how many japanese ships were sunk in ww2

[16], Instead, Yamamoto selected Midway, a tiny atoll at the extreme northwest end of the Hawaiian Island chain, approximately 1,300mi (1,100nmi; 2,100km) from Oahu. [151] Captain Richard E. Fleming, a U.S. Marine Corps aviator, was killed while executing a glide bomb run on Mikuma and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.[152]. [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. Almost the entire Pacific Fleet was moored around Ford Island in the harbor, and hundreds of airplanes were squeezed onto adjacent airfields. 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. These comprised two squadrons each of dive bombers and torpedo bombers. Yesterday, December 7, 1941a date which will live in infamythe United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan., He went on to say, No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. On December 8, Congress approved Roosevelts declaration of war on Japan. List of sunken battleships (Middlebrook, Convoy) Other sources count 1,664 ships sunk, 1,097 of them in the North Atlantic. As a result, the U.S. Navy was able to rebound relatively quickly from the attack. [53] Within 24 hours, the code breakers picked up a Japanese message that "AF was short on water". 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]. Towards the end of the day, he launched a search-and-destroy mission to seek out any remnants of Nagumo's carrier force. On 13 September 2000, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt designated the lands and waters of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge as the Battle of Midway National Memorial. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. [70], One B-26, piloted by Lieutenant James Muri, after dropping his torpedo and searching for a safer escape route, flew directly down the length of Akagi while being fired upon by fighters and anti-aircraft fire, which had to hold their fire to avoid hitting their own flagship. [200], The Battle of Midway also caused the plan of Japan and Nazi Germany to meet up in the Indian subcontinent to be abandoned. 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 Naval Reserve", "Oral HistoryBattle of Midway:Recollections of Commander John Ford", History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 19411942, Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Midway&oldid=1152011876, World War II aerial operations and battles of the Pacific theatre, Naval battles of World War II involving Japan, Naval battles of World War II involving the United States, United States Marine Corps in World War II, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from December 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2023, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 April 2023, at 16:33. [99] Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8, from Hornet), led by Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron, broke formation from Ring and followed the correct heading. [87] Furthermore, by spotting and launching immediately, Nagumo would be committing some of his reserves to battle without proper anti-ship armament, and likely without fighter escort; indeed, he had just witnessed how easily the unescorted American bombers had been shot down. They hoped to lure the U.S. aircraft carriers into a trap, clearing the seas for Japanese attacks on Midway, Fiji, Samoa, and Hawaii. WWII ship that sank with 1,000 Allied POWs on board Because of this, preliminary planning for the second phase of operations commenced as early as January 1942. Hornet's strike, launched late because of a communications error, concentrated on the remaining escort ships, but failed to score any hits. 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. WebThere were 733 Merchant Marine ships sunk due to enemy attacks, and the Japanese captured 609 mariners as prisoners of war. During the Battle of the Coral Sea one month earlier, USSLexington had been sunk and USSYorktown suffered so much damage that the Japanese believed she too had been lost. The Sinking of Prisoner of War Transport Ships in the Far East [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. No one believed that the Japanese would start a war with an attack on the distant islands of Hawaii. [29], Despite estimates that Yorktown, damaged in the Battle of the Coral Sea, would require several months of repairs at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, her elevators were intact and her flight deck largely so. WebThe four Japanese fleet carriers Akagi, Kaga, Sry, and Hiry, part of the six-carrier force that had attacked Pearl Harbor six months earlierwere sunk, as was the heavy cruiser Mikuma. Half of the dead at Pearl Harbor were on the USS Arizona. The U.S. lost the carrier Yorktown and the destroyer Hammann, while the carriers USS Enterprise and USS Hornet survived the battle fully intact. At the end of the battle, the U.S. lost the carrier Yorktown and a destroyer, Hammann. In desperation, instructors from the Yokosuka Air Corps were relieved of their duties to serve as pilots. This led to a sharp decline in the quality of the aviators produced. The United States was particularly unhappy with Japans increasingly belligerent attitude toward China. Although the fleet carrier Zuikaku escaped the battle undamaged, she had lost almost half her air group, and was in port at the Kure Naval District, Hiroshima, awaiting replacement planes and pilots. Some of our machineguns managed to fire a few frantic bursts at them, but it was too late. [129], Hiry, the sole surviving Japanese aircraft carrier, wasted little time in counterattacking. Nimitz knew that the Japanese