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Need help with List of most famous WWII warships

Discussion in 'Information Requests' started by Alvinhy, Feb 21, 2016.

  1. CAC

    CAC Ace of Spades

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    They wouldn't be WW2 fans if it didn't...
     
  2. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    Fred, please cool it on the PMs to the staff. IF he has a problem editing the first thread, we'll address it at the time.
     
  3. Fred Wilson

    Fred Wilson "The" Rogue of Rogues

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    Mods: Please modify Post #1 in this thread. (Alvinhy and I discussed this. We are no longer able to edit 3/4 of this Thread.) Tnx!

    TBD by Alvinhy. Should Read:

    The most Honourable and Memorable Senior Staff and / or Crew Member's Names will be printed on the Interior of the
    Playing Card Box, including under the glued folding Flaps as a particularly poignant commemoration of their losses.
    The (± now) Lost Souls, ± those Lost at Sea with No Known Graves, will be printed in Random Order inside the Box.
    Thus if Your Relative, Loved or Most Honoured is NOT on the list they very well may be under the flaps.

    Should read something like:
    "If you can list some of the most Suitable Warship Candidates during WWII, based on the above, that would be great!
    (Still a long way to go :( ) " TBD by Alvinhy.
     
  4. Alvinhy

    Alvinhy New Member

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    I cannot edit the first post anymore, but once I have a final list of US warships I'll edit the post.
    I think those are just small details. The main problem is the US list !
     
  5. Takao

    Takao Ace

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  6. Alvinhy

    Alvinhy New Member

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    Yes! thats the problem ahaha. Wow there are even damage reports for the ships!
     
  7. Takao

    Takao Ace

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  8. Alvinhy

    Alvinhy New Member

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    I have almost completed the USA deck artwork!
    Thank you all for the information. I'll post a few pictures soon!
     
  9. Fred Wilson

    Fred Wilson "The" Rogue of Rogues

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    Working on the US List off line, in PM with Alvinhy.

    US Navy King Candidates

    King of Spades Candidates: A D-Day Candidate! [​IMG] [​IMG]

    :flag_USA_ww2: Rich [​IMG]49°31′N 1°10′W Utah Beach 8 June 1944 Sunk by German mines
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Rich_(DE-695)
    Lieutenant Commander E. A. Michel, Jr.
    8 June, she was ordered by the Commander of Task Group 125.8 (TG 125.8) aboard Tuscaloosa to Fire Support Area 3
    to assist the destroyer Glennon which had struck a mine northwest of the Saint-Marcouf Islands.
    Rich proceeded at full speed to the area, and then followed in the wake of two minesweepers to the immediate area of the Glennon.
    Closing Glennon, Rich dispatched a whaleboat, only to learn that her assistance was not needed at that point.
    Rich then started to round the disabled ship and take up station ahead of the minesweeper which had taken Glennon in tow.
    She moved at slow speed, with extra hands on the lookout for enemy planes and mines.

    At approximately 09:20, when Rich was about 300 yd (270 m) from the minesweeper Staff, which was in the process of taking Glennon in tow, a mine exploded 50 yd (46 m) off Rich's starboard beam.
    This tripped circuit breakers, knocked out the ship's lighting, shook up the ship hard, and knocked sailors off their feet, but caused no structural damage.
    Within a minute, the engine room reported that they were "ready to answer all bells".
    Three minutes later, a second mine went off directly under the ship.
    Approximately 50 ft (15 m) of her stern was blown off, from frame 130 aft, just aft of the 1.1 in (28 mm) mount in 'X' position.
    Even though the blown-off stern section caught fire, survivors clung to her wreckage, and it sank shortly afterward.
    There was a 3 ft (0.91 m) sag in the main deck, and two torpedoes ran hot in their tubes.
    A third mine — another influence mine — exploded below the ice machine room forward, delivering the final blow two minutes later.

