This Day in History: April 7, 1945

Medium (920px wide max)

Wide - use max window width - scroll to see page ⇅

Fit all of image in window

set default image size: small | medium | wide

Download (new tab)

by Simonov

Gallery

This Day in History

« prev 248 in pool next »

On April 7, 1945, the Japanese battleship Yamato was sunk by aircraft of the US Navy. The heaviest battleship ever built (alongside her sister ship Musashi), the Yamato was the flagship of the Japanese Combine Fleet and took part in multiple battles including the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The Yamato would meet her end during the Battle of Okinawa. As part of Operation Ten-Go, intended to prevent the Allied invasion of the Japanese mainland, Yamato embarked on its final journey to Okinawa. The plan intended for the ship (along with others) to engage the American landing forces beach on the shore where it would serve as a shore battery with any surviving crew joining Japanese forces on the island once the ship was completely destroyed. However, the Japanese fleet was spotted by American submarines and was intercepted on April 7 by American naval aircraft. Between the first hit by an American torpedo at 12:45 to the detonation of one of the ship's magazines at 14:23, the Yamato was struck by at least 11 torpedoes and 6 bombs. Of her 3,332 man crew, 3,055 were lost during the engagement.

Keywords