Chapter 36 Chapter 32: Determined to Sink an Enemy Ship

On the Enterprise, Spruance and his staff studied what the attack on the Yorktown meant and discussed countermeasures.Browning's conclusion was clear and quite correct: the planes that attacked Yorktown had taken off from the undamaged Japanese aircraft carrier that McCluskey's pilots reported.The irascible chief of staff advocated immediate retaliatory action.Spruance didn't want to rush into battle and act rashly.First, his bombers were not yet ready for takeoff.Second, he was waiting for a reconnaissance plane approaching the intended location to report the exact location of the enemy aircraft carrier.The Americans failed to spot the enemy, but had exhausted enough troops for a single battle. [Note: Research on command issues, 301st | 302nd page. 】

Yamaguchi would have laughed at Spruance for being so cautious, but this time he made the right decision.The lineup of Yamaguchi's troops is: with Nagara as the forerunner, Hiryu is in the center of the defensive circle composed of battleships, cruisers and destroyers.Before 13:20, the Hiryu and its escort ships sailed all the way north.Yamaguchi then dispatched a second wave of aircraft to attack the Yorktown, then changed course and sailed northeast. [Note: "United Fleet" page 88. 】If the Americans launch an attack at this time, it is very likely that the Japanese aircraft carrier will not be found at all, and the Yorktown will not be rescued.

On the bridge of the Hiryu, Yamaguchi and Kalai gave final instructions to Tomonaga, Hashimoto, and Captain Morimo, who were about to lead the second wave of attack aircraft: Do not attack the aircraft carrier that was hit by Kobayashi's fleet and set fire to it, but attack the other ships aircraft carrier.If no other aircraft carrier is found in that area, then attack that aircraft carrier again.Commander Yamaguchi shook hands with the three leaders.After many years, Hashimoto still remembers the scene when Yamaguchi's broad and soft hand held him. [Note: Hashimoto's statement. 】

Then, Yamaguchi and Kaka came to the flight deck to personally see off those who participated in the second wave of attack.Yamaguchi shook hands with the pilots one by one and said: Hope to fight bravely.Strange to say, Hashiguchi, who wanted to figure out the captain's mind, got almost the same impression as Kuma got earlier: I won't just let you sacrifice, you go first, I'll come right away. [Note: Hashiguchi's statement. 】 Before they took off, the pilot's orderly showed a small blackboard showing the latest location of the enemy fleet.Hashimoto marked this location on his chart.He suddenly remembered that he should ask Youyong if he knew about this situation, but because he was busy taking off, he didn't have time to ask him for a while. [Note: Hashimoto's statement. 】

According to Hashiguchi, the pilots who participated in the attack knew that the trip was likely to be a return trip, but they all climbed into the cabin with smiles on their faces.How shabby the planes accompanying Tomoyaga at the moment looked compared to the spectacular attack fleet that morning!The ten torpedo planes were divided into two groups, led by Tomoyaga and Hashimoto respectively.Among the six fighter jets led by Mori Mao who set off with the bomber, four were originally from the Hiryu, and two were from the burning Kaga. [Note: Narrative in Japan, page 8: Statement by Hashiguchi. 】

The leaking fuel tank on Tomonaga's bomber was not repaired in time.He only took half the fuel, and it is unlikely to fly back to the aircraft carrier.But he insisted on taking the lead and rejected other people's suggestions to change planes with him.He is withdrawn and never confides his thoughts and feelings to others.Hashiguchi not only admires him the most, but also understands him quite well.It was his impression that Tomonaga felt responsible for the indirectly disastrous consequences of suggesting another attack on Midway.Hashiguchi feels compassion for the others on Tomonaga's plane.These people don't feel guilty, but they are going to die with Tomonaga.Hashiguchi said: At that time, the entire Hiryu crew, including the pilot, was determined to serve the Emperor and the Empire, so we didn't think much about it.It is not only the pilot who puts life and death aside, but actually everyone on board.He also said: We are determined to sink an enemy ship, even if we hit it, we will sink it. [Note: Hashiguchi's statement. 】

