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how many japanese ships were sunk in ww2

    how many japanese ships were sunk in ww2

    [196] By 1942 the United States was already three years into a shipbuilding program mandated by the Second Vinson Act of 1938. [83] Nagumo's opportunity to hit the American ships[84] was now limited by the imminent return of his Midway strike force. Meanwhile, salvage efforts on Yorktown were encouraging, and she was taken in tow by fleet tug USSVireo. And furthermore, it wasn't really needed to keep exact track of such things, as long as the [18], Typical of Japanese naval planning during World War II, Yamamoto's battle plan for taking Midway (named Operation MI) was exceedingly complex. [57], At about 09:00 on 3 June, Ensign Jack Reid, piloting a PBY from U.S. Navy patrol squadron VP-44,[60] spotted the Japanese Occupation Force 500nmi (580mi; 930km) to the west-southwest of Midway. [38], During the Battle of the Coral Sea one month earlier, the Japanese light carrier Shh had been sunk, while the fleet carrier Shkaku had been severely damaged by three bomb hits and was in drydock for months of repair. WebThe Japanese lost 29 aircraft and 5 midget submarines in the attack. [179] The execution of Osmus in this manner was apparently ordered by Arashi's captain, Watanabe Yasumasa. Allied submarines in the Pacific sank 1,314 ships from Japan's navy and merchant marine. [57], As a result, the Americans entered the battle with a good picture of where, when, and in what strength the Japanese would appear. [92] Whatever the case, at that point there was no way to stop the American strike against him, since Fletcher's carriers had launched their planes beginning at 07:00 (with Enterprise and Hornet having completed launching by 07:55, but Yorktown not until 09:08), so the aircraft that would deliver the crushing blow were already on their way. Pre-war Japan was less mechanized than America and the highly trained aircraft mechanics, fitters, and technicians lost at Midway were all but impossible to replace and train to a similar level of efficiency. Australia finds wreck of Japanese WW2 disaster ship. Critically, Yamamoto's supporting battleships and cruisers trailed Vice Admiral Chichi Nagumo's carrier force by several hundred miles. [185] It was the Allies' first major naval victory against the Japanese. For other uses, see, The code names "Val", "Kate" and "Zeke", which are often applied to these aircraft, were not introduced until late 1943 by the Allied forces. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! [194], After the battle, Shkaku and Zuikaku were the only large carriers of the original Pearl Harbor strike force still afloat. [20] However, following hasty repairs at Pearl Harbor, Yorktown sortied and ultimately played a critical role in the discovery and eventual destruction of the Japanese fleet carriers at Midway. [113] Some bombers were lost from fuel exhaustion before the attack commenced. [153] At 07:01, the ship rolled upside-down, and slowly sank, stern first. Many were sunk by Allied submarines, sending thousands of their comrades to their deaths. Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, that was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. Admiral Fletcher, obliged to abandon the derelict Yorktown and feeling he could not adequately command from a cruiser, ceded operational command to Spruance. [23] The light carriers of the trailing forces and Yamamoto's three battleships were unable to keep pace with the carriers of the Kid Butai and so could not have sailed in company with them. Five torpedo bombers and two fighters were shot down in this attack. Just before 8 a.m. on that Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, where they managed to destroy or damage nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes. [137] Enterprise dive bomber Dusty Kleiss struck Hiry on the bow, essentially crippling her. By contrast, Yamamoto and Kondo had between them two light carriers, five battleships, four heavy cruisers, and two light cruisers, none of which saw action at Midway. [146] Sighting several ships, neither Murphy nor his executive officer, Edward Spruance (son of Admiral Spruance), could identify them. John Ford directed two films about the events: the 18-minute 1942 Movietone News documentary (released by the War Activities Committee) The Battle of Midway,[210] which received the 1942 Academy Award for Best Documentary; and the eight-minute documentary Torpedo Squadron 8, which describes the heroism of Torpedo Squadron 8 of the USSHornet. [74] This experience may well have contributed to Nagumo's determination to launch another attack on Midway, in direct violation of Yamamoto's order to