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Sinking of Yamato
(April 7, 1945)
With the battle for Okinawa raging full force, it was decided to send super battleship Yamato on a suicide mission to the island. Ostensibly, her sortie was designed to draw off American air power in order to allow a massive suicide strike (kikusui) by land-based aircraft from Japan to hit the American invasion forces ringing the island. Accordingly, Yamato was fueled for a one-way trip, and sent out with nine escorts led by the light-cruiser Yahagi, skippered by Tameichi Hara. In the event Yamato made it to the island, her orders were to beach herself and make use of her 18.1" guns in support of the land fighting there.
She was met by aircraft of Task Force 58 shortly after noon on April 7th. Attacked in waves, Yamato could do little but absorb the punishment inflicted by at least five 1,000 lb bombs and ten torpedoes. By approximately 1420 hours it was all over; Yamato had capsized to port and exploded. Five of her escorts had been sunk as well. A total of 2,498 men had been lost aboard Yamato, 446 from Yahagi, and a further 721 from the destroyers. The Japanese Navy was effectively kaput. There would be only one more grisly act to play out.
http://www.combinedfleet.com/battles/Sinking_of_Yamato
@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs @ ltc frank LTC (Join to see) @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen C. @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen F. @ capt marty Maj Marty Hogan @ smsgt doc SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas @ tsgt joe TSgt Joe C. @ sra christopher SrA Christopher Wright @ msg andrew MSG Andrew White @ sfc joe SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL @ sgt david SGT (Join to see) @ sgt david SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth @ sp5 robert SP5 Robert Ruck @ sp5 mark SP5 Mark Kuzinski @ po2 robert PO2 Robert M. Alan K. Cynthia Croft
(April 7, 1945)
With the battle for Okinawa raging full force, it was decided to send super battleship Yamato on a suicide mission to the island. Ostensibly, her sortie was designed to draw off American air power in order to allow a massive suicide strike (kikusui) by land-based aircraft from Japan to hit the American invasion forces ringing the island. Accordingly, Yamato was fueled for a one-way trip, and sent out with nine escorts led by the light-cruiser Yahagi, skippered by Tameichi Hara. In the event Yamato made it to the island, her orders were to beach herself and make use of her 18.1" guns in support of the land fighting there.
She was met by aircraft of Task Force 58 shortly after noon on April 7th. Attacked in waves, Yamato could do little but absorb the punishment inflicted by at least five 1,000 lb bombs and ten torpedoes. By approximately 1420 hours it was all over; Yamato had capsized to port and exploded. Five of her escorts had been sunk as well. A total of 2,498 men had been lost aboard Yamato, 446 from Yahagi, and a further 721 from the destroyers. The Japanese Navy was effectively kaput. There would be only one more grisly act to play out.
http://www.combinedfleet.com/battles/Sinking_of_Yamato
@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs @ ltc frank LTC (Join to see) @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen C. @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen F. @ capt marty Maj Marty Hogan @ smsgt doc SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas @ tsgt joe TSgt Joe C. @ sra christopher SrA Christopher Wright @ msg andrew MSG Andrew White @ sfc joe SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL @ sgt david SGT (Join to see) @ sgt david SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth @ sp5 robert SP5 Robert Ruck @ sp5 mark SP5 Mark Kuzinski @ po2 robert PO2 Robert M. Alan K. Cynthia Croft
WWII World War Two
Okinawa
Military History
World History
American History
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 9
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SGT John " Mac " McConnell good morning my friend. Thanks for the read/share the Sinking of Yamato. My goodness what an epic SINKING!
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Thanks for posting. The Yamato was a military masterpiece, it would have been cool if it could have been saved so future generations could have seen it. But that's what sucks about being the loser in war. All your stuff get destroyed. the only ships left from WWII belonged to the Allies.
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I've always been fascinated with military history and find WWII history to be the most compelling. Born in 1961, I got to hear some first hand accounts from people who had been to these places. Maybe the abundance of War movies played a role (Sands of Iwo Jima, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Great Escape, Kelly's Heroes, What Did You Do in the War Daddy...).
One deeply influential thing for me was at the age of 12, I picked up and read one of my older brother's books, The United States Navy in World War II, edited by SE Smith. I read it again 30 years later. I've also read the Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, Neptune's Inferno, and many others. I can barely imagine what a hell it must have been to be on a ship under enemy fire.
Nice video! Thanks for that.
One deeply influential thing for me was at the age of 12, I picked up and read one of my older brother's books, The United States Navy in World War II, edited by SE Smith. I read it again 30 years later. I've also read the Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, Neptune's Inferno, and many others. I can barely imagine what a hell it must have been to be on a ship under enemy fire.
Nice video! Thanks for that.
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