Chapter 42 Chapter Thirty-Eight Solemn and Tearing Scenes

The battle is not quite over, and the victor still faces a tragedy.The United States has to pay a price to control the Central Pacific. In the early morning of the 5th, the Yi 1168 submarine bombarded Midway to no avail.After that, Tanabe received an urgent message: My air strike severely damaged a large enterprise-class aircraft carrier, and it is now floating on the ocean 150 nautical miles northeast of Midway Island.Follow Yi1168 quickly and sink it. [Note: Tanabe's reply.Tanabe and Joseph D. Harrington co-authored an article entitled I Sink the USS Yorktown at Midway, published in the Journal of the United States Naval Institute, May 1963, 58| Sixty-five pages, his reply follows this article. 】

From the monitoring of the radio by the translation officer, Tanabe has a clearer understanding of the battle situation.He knew that Japan had lost the opportunity to capture Midway, but he acted cautiously and did not disclose what he had heard and his personal views to the crew. lost.The Japanese aircraft carrier took revenge. [Note: Interview with Tanabe, November 30, 1964. 】 He immediately conveyed the order he had just received to all officers and men on board.Some cheered with joy, others trembled with nervousness at the approaching battle.Tanabe summoned the staff in the officer meeting room and instructed them to come up with a detailed plan of attack.He returned to the bridge by himself, sat on the small bench, and seriously considered whether he could find and capture the aircraft carrier, and if so, whether he could sink it.He estimated that there must be tight security around the damaged aircraft carrier, and he might not be able to enter the position to sink the enemy ship. [Note: Tanabe's reply. 】

Tanabe has sunken eyes, deep gaze, thin body and elegant demeanor, very similar to Genda.He sat on the bridge for hours on end, thinking about solutions to the problem.He didn't have Genda's creative talent, but he possessed some of the valuable qualities of a submarine captain. He was as infinitely patient, steady, and deliberate as a cat stalking a squirrel. [Note: This is the compliment Prange and Chihaya gave to Tanabe when they interviewed him on November 30, 1964. 】 Timing was on Tanabe's mind.He hoped, and intended, to find the aircraft carrier at dawn.At that time, Japanese submarines were not equipped with radar, so Tanabe relied on his own eyesight and his pair of good 32cm binoculars.In order to see the prey clearly, he needs a little light, but in order to prevent his submarine from being discovered, the sky needs to be relatively dark.He must have destroyer escorts around that aircraft carrier, as well as air patrols.

Tanabe was deep in thought when the electronics officer on his boat walked up to the bridge and handed him an amulet.This is what he got from the Shuitiangong Shrine.He explained that he got some before leaving Wugang and wanted to give one to everyone on board. [Note: Interview with Tanabe, November 30, 1964. 】 When the deputy captain reported that the preparations for the attack had been completed and the crew had all gone to rest, night was slowly falling.Tian Bian went down to the cabin to inspect, and was surprised and proud to find that some crew members had fallen asleep.They had turbans wrapped around their heads in preparation for battle, and others, too excited to sleep, were gathering to chat merrily.Taking advantage of the dimness of night, Tanabe surfaced the sub and sailed on the surface at sixteen knots toward the target. [Note: Interview with Tanabe, November 30, 1964; Tanabe's reply. 】

A watch sentry has been watching the sea to the east with a telescope.At four o'clock, he suddenly shouted: a black spot was found ahead of the starboard side!Tanabe stood on the sentry post to observe for himself.He gazed through the telescope at the gradually brightening horizon with great joy in his heart.The prey was about 20,000 meters (about 12 nautical miles) away, and the timing and location of spotting it were just right.The submarine sailed against the rising sun from the southwest, and the crew could clearly see Yorktown.As long as Tanabe doesn't expose himself, it will be difficult for the enemy to find him in the direction of the receding night.Of course he didn't want to expose himself, and now that he had spotted his target, he reduced his speed from sixteen to twelve knots.Sailing at sixteen knots, the scene of the ship breaking through the waves was easily spotted by patrol aircraft. [Note: Tanabe's reply. 】