Hashiguchi's motives for Tomonaga may be overly romantic, because Hashimoto has no such impression.He believed that Tomonaga's decision was based on the following practical factors: only Hiryu was still operational, and the number of existing aircraft was very small. The reduction of even one aircraft would seriously affect the expected attack results. According to reports, the enemy At about a hundred nautical miles away, he could fly back even if the plane was damaged, which is actually what Tomonaga had told Hashimoto.When Hashimoto wanted to give up his plane to Tomonaga, Tomonaga declined, saying that the enemy was very close, and I could return after attacking. [Note: Hashimoto's statement. 】

Judging from the instructions Yamaguchi gave to the leading pilots, as long as he can attack other aircraft carriers, he does not want to attack the aircraft carrier that has already been attacked. The situation reported by his own plane is up. The Hiryu bomber previously reported that there are three aircraft carriers and twenty-two destroyers.Yamaguchi received the report with ample time to brief Tomonaga's troops.In fact, he informed Nagumo at 14:00: According to reports from our carrier-based bombers, there are three enemy aircraft carriers on a line about ten nautical miles from north to south. [Note: Narration in Japan, page 25]

Although the alternative targets were three aircraft carriers, Tomonaga's fleet attacked Yorktown directly.Hashimoto found out that Tomonaga was flying towards the original position of the enemy fleet, and knew that Tomonaga had not seen the report on the latest position of the enemy fleet.He wanted to get close to Tomoyong's plane and tell him the situation, but he couldn't, so he had to give up.Fortunately, the positions of the enemy fleet in the two reports are not far apart. As long as the direction is good, they may still be able to spot the target [Note: Hashimoto's statement. 】

Yorktown's radar spotted the Japanese planes thirty-three nautical miles away.The ship immediately stopped refueling the fighter jets, drained the refueling system again, and sealed it with carbon dioxide gas. At the same time, it dispatched six fighter jets from VF|3 to fly towards the enemy planes and conduct combat patrols.Eight of the ten fighters on board had twenty-three gallons of fuel in their tanks, more than enough for local combat.These eight planes were also sent to assist in the battle.In addition, Task Force 16 also sent some fighter jets. The Wildcat intercepted the Japanese plane after flying nearly fifteen nautical miles, and the ensuing air battle was actually a replay of the noon fight.Of the six Zeros, three were shot down by the numerically superior F4F|4. [Note: Yorktown report. ] Twenty-two-year-old Ensign Milton Tutor fourth shot down a torpedo plane.Tutor was the son of a bank president in St. Joseph, Missouri.He had been aboard the Yorktown only five days.After the morning's battle, his Wildcat hadn't refueled yet, so he jumped into the cockpit again and went to the battle secretly.No sooner had he left the flight deck than he swooped down on the tail of a torpedo plane.He bit the enemy plane and opened fire on the enemy plane a thousand yards away from the aircraft carrier.The enemy plane was shot down before it could drop its torpedo.When Tutor pulled the nose up, he was hit by his own artillery fire.Fortunately, he was not injured and landed very close to the escort ship, and was quickly rescued by the destroyer USS Anderson. [Note: Letter from Milton Tutor IV to Bard, November 9, 1966; Honolulu Advertiser, June 13, 1942; June 1942 Letter from Captain Anderson to the Commander of the Pacific Fleet on the 5th.Contents: Report on the battle with Japanese carrier-based aircraft near Midway Island on June 4 in accordance with Article 712 of U.S. Navy Regulations.Hereinafter referred to as the Anderson report. 】