had negated their numerical advantage by dividing their ships into four separate task groups, so widely separated that they were essentially unable to support each other. Japanese casualty figures for the battle were compiled by Sawaichi Hisae for her book. Parks, which included six F4Fs and 20 F2As,[65] intercepted the Japanese and suffered heavy losses, though they managed to destroy four B5Ns, as well as a single A6M. [88], Japanese naval doctrine preferred the launching of fully constituted strikes rather than piecemeal attacks. Next, torpedoes pierced the shell of the battleship USS Oklahoma. When a US Hospital Ship Was Attacked by a Kamikaze Pilot [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. The less severely damaged Mikuma slowed to 12kn (22km/h; 14mph) to keep pace. He completed his torpedo attack on the carrier Sry before he was shot down, but Sry evaded his torpedo. Updated on: April 22, 2023 / 7:47 PM / AP. The USAAF contributed a squadron of 17 B-17 Flying Fortresses and four Martin B-26 Marauders equipped with torpedoes: in total 126 aircraft. 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. In any case, the Japanese apparently made no serious attempt to get Zuikaku ready for the forthcoming battle. It seemed that war was all but inevitable. [71][72] Another B-26, piloted by Lieutenant Herbert Mayes, after seriously damaged by anti-aircraft fire, did not pull out of its run, and instead headed directly for Akagi's bridge. Critically, Yamamoto's supporting battleships and cruisers trailed Vice Admiral Chichi Nagumo's carrier force by several hundred miles. [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). Poor radio communications with the fighter aircraft inhibited effective command and control of the CAP. [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. [23] This tactic was doctrine in most major navies of the time. 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. [48] A second attempt at reconnaissance, using four-engine H8K "Emily" flying boats to scout Pearl Harbor prior to the battle and detect whether the American carriers were present, part of Operation K, was thwarted when Japanese submarines assigned to refuel the search aircraft discovered that the intended refueling pointa hitherto deserted bay off French Frigate Shoalswas now occupied by American warships because the Japanese had carried out an identical mission in March. The plan was undermined by faulty Japanese anticipations of the U.S. reaction and poor initial dispositions. She was discovered early the next morning by an aircraft from the escort carrier Hsh, prompting hopes she could be saved, or at least towed back to Japan. Floatplanes were lost from the cruisers Chikuma (3) and Tone (2). The Japanese government believed that the only way to solve its economic and demographic problems was to expand into its neighbors territory and take over its import market. One Japanese soldier was taken prisoner and 129 Japanese soldiers were killed. The only US ship surrendered to Japanese during World War II Azio-class: Gunboat: Okitsu: 625 Salvaged from the Italian wreck Insect-class: River gunboat: Suma: 635 Salvaged from the British wreck Atami-class: River gunboat: Atami Futami: 249 Seta Merchant Marine in World War 2 It was initially not known where "AF" was, but Commander Joseph Rochefort and his team at Station HYPO were able to confirm that it was Midway: Captain Wilfred Holmes devised a ruse of telling the base at Midway (by secure undersea communications cable) to broadcast an uncoded radio message stating that Midway's water purification system had broken down. The first plane took off from Spruance's carriers Enterprise and Hornet a few minutes after 07:00. Ballard's subsequent search for the Japanese carriers was unsuccessful. [166] The remaining officers and men were quickly dispersed to other units of the fleet and, without being allowed to see family or friends, were shipped to units in the South Pacific, where the majority died in battle. [19] It required the careful and timely coordination of multiple battle groups over hundreds of miles of open sea. Despite Hiry being defended by a strong cover of more than a dozen Zero fighters, the attack by Enterprise and orphaned Yorktown aircraft launched from Enterprise was successful: four bombs (possibly five) hit Hiry, leaving her ablaze and unable to operate aircraft. The initial Japanese attack did not succeed in neutralizing Midway: American bombers could still use the airbase to refuel and attack the Japanese invasion force, and most of Midway's land-based defenses similarly remained intact. Midway allowed this to occur before the first of the new Essex-class fleet carriers became available at the end of 1942. The Kid Butai would sail into range at best speed so as to increase the chance of surprise, and would not have ships spread out across the ocean guiding the enemy toward it. Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi, leading Carrier Division 2 (Hiry and Sry), recommended that Nagumo strike immediately with the forces at hand: 16 Aichi D3A1 dive bombers on Sry and 18 on Hiry, and half the ready cover patrol aircraft. Additionally, American intelligence officials were confident that any Japanese attack would take place in one of the (relatively) nearby European colonies in the South Pacific: the Dutch East Indies, Singapore or Indochina. His emphasis on dispersal also meant none of his formations were in a position to support the others. 