At about six o'clock, Tanabe saw two destroyers guarding the aircraft carrier, so he dived and moved forward quietly at a speed of only three knots.The steward distributes combat supplies to each crew member.The torpedo crew wiped the torpedo one last time.The distance is getting closer.Tanabe counted, a total of seven destroyers, surrounded by two rows about a kilometer away from the aircraft carrier.In fact, there were only six destroyers, and because the distance was still relatively long, Tanabe was unable to identify the Bugcatcher as a minesweeper. There were a large number of destroyers acting as cover, and the sea was calm, so the periscope was easy to spot, so Tanabe put away the periscope and sailed underwater for a while by listening to the sound.Before that, he raised his periscope every ten minutes, and since then he's only raised it about every hour. [Note: Interview with Tanabe, November 30, 1964. 】

He ventured to raise the periscope to observe again, and found that the target was about 15,000 meters away.The destroyers seemed to be on high alert.He judged from the noise that the enemy had used sonar.He ordered: Prepare to deal with the enemy's depth charge attack!The crew waited with bated breath.Tanabe occasionally let them know about the enemy's situation.At this time, the east wind picked up, blowing layers of fine waves.This is beneficial to Yi1168. He then made several periscope observations, but what he saw puzzled him.Although the aircraft carrier was almost at a standstill, its position did not match the submarine pilot's calculations.No matter how hard he tried, his position relative to the aircraft carrier did not improve, but worsened.How fast is it?What is the average heading?Is it drifting with the wind?Tanabe asked himself these questions, but couldn't get a satisfactory answer. [Note: Tanabe's reply. 】

He wanted to attack from the carrier's port side, but the carrier was moving, so he decided to attack her starboard side, and moved the submarine accordingly.He also decided that further approaches to the enemy should be based solely on chart calculations.This means that he may not be able to hit the enemy at all, but he has to try his luck.He commanded the movement of the submarine according to the chart, and he could only leave it to fate.Several U.S. destroyers kept passing over Iraq 1168, and Tanabe was even more worried.The crew of the submarine also heard the noise of the American sonar installation. [Note: Same as above. 】

At 12:37, after Tanabe prayed softly, he raised the periscope.His surprise was really not trivial, because the huge body of the aircraft carrier stood in front of him like a mountain, and he could even see every face on the ship clearly.He was 500 meters away from the York City, already deep inside the destroyer's security circle. Tanabe hastily put away the periscope, much faster than when he raised it just now.Not only was he uncomfortable getting too close, but too close a torpedo attack could fail.At such a short distance, the torpedo would pass under the aircraft carrier without causing any danger to it.Tanabe did not take it lightly with regard to the US destroyer alert circle.He knew that facing the enemy's high level of alert, he would only have one chance to attack, and he had to start to wipe out the enemy.For this reason, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and pass through the two destroyer cordons again, at least twice the distance between the submarine and the target. [Note: Tanabe's reply: Interview with Tanabe, November 30, 1964. 】

Just as Tanabe was moving cautiously towards the attack distance, he suddenly found that the sound of the enemy's sonar detection had all disappeared.He wondered what was going on up there, and said to the navigator: Looks like their sonar watchmen have gone to lunch.Whatever the reason, this unexpected opening gave Tanabe a chance.He ventured up again and found himself in the ideal position of fifteen hundred meters from the aircraft carrier.Also, the carrier was turning toward him so that he was facing exactly amidships, with the entire side of the Yorktown right in the center of his sight.He also caught a destroyer in sight, but he didn't think the ship posed an obstacle.Tanabe thought reverently: I must be blessed by the God of War. To ensure that the enemy is wiped out, I really wish for this position. [Note: Same as above. 】

