier's hull and caused tremendous shocks that carried away Yorktown's auxiliary generator, sent numerous fixtures from the hangar deck overhead crashing to the deck below, sheared rivets in the starboard leg of the foremast, and threw men in every direction, causing broken bones and several minor injuries.
All destroyers immediately commenced searches for the enemy submarine (which escaped) and commenced rescuing men from Hammann and Yorktown. Captain Buckmaster decided to postpone further attempts at salvage until the following day.
Vireo cut the tow and doubled back to Yorktown to pick up survivors, taking on board many men of the salvage crew while picking up men from the water. The little ship endured a terrific pounding from the larger ship but nevertheless stayed alongside to carry out her rescue mission. Later, while on board the tug, Buckmaster conducted a burial service, and two officers and an enlisted man from Hammann were buried at sea.
The second attempt at salvage was never made. Throughout the night of the 6th and into the morning of the 7th, Yorktownremained stubbornly afloat. By 05:30 on 7 June, however, the men in the ships nearby noted that the carrier's list was rapidly increasing to port. At 07:01, the ship turned over onto her port side, rolled upside-down, and sank, stern first, in 3,000 fathoms (5,500 m) of water.
In all, Yorktown's sinking claimed the lives of 141 of her officers.
Task Force 16-
| Task Force 16 | |
|---|---|
Task Force 16 with the Enterprise (center left) and battleshipSouth Dakota (distant background) under Japanese carrier air attack during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October 1942.
| |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Allies of World War II |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Type | Naval aviation unit |
| Role | Aircraft carrier support |
| Engagements | Marshalls-Gilberts raids Doolittle Raid Battle of Midway Battle of the Eastern Solomons Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands Naval Battle of Guadalcanal Battle of Rennell Island |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | William Halsey, Jr., Raymond A. Spruance Thomas Kinkaid |
Task Force 16 (TF16) was one of the most storied task forces in theUnited States Navy, a major participant in a number of the most important battles of the Pacific War.
It was formed in mid-February 1942 around Enterprise (CV-6), with Vice Admiral William F. Halsey in command of the force, and supported bycruisers Salt Lake City (CA-25) and Northampton (CA-26), along with a half-dozen destroyers.
The task force's first mission was to shell Wake Island and Marcus Island, then, joined by Hornet (CV-8) and the rest of Task Force 18(TF18), in April the force conducted the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. In May Halsey was ordered to join Task Force 17 (TF17) in the Coral Sea, but the Battle of the Coral Sea was over before TF 16 could join in.
Halsey was then hospitalized with a skin disease, so Rear AdmiralRaymond A. Spruance took over TF 16 and along with TF 17, led it to victory in the Battle of Midway.
In August, the task force supported the landings on Guadalcanal, then fought in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, followed by the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in October, the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November, and covered the retreat of TF 18 after the Battle of Rennell Island.
In March 1943, TG 16.6 fought the Battle of the Komandorski Islands, then bombarded Attu in April, and the whole force supported the recapture of the Aleutians.
In 1944 and 1945, the task force was a refueling unit consisting ofdestroyer escorts and oilers.
Task Force 17-
| Task Force 17 | |
|---|---|
_during_the_Battle_of_the_Coral_Sea,_April_1942.jpg)
Yorktown and Task Force 17 operate in the Pacific Ocean in February or March 1942.
| |
| Active | 1941–1942 ? |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Role | Seizing and maintaining Command of the sea |
| Part of | United States Pacific Fleet |
| Garrison/HQ | Pearl Harbor, Hawaii[citation needed] |
| Engagements | Marshalls-Gilberts raids Invasion of Lae-Salamaua Battle of the Coral Sea Battle of Midway Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Frank Jack Fletcher |
Task Force 17 (TF17) was an aircraft carrier task force of the United States Navy during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. TF17 participated in several major carrier battles in the first year of the war.