2 min read. This was the only successful air-launched torpedo attack by the U.S. during the entire battle. [135], Late in the afternoon, a Yorktown scout aircraft located Hiry, prompting Enterprise to launch a final strike of 24 dive bombers (including six SBDs from VS-6, four SBDs from VB-6, and 14 SBDs from Yorktown's VB-3). They were taken to Midway and then transferred to Pearl Harbor on USSSirius. The Dutch East Indies, with its vital oil resources, was particularly important to Japan. Accordingly, American squadrons were launched piecemeal and proceeded to the target in several different groups. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. [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. [120] VT-3 targeted Hiry, which was hemmed in by Sry, Kaga, and Akagi, but achieved no hits. The D3A was normally referred to by the Japanese as. And furthermore, it wasn't really needed to keep exact track of such things, as long as the Simultaneously, he detached a cruiser raiding force to bombard the island. [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. 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 Using advanced renavigation techniques in conjunction with the ship's log of the submarine USS Nautilus, the expedition located a large piece of wreckage, subsequently identified as having come from the upper hangar deck of Kaga. Japanese pilots reported to Nagumo that a second aerial attack on Midway's defenses would be necessary if troops were to go ashore by 7 June. 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. At 02:55, these ships received Yamamoto's order to retire and changed course to comply. 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. The Montevideo Maru was a Japanese POW ship carrying Prisoners of War from the Philippines to a transit camp in Formosa (Taiwan). Web1942 was the most successful year in U-Boat history, with 1,200 Allied ships sunk. [58] This dispersal resulted in few fast ships being available to escort the Carrier Striking Force, thus reducing the number of anti-aircraft guns protecting the carriers. Lo (CVE-63) sunk by Japanese aircraft during the Battle of Leyte Gulf off Samar, Philippine Islands, 25 The Japanese repelled these attacks and the attacking force, losing only three Zero fighters while destroying five TBFs, two SB2Us, eight SBDs, and two B-26s. All Rights Reserved. During months of negotiations between Tokyo and Washington, D.C., neither side would budge. [123][nb 3] While Kaga was burning, Nautilus showed up again and launched three torpedoes at her, scoring one dud hit. [181] Another 35 crewmen from Hiry were taken from a lifeboat by USSBallard on 19 June after being spotted by an American search plane. [160] Also, by this time Spruance's destroyers were critically low on fuel. [140], Finally, fearing a possible night encounter with Japanese surface forces,[140] and believing Yamamoto still intended to invade, based in part on a misleading contact report from the submarine Tambor,[141] Spruance changed course and withdrew to the east, turning back west towards the enemy at midnight. At the same time, he launched his seven search aircraft (2 "Kates" from Akagi and Kaga, 4 "Jakes" from Tone and Chikuma, and 1 short range "Dave" from battleship Haruna; an eighth aircraft from the heavy cruiser Tone launched 30 minutes late). This list of military ships sunk by the Imperial Japanese Navy lists all vessels sunk by ships commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and by Japanese naval aircraft, listed alphabetically by ship name. Japans military situation had become dire in the wake of the Battle of Philippine Sea. 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. 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. 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. [109], Despite their failure to score any hits, the American torpedo attacks achieved three important results. To the Japanese, Pearl Harbor was an irresistibly easy target. [nb 6], Midway showed the worth of pre-war naval cryptanalysis and intelligence-gathering. 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). He mistakenly reported this group as the Main Force. Many ships were also claimed damaged or sunk by multiple pilots/crews. A few TBDs managed to get within a few ship-lengths range of their targets before dropping their torpedoesclose enough to be able to strafe the enemy ships and force the Japanese carriers to make sharp evasive maneuversbut all of their torpedoes either missed or failed to explode. 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. The invaluable reconnaissance capability of the scout planes carried by the cruisers and carriers, as well as the additional antiaircraft capability of the cruisers and the other two battleships of the Kong-class in the trailing forces, was unavailable to Nagumo. ABC News on Twitter: "The discovery last week of the wreck of the 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). Within the first few minutes, two F4Fs and 13 F2As were destroyed, while most of the surviving U.S. planes were damaged, with only two remaining airworthy. Explorers find WWII ship sunk with over 1,000 Allied POWs - NBC In contrast, the extensive use of machinery in the United States meant that a much larger portion of the population had a mechanical/technical background. WebAfter the Battle of Port Arthur,[7]a number of Russian and Japanese vessels were struck by mines and either sank or were scuttled to prevent their capture. Five torpedo bombers and two fighters were shot down in this attack. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. [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. Naval Oceanographic Office searched for the Japanese aircraft carriers. [165], On the return of the Japanese fleet to Hashirajima on 14 June the wounded were immediately transferred to naval hospitals; most were classified as "secret patients", placed in isolation wards and quarantined from other patients and their own families to keep this major defeat secret. Ensign George H. Gay, Jr. was the only survivor of the 30 aircrews of VT-8. Most importantly, more than 2,000 people died. Less than two hours later, the surprise attack was over, and every battleship in Pearl HarborUSS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, USS California, USS West Virginia, USS Utah, USS Maryland, USS Pennsylvania, USS Tennessee and USS Nevadahad sustained significant damage. This information was in Yamamoto's hands prior to the battle. [75], While the air strikes from Midway were going on, the American submarine USSNautilus(SS-168) (Lt. (Some had returned to the mainland and others were delivering planes to troops on Midway and Wake Islands.). [112], By chance, at the same time VT-3 was sighted by the Japanese, three squadrons of SBDs from Enterprise and Yorktown were approaching from the southwest and northeast. 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. "[121] Another bomb exploded underwater very close astern; the resulting geyser bent the flight deck upward "in grotesque configurations" and caused crucial rudder damage. [96], Fletcher, along with Yorktown's commanding officer, Captain Elliott Buckmaster, and their staffs, had acquired the first-hand experience needed in organizing and launching a full strike against an enemy force in the Coral Sea, but there was no time to pass these lessons on to Enterprise and Hornet which were tasked with launching the first strike. St. [73] Either attempting a suicide ramming, or out of control, the plane narrowly missed the bridge and crashed into the sea. The U.S. lost the carrier Yorktown and the destroyer Hammann, while the carriers USSEnterprise and USSHornet survived the battle fully intact. We strive for accuracy and fairness. [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. One young sailor reportedly tried to go down with the ship with the officers, but was denied. [161][162], On 10 June, the Imperial Japanese Navy conveyed to the military liaison conference an incomplete picture of the results of the battle. The two 100lb[45kg] bombs struck in the forward area of the parked planes [119]. [25] For instance, despite the fact that Nagumo's carriers were expected to carry out strikes against Midway and bear the brunt of American counterattacks, the only warships in his fleet larger than the screening force of twelve destroyers were two Kong-class fast battleships, two heavy cruisers, and one light cruiser. Mikuma was eventually sunk by Dauntlesses,[150] while Mogami survived further severe damage to return home for repairs. [194], After the battle, Shkaku and Zuikaku were the only large carriers of the original Pearl Harbor strike force still afloat. More than two years after the start of World War II, the United States had entered the conflict. Successes were numerous and significant. [138][139], After futile attempts at controlling the blaze, most of the crew remaining on Hiry were evacuated and the remainder of the fleet continued sailing northeast in an attempt to intercept the American carriers. 129 Japanese soldiers were killed. [111] Better discipline and the employment of a greater number of Zeroes for the CAP might have enabled Nagumo to prevent (or at least mitigate) the damage caused by the coming American attacks. The few surviving aircraft were all recovered aboard Hiry. [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. Similarly, most Americans feared that the occupied islands would be used as bases for Japanese bombers to attack strategic targets and population centers along the West Coast of the United States. Several minutes later, Best and his two wingmen dove on Akagi. The plump silhouettes of the American Dauntless dive-bombers quickly grew larger, and then a number of black objects suddenly floated eerily from their wings. [194][nb 5] A few months after Midway, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service sustained similar casualty rates in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, and it was these battles, combined with the constant attrition of veterans during the Solomons campaign, which were the catalyst for the sharp downward spiral in operational capability. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! One of the bombs landed on or right in front of the bridge, killing Captain Jisaku Okada and most of the ship's senior officers. [114], McClusky's decision to continue the search and his judgment, in the opinion of Admiral Chester Nimitz, "decided the fate of our carrier task force and our forces at Midway"[115] All three American dive-bomber squadrons (VB-6, VS-6, and VB-3) arrived almost simultaneously at the perfect time, locations and altitudes to attack. This Map Of All Sunken Japanese Ships During WWII Is Absolutely 29 Apr 2023 21:20:27 [148] At about the same time as this change of course, Tambor was sighted and during maneuvers designed to avoid a submarine attack, the heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma collided, inflicting serious damage on Mogami's bow. Hence the slower ships could not be with the Kid Butai. With his fleet in disarray and not realizing just how close he had The main airfield at Guadalcanal was named after him in August 1942. 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. Midway was not especially important in the larger scheme of Japan's intentions, but the Japanese felt the Americans would consider Midway a vital outpost of Pearl Harbor and would therefore be compelled to defend it vigorously. 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.

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