    The forward section was totally wrecked, the flying bridge demolished, and forward fire room severely damaged, and the mast came crashing down.
    Life rafts were ordered cut loose, and Rich was ordered abandoned. Several PT boats in a squadron commanded by Lt. Cdr. John D. Bulkeley came alongside Rich to take off personnel.
    All this time, they were being shelled by German shore batteries. A few minutes later, she sank in about 40 ft (12 m) of water at 49°31′N 1°10.6′W[SIZE=small]Coordinates: [​IMG]49°31′N[/SIZE] 1°10.6′W.
    Of her crew, 27 were killed, 73 were wounded, and 64 were missing; in all, 91 were killed outright or died of wounds following their rescue.
    Rich was the only American destroyer escort lost in the invasion force.
    Lt. Cdr. Michel — who suffered a broken leg — was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism in the incident.

    King of Hearts Candidates:

    :flag_USA_ww2: Indianapolis [​IMG]12°02′N 134°48′E 30 July 1945 Torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-58 Northampton [​IMG]09°12′S 159°50′E, Battle of Tassafaronga 30 November 1942
    Sunk by naval torpedoes.
    Captain Charles Butler McVay. Committted suicide in 1968. Exonerated July 13, 2001.
    https://en.wikipedia...is_(CA-35)#Loss
    After major repairs and an overhaul, Indianapolis received orders to proceed to Tinian island, carrying parts and the enriched uranium
    (about half of the world's supply of Uranium-235 at the time) for the atomic bomb Little Boy, which would later be dropped on Hiroshima.
    Leaving Guam on 28 July, she began sailing toward Leyte where her crew was to receive training before continuing on to Okinawa to join Vice Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf's Task Force 95.

    At 00:14 on 30 July, she was struck on her starboard bow by two Type 95 torpedoes from the Japanese submarine I-58, under the command of Mochitsura Hashimoto.
    The explosions caused massive damage. The Indianapolis took on a heavy list, and settled by the bow.
    Twelve minutes later, she rolled completely over, then her stern rose into the air, and she plunged down.
    Some 300 of the 1,196 crewmen went down with the ship. With few lifeboats and many without lifejackets, the remainder of the crew were set adrift.
    Navy command had no knowledge of the ship's sinking until survivors were spotted three and a half days later.
    Of the 880 who had survived the sinking, only 321 men came out of the water alive; 317 ultimately survived.

    King of Diamonds Candidates:
    :flag_USA_ww2: Johnston [​IMG]11°46′N 126°09′E, Battle off Samar 25 October 1944 Sunk by naval gunfire Laffey Off Savo Island, Solomons, Battle of Guadalcanal 13 November 1942
    Sunk by naval gunfire. Saluted by the Japanese for their heroic actions.

    07:50, Admiral Sprague ordered destroyers to make a torpedo attack: "small boys attack".
    Johnston, unable to keep position with her damaged engine, and with her torpedoes already expended, nonetheless moved to provide fire support for the other destroyers.
    As she emerged from a smoke screen, she nearly collided with fellow destroyer Heermann.
    At 08:20, Johnston sighted a Kongō-class battleship—only 7,000 yd (6,400 m) away—emerging through the smoke.
    The destroyer opened fire, scoring multiple hits on the superstructure of the much larger ship.
    The return fire from the battleship missed clearly.
    Johnston soon observed Gambier Bay under fire from an enemy cruiser, and engaged the cruiser in an effort to draw her fire away from the carrier.
    Johnston scored four hits on the heavy cruiser, then broke off as the Japanese destroyer squadron was seen closing rapidly on the American escort carriers.
    Johnston engaged the lead ship until it quit, then the second until the remaining enemy units broke off to get out of effective gun range before launching torpedoes, all of which missed.
    Then, Johnston's luck ran out; she came under heavy fire from multiple enemy ships, and right when it was most needed, the damaged remaining engine quit, leaving her dead in the water.