TF17 was initially centered on the carrier Yorktown. With Yorktown, TF17 engaged Imperial Japanese Navy forces in actions at theMarshalls-Gilberts raids, Invasion of Lae-Salamaua, Battle of the Coral Sea, and the Battle of Midway. Yorktown was sunk at Midway.
Reformed around the carrier Hornet and commanded by RADM George Murray, TF17 supported Allied forces during the Guadalcanal Campaign. At the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, Hornet was sunk. After the battle the task force ceased to exist, the remaining ships (the cruiser and destroyer escorts) were then dispersed to other duties.
USS Cimarron at Norfolk Navy Yard in 1942
| |
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Cimarron |
| Namesake: | The Cimarron River in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas |
| Builder: | Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.,Chester, Pennsylvania |
| Laid down: | 18 April 1938 |
| Launched: | 7 January 1939 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. Louise Harrington Leahy |
| Commissioned: | 20 March 1939 |
| Decommissioned: | October 1968 |
| Struck: | October 1968 |
| Honors and awards: | 10 battle stars for World War IIservice 7 battle stars for Korean Warservice 4 campaign stars for Vietnam War service |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap, 1969 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Cimarron class fleet replenishment oiler |
| Displacement: | 7,470 long tons (7,590 t) light 24,830 long tons (25,228 t) full load |
| Length: | 553 ft (169 m) |
| Beam: | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Draft: | 32 ft 4 in (9.86 m) |
| Propulsion: | Twin screws, 30,400 shp (22,669 kW) Steam (600psi), NSFO |
| Speed: | 18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h) |
| Complement: | 304 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | Naval Gunfire Support (NGFS) |
| Armament: | • 4 × 5 in (130 mm)/38 cal. guns • 4 × 40 mm AA guns • 4 × 20 mm AA guns During Korean War reduced to: • 3 × 5 in./38 mounts • 3 in. mounts replaced 20 & 40 mm |
| Service record | |
| Commanders: | Lieutenant Commander William W. Behrens, Jr. |
| Operations: | World War II, Korean War,Vietnam War |
| Awards: | 10 battle stars (World War II) 7 battle stars (Korea) 4 campaign stars (Vietnam) |
USS Cimarron (AO-22) was a Cimarron-class oiler serving with theUnited States Navy and only the second ship to be named for theCimarron River in the southwestern United States. She was launched 7 January 1939 by Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Chester, Pennsylvania; sponsored by Mrs. William D. Leahy; and commissioned 20 March 1939 with Lieutenant Commander William W. Behrens, Jr. in command.
World War II[edit]
Cimarron cleared Houston 31 May 1939 for Pearl Harbor, arriving 21 July. She transported oil between west coast ports and Pearl Harbor, making 13 such voyages until she sailed for the east coast on 19 August 1940. After repairs and alterations, she began oil runs on the east coast, principally between Baton Rouge and Norfolk, until August 1941, when she took part in amphibious operations. From 5–16 September she put to sea with a transport convoy bound for Iceland, and voyaged north again from 12 October to 5 November to refuel ships at Placentia Bay. On 15 November 1941, she joined a convoy at Trinidad bound forSingapore with reinforcements, but was detached from the convoy on 9 December at Cape Town, South Africa. Returning to Trinidad on 31 December, she operated from Brazilian ports to Iceland until 4 March 1942, when she cleared Norfolk for San Francisco.