I-1168 has eight torpedo tubes, four at the bow and four at the stern.Tanabe knew that he could only rely on launching a few torpedoes from the bow, and it was too late to turn the submarine around and get into the stern launch position.So he was determined to hit every shot.He shouted the order: prepare to launch!A few seconds later he yelled: Let it go! Two torpedoes were launched rapidly.Two seconds later, two more torpedoes were fired in one direction.Under normal circumstances, Tanabe would take different angles and spread out the four torpedoes, so that two or two torpedoes would always hit.This time, he thought he would definitely hit, so he fired two volleys at the same point in order to achieve the maximum destructive power. [Note: Tanabe's reply. 】 When I1168 fired her torpedoes, Yorktown also seemed to be recovering gradually.Throughout the morning, Buckmaster led the rescuers to fight on the aircraft carrier, and Hanman provided them with the necessary power.There is a rescue team to drain the water tank and fill it with water to prevent overturning.Another detachment dismantled the heavy equipment on the sloping side; they disposed of the port anchor, the mounts for five small twenty-millimeter guns on the port side, and one five-inch gun.These measures reduced the ship's list by two degrees.The fire that had been burning in the cargo hold for a long time was finally extinguished.Three feet of water had been pumped out of the aft third deck.A crew took the plane out of the forward hangar and slowly lowered it into the sea.Medical personnel finish the agonizing task of identifying the dead and preparing them for burial.Of the thirty-five bodies, only ten were unidentifiable.Buckmaster presided over the proper ceremonies and buried them at sea. [Note: Yorktown report; Hanman report. 】 At 13:31, it was exactly one hour after Tanabe stuck out his periscope under the nose of the Yorktown, and Buckmaster spotted four torpedo tracks in calm seas.A machine gun on the aircraft carrier fired the alarm.Torpedo attack!The alert was issued quickly.The Hanman fired desperately at the mine trails, trying to detonate the torpedoes before they hit their targets.The first torpedo hit the middle section of the Hanman's hull, and the other two went under it, hitting the eighty-fifth frame of the Yorktown's starboard side of the ship's bottom and the side bend of the ship, blowing the hull out. big hole.A fourth torpedo missed its target over the stern of the ship. As Yorktown's No. 3 auxiliary elevator was uprooted, all fixtures slammed onto the hangar deck.The rivet of the starboard side leg of the fore-mast was broken, and people were thrown everywhere, some were thrown into the sea, and some were thrown with broken bones, skin and flesh, and bruises all over their bodies. The No. 2 boiler room of the Hanman was hit, the hull was almost blown in two, and it sank in less than three minutes. [Note: Yorktown report; Hanman report. ] Burford recalled: When the torpedo hit the Hanman, it was like breaking its spine.It was almost completely broken in two, and it was a horrible sight.Many were thrown from the deck into the sea, and many others were killed instantly. [Note: Interview with Burford, August 18, 1964. 】 The captain of the USS Hanman, Lieutenant Colonel Arnold E. True, was lifted by the blast wave, hit his chest on the table, broke a rib, and couldn't breathe or speak.So the deputy captain had to order to abandon the ship.Worse things followed.As the Hanman sank, its depth charges exploded at three different depths, sending up a column of water fifteen feet high.Nine of the thirteen officers on board were killed, and seventy-two of the 228 crew members were killed. Captain True believed that the depth charges of the Hanman were insured.In his report, he warmly praised Technical Private First Class B. M. Kimbrel, saying that he stayed aft and checked the depth charges one last time to make sure they were all secured.He also helped several people who were temporarily horrified by shock go over the side, giving them life jackets.As the tail was about to sink, he himself jumped into the sea without a life jacket on.he is also missing Despite the sailor's heroic efforts, the consensus is that these violent explosions were indeed caused by depth charges on the destroyer.Trudeau likely misinterpreted Kimbrel's actions.After Kimbrel found the mine, he thought that anti-submarine measures should be taken immediately, so he actually put the depth charges on the insurance.Four hours after the explosion, Truu was rescued by the Balchi.By this time he was half dead, but there was still a dead crewman under each arm. [Note: Balchi's logbook, June 6, 1942. 