keep the reserve strike force armed for anti-ship operations. He already had Vice Admiral William Halsey's two-carrier (Enterprise and Hornet) task force at hand, though Halsey was stricken with shingles and had to be replaced by Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, Halsey's escort commander. [24], What Yamamoto did not know was that the U.S. had broken parts of the main Japanese naval code (dubbed JN-25 by the Americans), divulging many details of his plan to the enemy. [102] Meanwhile, VT-6, led by LCDR Eugene E. Lindsey lost nine of its 14 Devastators (one ditched later), and 10 of 12 Devastators from Yorktown's VT-3 (who attacked at 10:10) were shot down with no hits to show for their effort, thanks in part to the abysmal performance of their unimproved Mark 13 torpedoes. After expanding the war in the Pacific to include Western outposts, the Japanese Empire had attained its initial strategic goals quickly, taking British Hong Kong, the Philippines, British Malaya, Singapore, and the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia). [40], Thus, Carrier Division 5, consisting of the two most advanced aircraft carriers of the Kido Butai, was not available, which meant that Vice-Admiral Nagumo had only two-thirds of the fleet carriers at his disposal: Kaga and Akagi forming Carrier Division 1 and Hiry and Sry making up Carrier Division 2. [106][121][nb 2], Simultaneously, Yorktown's VB-3, commanded by Max Leslie, went for Sry, scoring at least three hits and causing extensive damage. [175][176] Osmus was held on Arashi; O'Flaherty and Gaido on the cruiser Nagara (or destroyer Makigumo, sources vary); O'Flaherty and Gaido were interrogated and then killed by being tied to water-filled kerosene cans and thrown overboard to drown. A picket line of Japanese submarines was late getting into position (partly because of Yamamoto's haste), which let the American carriers reach their assembly point northeast of Midway (known as "Point Luck") without being detected. The USAAF contributed a squadron of 17 B-17 Flying Fortresses and four Martin B-26 Marauders equipped with torpedoes: in total 126 aircraft. As soon as Tambor returned to port, Spruance had Murphy relieved of duty and reassigned to a shore station, citing his confusing contact report, poor torpedo shooting during his attack run, and general lack of aggression, especially as compared to Nautilus, the oldest of the 12 boats at Midway and the only one which had successfully placed a torpedo on target (albeit a dud). SS Montevideo Maru was carrying more than 1,000 Allied prisoners-of-war for the Japanese military in 1942 when it was sunk by an American submarine, which did [146][147], Over the next two days, several strikes were launched against the stragglers, first from Midway, then from Spruance's carriers. [155] The heavy cruisers Mikuma (sunk; 700 casualties) and Mogami (badly damaged; 92) accounted for another 792 deaths. Hammann broke in two and sank with the loss of 80 lives, mostly because her own depth charges exploded. "[154], By the time the battle ended, 3,057 Japanese had died. Dead aboard the destroyers Tanikaze (11), Arashi (1), Kazagumo (1) and the fleet oiler Akebono Maru (10) made up the remaining 23 casualties. The main airfield at Guadalcanal was named after him in August 1942. The strike planes returned to the carriers after nightfall, prompting Spruance to order Enterprise and Hornet to turn on their lights to aid the landings. Although their crews reported hitting four ships,[62] none of the bombs actually hit anything and no significant damage was inflicted. (In contrast, American air squadrons were considered interchangeable between carriers allowing for more flexibility.) The other carrier was not sighted. [197], Both the United States and Japan accelerated the training of aircrew, but the United States had a more effective pilot rotation system, which meant that more veterans survived and went on to training or command billets, where they were able to pass on lessons they had learned in combat to trainees, instead of remaining in combat, where errors were more likely to be fatal. WebPassenger and cargo ship Japan: 9 April 1945: USS Tirante United States: 667: Taito Maru: Cargo ship serving as evacuation ship Japan: 22 August 1945: L-12 Soviet Union: 658: Tateyama Maru: Troopship Japan: 1 March 1945: USS Sterlet United States: 656: Sanka Maru: Troopship Japan: 10 March 1945: USS Kete United States: 654: Ceramic: Ocean [51], Admiral Nimitz had one critical advantage: U.S. cryptanalysts had partially broken the Japanese Navy's JN-25b code. [67], Having taken off prior to the Japanese attack, American bombers based on Midway made several attacks on the Japanese carrier force. [134], News