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<p>NMUSN_WWII_Pacific_Kamikazes_Pre_Okinawa</p>
World War II / WWII-Japan / Kamikazes /

Pre-Okinawa

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Pacific Theater, Japanese Navy, Kamikaze
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Pre-Okinawa Kamikazes

While en-route for strikes at Kure, Japan, and against airflields at Kyushu, Task Force 58 came under attack by Japanese aircraft.   The task force was ordered to attack enemy airfields to thwart an attack on the landing U.S. forces at Okinawa in April.   On March 17, 1945, while in en-route for strikes against the airfields, USS Bataan (CVL-29) was attacked by a Japanese Kamikaze.   No damage was received.   A day later, USS Enterprise (CV-6), USS Hornet (CV-12), USS Intrepid (CV-11), and USS Yorktown (CV-10) were attacked by Japanese aircraft.  Enterprise received damage by dropped bombs.   Enemy planes crashed near Hornet, but Intrepid came under Kamikaze attack.  During this attack, an enemy aircraft exploded only 50 feet off the carrier's forward boat crane, showering gasoline and plane parts, which started fires on the hangar deck.   Yorktown also came under attack.  In the final attack, an enemy aircraft passed through the first deck and exploded near the ship's hull after dropping a bomb on the signal bridge. 

On March 19, USS Wasp (CV-18) came under attack and was damaged by a Kamikaze while USS Essex (CV-9) was almost hit by an enemy aircraft.   USS Franklin (CV-13) was seriously damaged during this attack, where she would have to return to the United States for repairs.  The next day, USS Halsey Powell (DD-686) was alongside USS Hancock (CV-19).  Overshooting the aircraft carrier, an enemy aircraft crashed into the destroyer but heroic action by her crew avoided collision with the carrier.   On March 28, a Japanese aircraft crashed into USS Nevada (BB-36), damaging Turrett III along with three 20 milimeter mounts and two of the ship's Kingfisher aircraft.  Two days later, an enemy aircraft made a suicide dive on USS Yorktown (CV-10) but her anti-aircraft gunners brought the craft down while passing over the ship near the island, splashing to the port side.  

Image:  Collage of 80-G-313125-128:  USS Yorktown (CV-10), March 29, 1945.   Japanese Yokosuka "Judy" dive bomber diving on the aircraft carrier.  Official U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.