】 The moment Tanabe's fourth torpedo was fired, the submarine had dived to a depth of about one hundred meters, which it could safely dive.Then he sailed directly towards the Yorktown.He believed that the closer he was to the scene, the safer he would be.Because the destroyer will not drop depth charges near the aircraft carrier, otherwise it will kill the survivors floating in this sea area. Time passed like a crawl, Tian Bian and everyone else on the boat were waiting for the sound of the explosion.About forty seconds after launching the torpedo, the submarine shook violently, followed by the second and third times.It is no exaggeration to say that every time the submarine shakes, the sailors jump for joy. They hug each other and shout long live!Several non-commissioned officers ran to the conning tower to congratulate Tanabe.A sailor brought him a soft drink, and Tanabe choked up with emotion.He almost forgot that he had been in the conning tower since he spotted the Yorktown, and hadn't even had a sip of water.Now he felt tense and thirsty, his throat was like a file, and he couldn't speak. [Note: Tanabe's reply. 】 He knew that for those on board, the battle had just begun.It is much easier for a submarine to stalk prey than to escape from it.So he sent a message to the whole boat: the real battle will start now, please pay more attention.The depth charges were dropped within five minutes of the torpedo launch.But the destroyer seemed to be wandering blindly, so I1168's first hour was relatively easy.But the situation suddenly changed. A destroyer passed directly above it from right to left, dropping two depth charges.The hunter becomes the hunted. [Note: Same as above. 】 Tanabe used all the evasion methods mentioned in the textbook, but he still couldn't avoid the destroyers passing overhead like a relay race.Still, he was lucky.The second officer reported that she had avoided sixty depth charges.But before he finished speaking, Yi1168 jumped up like a wild horse.The paint above the head was starting to peel off in patches.The lighting system failed and the boat was pitch black.Emergency lighting came into play quickly.The result of the investigation of the damage is that the front torpedo launch compartment and the rear steering gear compartment were flooded, and the battery was damaged.The crew quickly plugged the leak, but the battery couldn't be repaired for a while.The sulfuric acid in the battery slowly seeps out and mixes with the water in the tank, producing chlorine gas.Breathing became more and more difficult, and even the rats in the bilge came out to escape the suffocating smell. [Note: Tanabe's reply. 】 The depth charges dropped one after another, like a shaker for making a cocktail, making the submarine shake continuously.Due to the loss of power, the submarine was immobilized, and the horizontal and vertical rudders failed.In order to prevent the submarine from surfacing, Tanabe assigned the crew to run around, injecting water and draining water to make the weight evenly distributed.The chief mechanic and electrical engineer put on masks and led his staff to desperately repair the deadly dangerous battery.Several people were so gassed that they had to be carried out of the battery room.Tanabe cheered everyone up and said: It will be sunset in two hours, so we must persevere. Tanabe knew that the submarine would not be able to last two hours under water anyway, because the air pressure was only 40 kilograms left.The air was barely breathable, and the emergency lights went out.The sailors worked under dim lantern lights.At about 16:40, Yi 1168's bow began to warp 30 degrees.Tanabe had no choice but to make this final decision: why not let fate float?It is better to die in a glorious last battle at sea than to suffocate underwater without a trace.He ordered: Cannons and machine guns are ready to fire, and quickly rise to fire. [Note: Same as above. 】 As soon as the hatch came out of the water, Tanabe jumped onto the bridge.He was surprised to find that the nearby sea was empty.He looked into the distance and saw three enemy destroyers about 10,000 meters away. [Note: Tanabe's reply: Interview with Tanabe, November 30, 1964. 】This must be hunting for his Benham, Monaghan and Hughes. [Note: Logbook of the Benham, Monahan, and Hughes, June 6, 1942. ] What particularly interested Tanabe was that the aircraft carrier was missing.He concluded that it had indeed been sunk, and hurried down to share the good news with those on board. [Note: Tanabe's reply; interview with Tanabe, November 30, 1964. 】 Tanabe was a little overjoyed, because the Yorktown was still floating at sea at this moment.Oddly enough, I-1168's torpedo had reduced its bank to seventeen degrees, and Buckmaster hoped to resume the rescue in the morning.It was a waste of a day.The work of identifying the dead was also wasted, as their belongings, files including fingerprints, all fell into the sea.The destroyer is doing its best to rescue survivors, salvage dead bodies, and search for I1168.Buckmaster decided not to take any action until dawn, waiting for the fleet's Navajo tug to arrive.So he and the rescue team left the mothership and boarded the Balchi. [Note: Balchi's logbook, June 6, 1942; Yorktown report. 