Pacific War[edit]
Cimarron reached San Francisco on 1 April 1942 and sailed the next day with the task force bound for the first air raid on Tokyo on 18 April. With USS Sabine (AO-25), they fueled the Fleet at sea before and after the raid, and returned to Pearl Harbor on 25 April. She sailed on 29 April, bound to join the force soon to join battle with the Japanese naval forces in the Coral Sea, but arrived after the battle to refuel destroyers at Nouméa, and returned to Pearl Harbor on 26 May. She cleared Pearl Harbor 28 May to fuel the force which defeated the Japanese in theBattle of Midway and returned 12 June, departing 7 July to support the operation in the Solomon Islands. Using Nouméa as her principal base,Cimarron occasionally reloaded at Suva and Efate. After repairs at San Francisco in November 1942, she sailed for the forward area 18 December. She operated again out of Nouméa supporting the final stages of the Guadalcanal action, then fueled out of Efate, carried cargo to Sydney, Australia, and returned to fueling at Dumbea Bay in support of the occupation of New Georgia. She returned to San Francisco, in July 1943, and then made two trips from the west coast to Pearl Harbor.
Cimarron departed Pearl Harbor 29 September 1943 with the force which raided Wake Island on 5–6 October, and returned to Pearl Harbor 16 October. She sailed once again 14 November to fuel in support of the Gilbert Islands campaign, returning 1 December, and sailed to San Pedro, California to reload 12 December to 4 January 1944. Clearing Pearl Harbor 13 January 1944, she supported the Marshall Islandsoperation and the February attacks on Truk from Majuro until 6 June; the Marianas operation from Eniwetok until 26 August; and the Palau Islands operation from Ulithi.
After a stateside overhaul from October through December 1944,Cimarron arrived at Ulithi 26 December 1944. From 27 December to 21 January 1945 she sailed to fuel the task force launching air attacks onIndo-China and Philippine targets as part of the Luzon invasion, and put to sea again from 8 February to 22 March for air raids on the Japanese home islands and the invasion of Iwo Jima. From 26 March to 23 May she sailed from Ulithi to fuel ships engaging in the Okinawa operation, and from 3 June shuttled between Ulithi and the areas from which the mighty carrier task forces launched the final series of raids upon the heartland of Japan. Ulithi remained her base as she supported the occupation until 10 September, when she anchored in Tokyo Bay. Operations in the Far East continued until 4 February 1946, when she arrived at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, for overhaul.
Platte refueling Philippine Sea and Watts, 19 July 1955
| |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Platte |
| Builder: | Bethlehem Steel Company,Baltimore, Maryland |
| Launched: | 8 July 1939 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. Harold R. Stark |
| Commissioned: | 1 December 1939 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrapping, 14 May 1971 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Cimarron-class oiler |
| Displacement: | 7,470 long tons (7,590 t) light 24,830 long tons (25,228 t) full load |
| Length: | 553 ft (169 m) |
| Beam: | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Draft: | 32 ft 4 in (9.86 m) |
| Propulsion: | Twin screws, 30,400 shp (22,669 kW) Steam (600psi), NSFO |
| Speed: | 18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h) |
| Complement: | 304 |
| Armament: | • 4 × 5 in (130 mm)/38 cal. guns(4×1) • 4 × 40 mm AA guns • 4 × 20 mm AA guns |
| Service record | |
| Operations: | World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War |
| Awards: | 11 battle stars (World War II) 6 battle stars (Korea) 8 campaign stars (Vietnam) |
USS Platte (AO-24) was a Cimarron-class oiler serving with the United States Navy, named for the 1836 Platte Purchase that included thePlatte Rivers in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. Her memorial in Platte County, Missouri honors all four rivers that share the name recorded byLewis and Clark in 1803.
Platte was built by the Bethlehem Steel Company, Baltimore, Maryland; launched 8 July 1939; sponsored by Mrs. Harold R. Stark; and commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia 1 December 1939, Commander P. L. Meadows in command.
Service history[edit]
After fitting out in the Philadelphia Navy Yard Platte departed Norfolk 27 March 1940, making two voyages to the oil docks of Houston, Texas, then supported the fleet operating from the Panama Canal Zone. During the next forty-five days she replenished fleet tugs USS Capella (AK-13)and USS Navajo (AT-64) who towed the huge floating drydock YFD–2 toPearl Harbor. Platte reached her new base of San Pedro, California 4 September. For the next fourteen months she carried liquid cargo, passengers and freight to Pearl Harbor. Her last voyage to Hawaii prior to outbreak of war terminated at San Diego 26 November 1941 and she was in that port when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor.