It seemed easy for the anti-aircraft artillery to shoot down Tutor, but it was much more difficult to deal with the low-flying Japanese planes.The heavy cruiser adopted a new method invented by Poco Smith: use the main gun to shoot at the sea in front of the torpedo plane, setting off a series of upside-down waterfalls. [Note: "The Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and Submarine Operations", page 135. 】Due to the interception of the Wildcat aircraft and the blocking of these inverted waterfalls, only five torpedo aircraft entered the target airspace.At 14:32, Tomonaga ordered the planes to enter the formation position ready to attack.Two minutes later he gave the order, all attack! [Note: Narration in Japan, page 26. 】The attacking planes were immediately divided into two groups, with Tomonaga on the right and Hashimoto on the left. [Note: Hashimoto's statement. 】 An unidentified Japanese plane (perhaps aboard the Hiryu, or a reconnaissance plane operating nearby) telegraphed the mobile force: Our attack force is attacking the enemy aircraft carrier.There are three enemy aircraft carriers.The time of transmission is the same as the time when Tomonaga issued the attack order. [Note: Narration in Japan, page 26. 】 At a distance of about 500 meters from the Yorktown, Hashimoto dropped a torpedo from a height of 15 meters, directly across from the enemy ship.He flew above the bow of an enemy aircraft carrier at a height equivalent to that of the flight deck.He found that the enemy ship showed no signs of being shot, nor was it on fire.But when he flew away quickly, he saw a column of water rising high, followed by thick smoke billowing. [Note: Hashimoto's statement. 】 Yorktown was slow, only nineteen knots, but she still avoided two torpedoes.But it hit two torpedoes in its vital parts.At 14:43, the first torpedo hit near the center of the port side, and almost at the same time, the second torpedo hit slightly forward of the first torpedo.The fuel oil tank on the port side was damaged, and the three boiler rooms and the forward generator room were flooded, causing a power outage.There was a breakdown in one of the consoles, and the power from the backup generator could not be delivered.The rudder also failed, immobilizing the carrier for the second time that afternoon, listing seventeen degrees to port. [Note: Report from USS Yorktown; letter from the captain of USS Yorktown to the Chief of Naval Operations.Contents: Combat loss report.Hereinafter referred to as the Yorktown Loss Report. 】 Yorktown continued to list.About ten minutes after the first torpedo was hit, its tilt had reached twenty-six degrees, making it difficult to stand on the ship.The edge of the flight deck on the port side almost touched the sea surface, but fortunately the sea was calm at that time.Both Aldridge and Delany agreed that the tilt was beyond correction.Due to the power outage, all lighting and communication within the ship were paralyzed, and the communication between various parts of the ship was almost completely interrupted.The oil dripping from the damaged fuel tank spread to all parts of the inclined aircraft carrier, forming a thin and very dangerous oil film, and a little spark could cause a fire that swept across the entire ship.Only six aircraft remained on board.All in all, as an aircraft carrier, York City has been completely reimbursed.The people on board are the only wealth left. [Note: Yorktown loss report. 】 No matter what happened, it was very difficult and cruel for the captain to make the decision to abandon the ship; Buckmaster reluctantly made the decision to abandon the ship after joint research with Arnold and Vice-Captain Lieutenant Commander Dixie Keefer.It was Buckmaster's responsibility to evacuate nearly 3,000 officers and men on board before the aircraft carrier tilted beyond the equilibrium point.At 14:55, he ordered the hoisting of the blue and white signal flag to abandon the ship. [Note: Yorktown report. 】 Balchi, Benham.Both the Russell and the Anderson leaned up to pick up evacuees across the ship.The remaining ships served as anti-submarine alert. [Note: Balchi's logbook, June 4, 1942. 】The evacuation proceeded leisurely and orderly.From the bridge of the Astoria, Fletcher watched the evacuation restlessly, thinking it was too slow and methodical.He said: I was so anxious that I felt that it was too late for Captain Buckmaster to make the decision to abandon the ship.Fletcher would not tolerate what some disengaged tacticians later said Buckmaster's decision had been reckless.When he recalled the matter, he still insisted: I was really fucking anxious at the time, and wanted to remove people as soon as possible.In my opinion, getting the officers and those good American soldiers out is of the utmost importance. [Note: Interview with Fletcher, September 17, 1966. 