】 Tanabe was not happy for a long time, and soon he saw the three destroyers turning back and heading towards him.He wanted to get away and recharge the batteries while the submarine sailed at full speed, but he immediately realized that the surface speed of I-1168 was not comparable to that of the destroyers chasing him.One destroyer was heading off, but the other two were speeding toward him.Tanabe ordered the communications officer to send a report to the United Fleet saying that we had sunk the Yorktown, and now we will fight the enemy ship to the death. The observation post kept reporting that the enemy was approaching, but the general motor from below the cabin still couldn't be used.what to do?Dive or continue on the surface?When you have to, just collide with the destroyer and die together?According to Tanabe's temper, he really wanted to go the third way, but he also considered the people on board and their families.He looked at his watch. Thirty minutes before sunset, the destroyer had already measured the distance, and the naval guns were firing crossfire at the submarine.Tanabe asked the vice-captain: How much air do we have?The deputy captain replied: It has risen to 80 kilograms. [Note: Tanabe's reply. 】 Tanabe immediately ordered an emergency dive to a depth of sixty meters.Then came the exciting news from the main mechanic that the motor was ready for use.The destroyers seemed to lose their target again, their shells and depth charges falling farther and farther.Tanabe won the battle for the submarine and the officers and men on board. At 18:50, the submarine surfaced.During the thirteen hours, Tanabe and the officers and soldiers on the boat neither ate nor drank except for drinking a glass of water to celebrate the victory.His heart was filled with gratitude and pride.From the bottom of his heart, he appreciated the selfless dedication of the loyal officers and soldiers.When he really found out that he could sail freely on the sea, he ordered: open the hatch and get fresh air.In the evening breeze, everyone breathed deeply the fresh, slightly salty air. Tanabe was a little worried, afraid that he would not be able to reach Wugang with the remaining fuel.Before Yi 1168 set sail, a quartermaster of the fleet told him that he could go there to refuel after the capture of Midway Island. The Japanese are so confident!But this one doesn't work now.Using only one of the two engines, Tanabe skillfully drove the submarine to Kure Harbor with only 800 kilograms of fuel remaining in the tank.He and all officers and men were welcomed like heroes. [Note: Same as above. 】 The Yorktown spent an incredible night at sea.It was near dawn that its crew and watch ships actually abandoned it.When Captain Edward P. Saul, the commander of the destroyer squadron, saw that the giant aircraft carrier was hopeless, he gathered all the destroyers around it and held a farewell ceremony to it.It was especially heartbreaking to watch her dying, this amazing lady who has survived so many hardships and deserves to live. In the brilliant morning light, the Yorktown sank faster and faster.At the moment, Burford has mixed feelings.He recalled: "Our destroyers lined up and watched it sink into the sea.It was a solemn and tear-jerking spectacle to watch the large warship rest in peace.When it sank, all ships lowered their flags at half-mast, and all the crew took off their hats and stood in awe.In truth, nothing could possibly be more fitting than to bid farewell to this gallant lady in this manner.His tone was deep.Then he said: But in a way, it's also fucking ridiculous.We really shouldn't waste our time and energy on such a ceremony.We should go after those damn Japanese! [Note: Interview with Burford, August 18, 1964. 】 Yorktown sank at 4:58 on 7 June.At this point, the Seventeenth Task Force was largely disintegrated.Fletcher returned to Pearl Harbor with the Astoria and Portland.USS Balch, USS Hughes, and USS Monaghan were assigned to Task Force 16 at the refueling point.Buckmaster and his men were transferred from the Balch to the Gwynn, and returned home at the same time as the Benham, which carried the survivors of the Hamman. [Note: Balchi and Monaghan's logbook, June 6, 1942. 】After returning to China, he had an unpleasant task, which was to report on the combat situation of the Yorktown.The ship's operations made him proud, but also saddened him.He concluded his report by writing; During all these battles, and during the many weeks of training at sea for these battles, Yorktown's fighting spirit was unmatched.Even when it died in battle, its fighting spirit lives on.Those of us who were fortunate enough to serve on this valiant aircraft carrier sincerely hope not only that it will live on in our memory, but that it be possible to gather its crew together and put them in command of a new, It is best to use the aircraft carrier named after Yorktown to fight the enemy. [Note: Yorktown report. ]