World War II[edit]
On 17 December, Platte put to sea with a convoy for Pearl Harbor and was underway on 11 January 1942 in company with the aircraft carrierUSS Enterprise (CV-6), flagship of Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., Commander of Task Force 8. She provided underway replenishmentservices for this carrier task force as it guarded troop and cargo ships reinforcing the Samoan Islands.
Platte spent the next months refueling task forces on offensive patrol in the Coral Sea. She fueled the Australian squadron along with theUSS Lexington (CV-2) carrier task force and the USS Yorktown (CV-5)carrier task force prior to the carrier strikes on Salamaua and Lae, New Guinea. She then stood out to sea with Enterprise on 28 May as all fleet units prepared to turn back the expected Japanese attack on Midway Island, fueling the Enterprise task force and the Yorktown task force just before the Battle of Midway.
Kaga-
Kaga after her modernization, with her distinctive downward-facing funnel.
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Preceded by: | Akagi |
| Succeeded by: | Ryūjō |
| Built: | 1920–28 |
| In service: | 1928–42 |
| In commission: | 1928–42 |
| Completed: | 1 |
| Lost: | 1 |
| Career (Japan) |  |
| Name: | Kaga |
| Namesake: | Kaga Province |
| Builder: | Kawasaki and Yokosuka Naval Arsenal |
| Cost: | ¥53 million ($36.45 million)[1] |
| Laid down: | 19 July 1920 |
| Launched: | 17 November 1921 |
| Completed: | 31 March 1928 |
| Commissioned: | 30 November 1929 |
| Reclassified: | 21 November 1923 as an aircraft carrier |
| Refit: | 20 October 1933 – 25 June 1935 |
| Struck: | 10 August 1942 |
| Fate: | Scuttled after being heavily damaged by a US air attack at theBattle of Midway, 4 June 1942 |
| General characteristics (after 1935 modernization) | |
| Type: | Aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: | 38,200 long tons (38,813 t) (standard) |
| Length: | 247.65 m (812 ft 6 in) |
| Beam: | 32.5 m (106 ft 8 in) |
| Draft: | 9.48 m (31 ft 1 in) |
| Installed power: | 127,400 shp (95,000 kW) |
| Propulsion: | 4-shaft Kampon geared turbines 8 Kampon Type B boilers |
| Speed: | 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
| Endurance: | 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement: | 1,708 (after reconstruction) |
| Armament: | 10 × 1 – 200 mm (7.9 in) guns,[2] 8 × 2 – 127 mm (5.0 in) guns, 11 × 2 – 25 mm (0.98 in) AA guns |
| Armor: | Belt: 152 mm (6.0 in) Deck: 38 mm (1.5 in) |
| Aircraft carried: | 90 (total); 72 (+ 18 in storage) (1936) 18 Mitsubishi A6M Zero, 27 Aichi D3A, 27 Nakajima B5N (+ 9 in storage) (Dec. 1941) |
| Service record | |
| Part of: | First Air Fleet Carrier Striking Task Force |
| Operations: | |
Kaga (加賀?) was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy(IJN), the third to enter service, named after the former Kaga Provincein present-day Ishikawa Prefecture. Originally intended to be one of twoTosa-class battleships, Kaga was converted under the terms of theWashington Naval Treaty to an aircraft carrier as the replacement for the battlecruiser Amagi, which had been damaged during the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake. Kaga was rebuilt in 1933–35, increasing her top speed, improving her exhaust systems, and adapting her flight decks to more modern, heavier aircraft.
The ship figured prominently in the development of the IJN's carrier striking force doctrine, which grouped carriers together to give greater mass and concentration to their air power. A revolutionary strategic concept at the time, the employment of the doctrine was crucial in enabling Japan to attain its initial strategic goals during the first six months of the Pacific War.