】 It was extremely difficult to evacuate the wounded from the Yorktown, because the deck was very slippery and the hull was so heavily tilted that it was impossible to carry a stretcher off the deck.Sometimes the stretcher had to be dragged on the deck, and sometimes the wounded was carried on the back of the shoulder.The wounded were gently hoisted from the ship in every possible way.Those who participated in the rescue on the ship jumped into the sea one after another to help those who could not swim.Loading nets, life rafts, and motorboats were used. [Note: Yorktown report. 】 Keefer left the ship with the last crew.He was in charge of the evacuation work, and he did not evacuate until he was convinced that he had successfully completed the task after listening to reports from all sides and conducting inspections himself.One person dared not descend because he was afraid that the knotted rope would not be strong, so Keefer himself grabbed the rope and let him down.His hands were scorchingly painful from the rapid slide of the rope from his hands.When it was his turn to climb down the rope, his hands couldn't even hold on to the rope.He fell so hard from the rope that he hit the side of the aircraft carrier like a clapper, breaking both ankles. [Note: Bard's interview with Vice Admiral Elliot Buckmaster, March 14, 1966.Hereafter called Bard's interview with Buckmaster; Stunning Victory, page 227. 】 Buckmaster oversaw the evacuation.He didn't leave the command position until he confirmed that everything was ready, and checked the whole ship up and down for the last time.Undoubtedly, he wanted to take this opportunity to talk to the aircraft carrier: to say goodbye to it in silence.He trudged along the right side of the leaning carrier, across the flight deck, down through the dressing room, forward through the general officer's lounge, the captain's cabin, and then turned left and down the hangar.At this time: the port hangar deck has been soaked in water.Satisfied that all the living had been evacuated, he climbed up to the stern of the ship and scrambled down the gunwale alternately.When he came into contact with the water, he heard someone calling for help, so he swam towards the person, lifted the struggling cooking watchman onto the life raft, and then climbed onto the life raft himself.Finally, the destroyer USS Hanman sent them to the USS Astoria. [Note: Yorktown report; "Battle of Midway", p. 213. 】 At 14:45, Fletcher and Spruance, who were eager to see through, received a report from a reconnaissance plane.This is the report sent back by Captain Samuel Adams, the combat officer of VS|5, which is astonishingly accurate: one aircraft carrier, two battleships, three heavy cruisers, and four destroyers. , West longitude 179 degrees 5 minutes, heading 10 degrees, speed 15 knots.Adams sent the report directly in plain language for the first time, and then replied again in the form of code.According to this information, the supporting ships of the Hiryu and Nagumo were 110 nautical miles away from the location of the Yorktown when the search team took off at 11:50.The enemy's actual position is at a bearing of 281 degrees, at a distance of 72 nautical miles, with an error of 38 nautical miles.Fortunately for the Americans, the Hiryu was heading straight for the task force. [Note: Analysis of the Battle of Midway Island, p. 】 Spruance immediately ordered all dive bombers on board to take off.McCluskey injured his arm when he attacked the Kaga, so he was unable to participate in the battle this time, so the task of commanding the mixed fleet was handed over to Gallagher, who was second only to him in terms of position and seniority in VS|6.Of the twenty-four planes under Gallagher's command, eleven carried 1,000-pound bombs and the rest carried 500-pound bombs.Besides his own planes, there were five belonging to VS|6, four belonging to VB|6, and the remaining fourteen belonged to Lieutenant Shumway, Vice Squadron Commander of VB|3 on Yorktown. .At 15:50, all the planes had taken off from the Enterprise and rushed to the target.Due to the priority of defending the task force, no fighter jets were sent to escort it. [Note: Shumway's VB|3 report; June 21, 1942 VS|6 Squadron Commander's report to Captain Enterprise on June 4|6.Hereafter referred to as the VS|6 Operational Report; Analysis of the Battle of Midway, p. 140. 