of the two strikes, with the mistaken reports that each had sunk an American carrier, greatly improved Japanese morale. This report was passed on by English to Nimitz, who then sent it to Spruance. On December 8, Congress approved Roosevelts declaration of war on Japan. Hans-Gnther Kuhlmann, sank four ships off of Louisiana from July 11 to July 30, 1942. [170], Replacement pilots were pushed through an abbreviated training regimen in order to meet the short-term needs of the fleet. At 06:20, Japanese carrier aircraft bombed and heavily damaged the U.S. base. He mistakenly reported this group as the Main Force. Hornet's strike, launched late because of a communications error, concentrated on the remaining escort ships, but failed to score any hits. Japanese casualty figures for the battle were compiled by Sawaichi Hisae for her book. World Explorers find WWII ship sunk with over 1,000 Allied POWs The Japanese ship was transporting Allied prisoners of war when it was torpedoed by an Fletcher transferred his flag to Saratoga on the afternoon of 8 June and resumed command of the carrier force. [63] Early the following morning, the Japanese oil tanker Akebono Maru sustained the first hit when a torpedo from an attacking PBY struck her around 01:00. [96][97], While the Japanese were able to launch 108 aircraft in just seven minutes, it took Enterprise and Hornet over an hour to launch 117. [205] Waldron Field, an outlying training landing strip at Corpus Christi NAS, as well as Waldron Road leading to the strip, was named in honor of John C. Waldron, the commander of USS Hornet's Torpedo Squadron 8. Updated on: April 22, 2023 / 7:47 PM / AP. [15] Yamamoto reasoned that another air attack on the main U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor would induce all of the American fleet to sail out to fight, including the carriers. [120], Although Akagi sustained only one direct hit (almost certainly dropped by Lieutenant Best), it proved to be a fatal blow: the bomb struck the edge of the mid-ship deck elevator and penetrated to the upper hangar deck, where it exploded among the armed and fueled aircraft in the vicinity. For instance, cryptanalysis made possible the shooting down of Admiral Yamamoto's airplane in 1943. (Some had returned to the mainland and others were delivering planes to troops on Midway and Wake Islands.). "[46] Japanese carrier anti-aircraft guns and associated fire control systems had several design and configuration changes deficiencies which limited their effectiveness. [191] Parshall and Tully have stated that the heavy losses in veteran aircrew (110, just under 25 percent of the aircrew embarked on the four carriers)[192] were not crippling to the Japanese naval air corps as a whole; the Japanese navy had 2,000 carrier-qualified aircrews at the start of the Pacific war. Thirteen Japanese dive bombers and three escorting fighters were lost in this attack (two escorting fighters turned back early after they were damaged attacking some of Enterprise's SBDs returning from their attack on the Japanese carriers). All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Torpedo Five (VT-5) was also replaced by Torpedo Three (VT-3). 5 days ago. (Albion & Pope, Sea Lanes in Wartime) Between December 1941 and May 1942, the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard sank only two U-Boats. Despite the heavy losses, the Japanese believed that they could scrape together enough aircraft for one more strike against what they believed to be the only remaining American carrier. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place from 47 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. Despite a scuttling attempt by a Japanese destroyer that hit her with a torpedo and then departed quickly, Hiry stayed afloat for several more hours. Journey through the "day that will live in infamy" by exploring the details that still surprise us 75 years later, including accounts from experts, military minds, and even those who lived through it. Akagi, having been struck by only one bomb, took longer to burn, but the resulting fires quickly expanded and soon proved impossible to extinguish; she too was eventually consumed by flames and had to be abandoned. Gasoline ignited, creating an "inferno", while stacked bombs and ammunition detonated. Air Group Commander C. Wade McClusky, Jr. decided to continue the search, and by good fortune spotted the wake of the Japanese destroyer Arashi, steaming at full speed to rejoin Nagumo's carriers after having unsuccessfully depth-charged U.S. submarine Nautilus, which had unsuccessfully attacked the battleship Kirishima. Casualties aboard the four carriers were: Akagi: 267; Kaga: 811; Hiry: 392 (including Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi who chose to go down with his ship); Sory: 711 (including Captain Yanagimoto, who chose to remain on board); a total of 2,181. [182][183], The Battle of Midway has often been called "the turning point of the Pacific". [127] All three carriers remained temporarily afloat, as none had suffered damage below the waterline, other than the rudder damage to Akagi caused by the near miss close astern. President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress on December 8, the day after the crushing attack on Pearl Harbor. [145], At 02:15 on the morning of 5 June, Commander John Murphy's Tambor, lying 90nmi (170km; 100mi) west of Midway, made the second of the submarine force's two major contributions to the battle's outcome, although its impact was heavily blunted by Murphy himself. The two 100lb[45kg] bombs struck in the forward area of the parked planes [119]. Re-arming had been underway for about 30 minutes when, at 07:40,[80] the delayed scout plane from Tone signaled that it had sighted a sizable American naval force to the east, but neglected to specify its composition. Next, torpedoes pierced the shell of the battleship USS Oklahoma. [130] Captain Buckmaster had his signalmen hoist a huge new (10 feet wide and 15 feet long) American flag from the foremast. [94], Spruance judged that, though the range was extreme, a strike could succeed and gave the order to launch the attack. This made it unlikely that they would be effective in an airstrike against the Japanese battleships, even if they had managed to catch them during the daytime. [75], While the air strikes from Midway were going on, the American submarine USSNautilus(SS-168) (Lt. [167] None of the flag officers or staff of the Combined Fleet were penalized, and Nagumo was later placed in command of the rebuilt carrier force. Scouting Five (VS-5) was replaced with Bombing Three (VB-3) from USSSaratoga. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. [nb 6], Midway showed the worth of pre-war naval cryptanalysis and intelligence-gathering. This led to a sharp decline in the quality of the aviators produced. Ballard's subsequent search for the Japanese carriers was unsuccessful. [35] Despite efforts to get Saratoga (which had been undergoing repairs on the American West Coast) ready, the need to resupply and assemble sufficient escorts meant she was unable to reach Midway until after the battle. No one believed that the Japanese would start a war with an attack on the distant islands of Hawaii. These factors meant all carriers of the Kid Butai had fewer aircraft than their normal complement, with few spare aircraft or parts stored in the carriers' hangars. Because of the extreme depth of the ocean in the area of the battle (more than 17,000ft or 5,200m), researching the battlefield has presented extraordinary difficulties. This would place them at about 155nmi (287km; 178mi) from the Japanese fleet, assuming it did not change course. It was accepted that the lack of coordination would diminish the impact of the American attacks and increase their casualties, but Spruance calculated that this was worthwhile, since keeping the Japanese under aerial attack impaired their ability to launch a counterstrike (Japanese tactics preferred fully constituted attacks), and he gambled that he would find Nagumo with his flight decks at their most vulnerable. More carrier crew members were trained in damage-control and firefighting techniques, although the losses of the Shkaku, Hiy, and especially Taih later in the war suggest that there were still problems in this area. After winning a clear victory, and as pursuit became too hazardous near Wake,[157] American forces retired. His emphasis on dispersal also meant none of his formations were in a position to support the others. List of ships sunk by the Imperial Japanese Navy, Japanese cruisers of the Pacific War; Lacroix & Wells, List of ships sunk by Axis warships in Australian waters, "Dutch Submarines: The submarine K XVIII", "U.S. Submarines Lost through Enemy Action and through Accidents", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_ships_sunk_by_the_Imperial_Japanese_Navy&oldid=1146303724, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 March 2023, at 01:38. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window). I saw [my] 500lb[230kg] bomb hit right abreast of the [carrier's] island. Deep-sea explorers have found the wreck of a Japanese transport ship which sank off the Philippines, killing nearly 1,000 Australian troops and civilians in World Recognizing the error, Lieutenant Richard Halsey Best and his two wingmen were able to pull out of their dives and, after judging that Kaga was doomed, headed north to attack Akagi. [17] The U.S. did consider Midway vital: after the battle, the establishment of a U.S. submarine base on Naval Air Facility Midway Island allowed submarines operating from Pearl Harbor to refuel and re-provision, extending their radius of operations by 1,200mi (1,900km). The destroyers Arashio and Asashio were also bombed and strafed during the last of these attacks. Later evidence suggests Nagumo did not receive the sighting report until 08:00. The Germans and Japanese sank six ships [36], On Midway, by 4 June the U.S. Navy had stationed four squadrons of PBYs31 aircraft in totalfor long-range reconnaissance duties, and six brand-new Grumman TBF Avengers from Hornet's VT-8. The Japanese surface forces failed to make contact with the Americans because Spruance had decided to briefly withdraw eastward, and Yamamoto ordered a general withdrawal to the west. [107][108] Remarkably, senior Navy and Bureau of Ordnance officers never questioned why half a dozen torpedoes, released so close to the Japanese carriers, produced no results. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded. [144], Spruance failed to regain contact with Yamamoto's forces on 5 June, despite extensive searches. It was torpedoed and sunk I looked up to see three black enemy planes plummeting towards our ship. [104], The Japanese combat air patrol, flying Mitsubishi A6M2 Zeros,[105] made short work of the unescorted, slow, under-armed TBDs. Lo on 10 October 1944 to clear the name Midway for a large fleet aircraft carrier,[207] USSMidway(CV-41), which was commissioned on 10 September 1945, eight days after the Japanese surrender, and is now docked in San Diego, California, as the USS Midway Museum.[208]. They were intended to come up and destroy whatever elements of the U.S. fleet might come to Midway's defense once Nagumo's carriers had weakened them sufficiently for a daylight gun battle. A decade later, the Marine Nationaleand Royal Navylost three battleships, HMS Irresistible, HMS Ocean, and Bouvet, to Turkish mines in the waters of the Dardanelles. Planes stood tail up, belching livid flames and jet-black smoke, making it impossible to bring the fires under control. His design was also predicated on optimistic intelligence suggesting that USSEnterprise and USS Hornet, forming Task Force 16, were the only carriers available to the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Accordingly, American squadrons were launched piecemeal and proceeded to the target in several different groups. [62], Harassed by heavy anti-aircraft fire, they dropped their bombs. As it flew down the length of the ship, the B-26 strafed Akagi, killing two men. [189] The Guadalcanal Campaign is also regarded by some as a turning point in the Pacific War. Chicago Municipal Airport, important to the war effort in World War II, was renamed Chicago Midway International Airport (or simply Midway Airport) in 1949 in honor of the battle. The Japanese plan was simple: Destroy the Pacific Fleet. The discovery last week of the wreck of the Montevideo Maru has prompted renewed focus on the Japanese prison ships of World War II. That there were none immediately available is attributable to the failure of the IJN crew training program, which already showed signs of being unable to replace losses. [187], Although the Japanese continued to try to secure more territory, and the U.S. did not move from a state of naval parity to one of supremacy until after several more months of hard combat,[188] Midway allowed the Allies to switch to the strategic initiative, paving the way for the landings on Guadalcanal and the prolonged attrition of the Solomon Islands campaign. It was intended only for the highest echelons in the Japanese Navy and government and was guarded closely throughout the war. The ship exploded and sank with more than 1,000 men trapped inside. First, they kept the Japanese carriers off balance and unable to prepare and launch their own counterstrike. Today thesunken battleship serves as a memorial to all Americans who died in the attack. If the other parts of the invasion force needed more defense, the Kid Butai would make best speed to defend them. Saratoga would have been the only American carrier in the Pacific, as no new ones were completed before the end of 1942. [133] They attacked, crippling Yorktown with two torpedoes; she lost all power and developed a 23-degree list to port. [124] Kusaka was able to persuade him. The crew of Petrel confirmed the discovery of another Japanese carrier, the Akagi, on 21 October 2019. Coming under an onslaught of bombs from almost two full squadrons, Kaga sustained three to five direct hits, which caused heavy damage and started multiple fires.

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