Kaga's aircraft first supported Japanese troops in China during theShanghai Incident of 1932 and participated in the Second Sino-Japanese War in the late 1930s. With other carriers, she took part in thePearl Harbor raid in December 1941 and the invasion of Rabaul in the Southwest Pacific in January 1942. The following month her aircraft participated in a combined carrier airstrike on Darwin, Australia, helping secure the conquest of the Dutch East Indies by Japanese forces. She missed the Indian Ocean raid in April as she had to return to Japan for permanent repairs after hitting a reef in February.
Following repairs, Kaga rejoined the 1st Air Fleet for the Battle of Midway in June 1942. After bombarding American forces on Midway Atoll, Kaga and three other IJN carriers were attacked by American aircraft from Midway and the carriers Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown.Dive bombers from Enterprise severely damaged Kaga; when it became obvious she could not be saved, she was scuttled by Japanesedestroyers to prevent her from falling into enemy hands. The loss of four large attack carriers, including Kaga at Midway was a crucial setback for Japan, and contributed significantly to that nation's ultimate defeat. In 1999, debris from Kaga including a large section of the hullwas located on the ocean floor at coordinates28°38′34″N 176°29′16″W
at a depth in excess of 5,000 meters (16,404 ft); 350 miles (560 km) northwest of Midway Island.[3] The main part of the carrier's wreck has not yet been found.
at a depth in excess of 5,000 meters (16,404 ft); 350 miles (560 km) northwest of Midway Island.[3] The main part of the carrier's wreck has not yet been found.
Midway raid[edit]
Concerned by the US carrier strikes in the Doolittle, Marshall Islands, and Lae-Salamaua raids, Yamamoto determined to force the US Navy into a showdown to eliminate the American carrier threat. Yamamoto decided to invade and occupyMidway Island, which he was sure would draw out the American carrier forces to battle. The Midway invasion was codenamed by the Japanese as Operation MI.[53]
In support of MI, on 27 May 1942, Kaga departed the Inland Sea with the Combined Fleet on her final mission, in the company of carriers Akagi, Hiryū, and Sōryū which constituted the First and Second Carrier Divisions. Her aircraft complement was 27 Zeros, 20 D3As, and 27 B5Ns.[54][Note 17] With the fleet positioned 250 nautical miles (460 km) northwest of Midway Island at dawn on 4 June 1942, Kagacontributed eighteen D3As, commanded by Lieutenant Shōichi Ogawa, escorted by nine Zeros to the strike against the island. The carrier's B5Ns were armed with torpedoes and kept ready in case enemy ships were discovered during the Midway raid. One each of the D3As and Zeros was shot down by AA fire over Midway, and another four D3As were damaged. Kaga's Zero pilots claimed to have shot down 12 US aircraft over Midway Island. One Kaga B5N was launched to augment the fleet's reconnaissance of the surrounding ocean.[Note 18] The carrier also put up two Zeros on CAP.[49][55] Another five Zeros reinforced her CAP at 07:00 and the seven fighters helped to defend the Kido Butai from the first US air attackers from Midway Island at 07:10. Unknown to the Japanese, the US Navy had divined the Japanese MI plan from signals intelligenceand had prepared an ambush using its three available carriers, positioned northeast of Midway.[56]
At 07:15 Admiral Nagumo ordered the B5Ns still on Kaga and Akagi rearmed with bombs for another attack on Midway itself. This process was limited by the number of ordnance carts used to handle the bombs and torpedoes and the limited number of ordnance elevators. Thus, the torpedoes could not be struck below until after all the bombs were moved up from their magazine, assembled and mounted on the aircraft. This process normally took about an hour and a half; more time would be required to bring the aircraft up to the flight deck and warm up and launch the strike group. Around 07:40 Nagumo reversed his order when he received a message that American carriers had been spotted.[57] At 07:30 Kaga recovered three of her CAP.[58]