】 After the attack planes took off, Spruance signaled to Fletcher, "Task Force 16 is now attacking the aircraft carrier your reconnaissance plane spotted. What instructions do I have?"Such a polite request made Fletcher have to make a choice.He cannot rely on remote control to conduct tactical command of aircraft carrier battles, and cannot waste precious time on red tape such as signal communication, flash communication, and radio contact.Either he took his staff aboard the Hornet, or he authorized Spruance.The former would take a lot of time and amount to a complete reorganization of the task force.So in reality he had no choice.He didn't care about personal gains and losses, and immediately signaled: No.Agree with all your actions. [Note: "The Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, and Submarine Operations", note on page 141; "Turning Point", page 125 | 126; "Spruance" , p. 49; "Astonishing Victory," 231 | 232.Regarding this battle, the terminology used and the time given in different materials are slightly different.For example, on page 142 of the analysis of the Battle of Midway Island, it is stated that the time for receiving electricity is 18:16.The attack on the Hiryu had long since ended, (Smith said the fight took place during takeoff.)] This period of time is when Yamaguchi is proud of the spring breeze.Although he lost all five bombers, including Tomonaga, and most of the Zeros, including Morimo (only three returned), he was still satisfied with the results of the two raids.He was planning to wipe out all the remnants of the defeated Americans, and while he was busy reporting to Nagumo, he was preparing to launch a third attack. [Note: Hashimoto's statement. 】The Flying Dragon cleaves the waves and gallops back and forth on the sea.It passed by the Nagara, and all the planes on board were ready to take off. The crew and others who were rescued on board shouted in unison: Hiryu, revenge! [Note: The Battle of Tragedy. 】 At 15:31, Yamaguchi reported to Nagumo: After we got in touch with me to test the Type 13 carrier-based bomber, we plan to use all existing forces (five bombers, five torpedo planes, and ten fighter jets) to fly at dusk. Time to launch an attack to wipe out the remnants of the enemy.Yamaguchi's optimism may seem comical, but it was not, since he was sure his planes had sunk or severely damaged two US aircraft carriers.It was a natural mistake, since his first wave of strike planes reported a carrier on fire, and the second wave saw a carrier in the air that appeared to be undamaged.At 16:00, Yamaguchi sent a signal to Nagumo, clearly expressing his opinion: the result of the second wave of attack: an Enterprise-class aircraft carrier must have been hit by two torpedoes (not the bombed aircraft carrier as reported in the previous report) ). [Note: Narration in Japan, page 27. 】 Yamaguchi still had an hour to indulge himself.At 16:45, Gallagher's fleet spotted the Hiryu and its escort forces about 30 nautical miles away. At the same time, they noticed three pillars of thick smoke rising from the junction of the sea and the sky to the south. [Note: 19 On June 10, 1942, the captain of the VB|6 squadron reported to the captain of the Enterprise the operation on June 4|6.Hereinafter referred to as the VB | 6 combat report. 】At 19:01, the Chikuma found an enemy plane on the port side, just above the Hiryu. [Note: Narration in Japan, page 29. ] At this time, several zero planes in Yamaguchi have hurriedly taken off to intercept.Gallagher made a decisive decision and ordered the aircraft of the Enterprise to attack the Dragon with him, and let Shumway lead fourteen aircraft of the Yorktown to deal with a nearby warship. [Note: Analysis of the Battle of Midway, page 141. 】This decision is very stupid, because he used more than half of the attack aircraft for other purposes before the main target was injured.Gallagher should not have been so lucky. On the Nagara, Makishima couldn't bear to look any further, and closed his eyes. [Note: The Battle of Tragedy. ] Gallagher aimed straight at the bright red circle on the light yellow deck of the Dragon.Soryu's special test aircraft is parked at position 1 of the flight deck.It just returned from its first reconnaissance mission.They are preparing to lead the third wave of planes to attack the US special mixed fleet.The Dragon made an incredible turn, and Gallagher's aim missed.He sprained his lower back as a result of trying to drop the bomb instead of dropping it. [Note: Bard's interview with Gallagher. ] The bomb fell into the sea behind Hiryu without causing any damage.The two bombs dropped by the next two planes also missed. [Note: Narration in Japan, page 54. 】 Shumway found that these bombs missed the target at close range, and before the order was revoked, he led his plane, abandoned the battleship, and launched an impact on the aircraft carrier.The U.S. military was lucky in the day's fighting, thanks to yet another display of nimble reflexes and proactiveness by junior officers.Whether it was VS | 3 that hit Hiryu first as Shumway said, or other VS | 6 planes was the first to hit it, it is now impossible to ascertain. [Note: Top 31 research on command issues. 】 Four bombs hit the bow one after another. [Note: Narration in Japan, page 54. ] The first bomb uprooted the forward elevator, blocking access from the bridge to the bow.The fire spread, sealing the passage, and the fragments from the constant explosions flew in all directions.Captain Calais is in a dilemma.He had to advance at full speed to avoid being shot again, but the resulting wind helped the fire spread throughout the ship.Makishima's curiosity overcame his reason. When he opened his eyes, he found that the Hiryu was in flames from the bow to the stern, but it was still running desperately like a mad cow. [Note: Battle of Tragedy; Kuma's statement; Hashimoto's statement. 】 Hiryu's third wave of attack aircraft was originally scheduled to be led by Hashimoto.He seized the time to take a nap while standing by to strike.Suddenly, a terrible explosion shook the entire ship.In an instant, he was surrounded by suffocating smoke.The hatch was closed, and the aisle was crowded with people climbing up from the bilge. Another violent explosion shook the warship.All the lights are out.Hashimoto couldn't bear it, so he ran towards the bright place, wanting to take a breath of fresh air.The bright spot turned out to be a hole from the blast.Everything outside the cave is burning.Thanks to Hashimoto wearing gloves, he was able to crawl out of the hole.Because he didn't wear a hat.The sparks splashed on the head and burned the hair.Someone next to him handed him a mask.Even though it was only half burnt and covered in ashes, Hashimoto gratefully took it over. At this time, the deputy captain ordered him: Assistant flight chief, command the people here, throw these suspended bullet shields into the sea before they catch fire.Hashimoto threw himself into the job and the firefighting that came with it.Later, he injured his left thigh and was also withdrawn. [Note: Hashimoto's statement. 】 VB|6 were the last aircraft to attack the carrier.Captain Best, who was in charge of the command, believed that one of the hit bombs was dropped by them. [Note: VB | 6 combat report. 】In fact, it doesn’t matter that much. We are all American pilots. Two of the planes led by Shumway rushed towards the battleship.That was the name Haruna, and it was safe and sound even though it was attacked many times.It seemed to have a talisman, because despite all the attacks the attackers had, the result was just what the Japanese said: a super close miss on each side. [Note: Leslie's VB|3 Operation Report; Japanese Narrative, p. 58. 】 Gallagher's waist was sprained and in pain.He lost two VB|3 SBDs and one VB|6 SBD, and was about to withdraw from the combat airspace when Hornet's seven VB|8 bombers and eight VS|8 scout bombers rushed over. arrive.At this time, it was 17:12, and the Feilong was already on fire, so there was no need to attack again.So the Hornet's planes turned to attack the Tone and Chikuma. [Note: VB|8 Combat Diary, June 1942; Analysis of the Battle of Midway, p. 142. ] Bombs were dropped near the bow and stern of the Tone, and the nearest one was 50 meters away from the ship.The Chikuma dodged a cluster bomb that landed a hundred meters off the port side of the bow. [Note: Narration of Japan, fifty-sixth | fifty-seventh page. 】 While the Hornet's planes were diving to attack the Tone, a group of B|17s from Midway and Molokai attacked the same targets.While some of the combatants were sure they had hit an aircraft carrier, a battleship, or a heavy cruiser, this operation by the large land-based bombers was as inconclusive as the earlier battle. [Note: See, for example, Urtell's Enemy Operations List and letter dated June 6, 1942 from Lieutenant Robert B. Andrews to the Commander, Seventh Bomber Command, Hickam Field, Hawaii.Content: Special mission.Hereinafter referred to as the Andrews report. ] From sunset to moonrise, the VMSB | 241 Squadron, which took off from Midway Island, also made no achievements.In addition, the battle on June 4th was over. [Note: VMSB|241 report. 】