Sinking[edit]
Kaga's four remaining CAP fighters were in the process of landing when 16 Marine SBD Dauntless dive-bombers from Midway, led by Lofton R. Henderson, attacked Hiryu around 07:55 without result.[59] Five Zeros were launched at 08:15 and three intercepted a dozen Midway-based United States Army B-17 Flying Fortresses attempting to bomb the three other carriers from 20,000 feet (6,100 m), but only limited damage was inflicted on the heavy bombers, although their attacks all missed. Five D3As also joined the CAP around this time. Another trio of Zeros were launched at 08:30. Kaga began landing her returning Midway strike force aboard around 08:35 and was finished by 08:50; one Zero pilot died after crash-landing his aircraft.[60][Note 19]
The five Zeros launched at 08:15 were recovered aboard at 09:10 and replaced by six more Zeros launched at 09:20. They intercepted the first US carrier aircraft to attack, TBD Devastator torpedo-bombers of VT-8 from the US carrier Hornet at 09:22, and shot down all 15, leaving only a single survivor, George H. Gay, Jr., treading water. Shortly thereafter, 14 Devastators from VT-6 from the US carrier Enterprise, led by Eugene E. Lindsey, were spotted. They tried to sandwichKaga, but the CAP, reinforced by another six Zeros launched by Kaga at 10:00, shot down all but four of the Devastators, and the carrier dodged the torpedoes.[61]
Soon after the torpedo plane attacks, American carrier dive bombers arrived over the Japanese carriers almost undetected and began their dives. At 10:22, 25 SBD Dauntless dive-bombers from Enterprise, led by C. Wade McClusky, hit Kaga with one 1,000-pound (450 kg) bomb and at least three 500-pound (230 kg) bombs. The first landed near her rear elevator and set the berthing compartments on fire, and the next bomb hit the forward elevator and penetrated the upper hangar, setting off explosions and fires among the armed and fueled planes on her hangar deck. Captain Okada and most of the ship's senior officers were killed by the third bomb, which hit the bridge.[Note 20] The 1000-pound bomb hit amidships and penetrated the flight deck to explode on the upper hangar. The explosions ruptured the ship'savgas lines, damaged both her port and starboard fire mains and the emergency generator powering her fire pumps, as well as knocking out the carbon dioxide fire suppression system.[63] Fueled by the avgas pouring onto the hangar deck, the fires detonated the 80,000 pounds (36,000 kg) of bombs and torpedoes strewn across the hangar deck in a series of catastrophic multiple fuel-air explosions that blew out the hangar sides.[64] At nearly the same time, dive bombers hit and fatally damagedAkagi and Sōryū.[65][Note 21]
Unable to contain her fires, Kaga's survivors were taken off by the destroyers Hagikaze and Maikaze between 14:00 and 17:00.[Note 22] Around 19:25 she was scuttled by two torpedoes from Hagikaze and sank stern-first at position30°20′N 179°17′W.[66] Ensign Takeshi Maeda, an injured Kaga B5N aircrew member rescued by Hagikaze, described the scene: "My comrade carried me up to the deck so I could see the last moments of our beloved carrier, which was nearby. Even though I was in pain tears started to run down my cheeks, and everyone around me was crying; it was a very sad sight."[67]
The carrier's crew suffered 811 fatalities, mainly among the aircraft mechanics and armorers stationed on the hangar decks and the ship's engineers, many of whom were trapped below in the boiler and engine rooms by uncontrolled fires raging on the decks above them. Twenty-one of the ship's aviators were killed.[68][Note 23] The loss of Kaga and the three other IJN carriers at Midway (Hiryū was also sunk during the battle), with their aircraft and veteran pilots, was a crucial strategic defeat for Japan and contributed significantly to Japan's ultimate defeat in the war.
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