    Some time into the battle, a Japanese battleship, the Kongō, fired two rounds from her main cannons.
    One round punched through the thin side armor of the Johnston and cut a hole through the engine room.
    Her speed was cut in half. The enemy ships closed in for an easy kill, pouring fire into the crippled destroyer.
    Johnston took a hit which knocked out one forward gun and damaged another, and her bridge was rendered untenable by fires and explosions resulting from a hit in her 40 mm ready ammunition locker.
    Evans—who had shifted his command to Johnston's fantail — was yelling orders through an open hatch to men turning her rudder by hand.
    Crewmen from the destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts spotted Evans at the fantail, asking "isn't that their captain", waving to them with what they did not realize was his only good hand.
    At one of her batteries, a crewman kept calling "More shells! More shells!"
    Still the destroyer battled to keep the Japanese destroyers and cruisers from reaching the five surviving American carriers:
    "We were now in a position where all the gallantry and guts in the world couldn't save us, but we figured that help for the carrier must be on the way, and every minute's delay might count....
    By 9:30 we were going dead in the water; even the Japanese couldn't miss us.
    They made a sort of running semicircle around our ship, shooting at us like a bunch of Indians attacking a prairie schooner.
    Our lone engine and fire room was knocked out; we lost all power, and even the indomitable skipper knew we were finished.
    At 9:45 he gave the saddest order a captain can give: 'Abandon Ship.'...
    At 10:10 Johnston rolled over and began to sink.
    A Japanese destroyer came up to 1,000 yards and pumped a final shot into her to make sure she went down.
    A survivor saw the Japanese captain salute her as she went down, considering her an honorable enemy. That was the end of Johnston."

    From Johnston's complement of 327 officers and men, only 141 were saved.
    Of the 186 men lost, about 50 were killed outright by enemy action; 45 men later died on rafts from wounds; and 92 men—including Cmdr. Evans—got off Johnston before she sank, but were never heard from again.

    Hoel and Samuel B. Roberts also sacrificed themselves to save the escort carriers and to protect the landings at Leyte.
    Two of four Japanese heavy cruisers were sunk by combined surface and air attacks, and Admiral Sprague was soon amazed by the sight of the retirement of Kurita's entire fleet.
    By this time, planes of "Taffy 2" and Taffy 1" and every available unit of the Fleet were headed to assist "Taffy 3".
    But Johnston and her little escort carrier task unit had stopped Admiral Kurita's powerful Center Force in the Battle off Samar, inflicting greater losses than they suffered.

    ===> King of Clubs Candidates <===

    :flag_USA_ww2: Astoria Off Savo Island, Solomons, Battle of Savo Island 9 August 1942 Sunk by naval gunfire
    https://en.wikipedia..._Savo_Island.29
    http://www.ussastori...Ships_Crew.html
    William G. Greenman 1942 Wounded in Action

    On the night of 8/9 August, a Japanese force of seven cruisers and a destroyer under Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa sneaked by Savo Island and attacked the American ships.
    At the time, Astoria had been patrolling to the east of Savo Island in column behind Vincennes and Quincy.

    They then divided – inadvertently – into two separate groups and turned generally northeast, passing on either side of Astoria and her two consorts.
    The enemy cruisers began firing on that force at about 0150, and the heavy cruiser began return fire immediately.
    She ceased fire briefly because her commanding officer temporarily mistook the Japanese force for friendly ships but soon resumed shooting.
    Astoria took no hits in the first four Japanese salvoes, but the fifth ripped into her superstructure turning her into an inferno amidships.
    In quick succession, enemy shells put her No. 1 turret out of action and started a serious fire in the plane hangar that burned brightly and provided the enemy with a self-illuminated target.

    From that moment on, deadly accurate Japanese gunfire pounded her unmercifully, and she began to lose speed.
    Turning to the right to avoid Quincy's fire at about 0201, Astoria reeled as a succession of enemy shells struck her aft of the foremast.
    Soon thereafter, Quincy veered across Astoria's bow, blazing fiercely from bow to stern.
    Astoria put her rudder over hard left and avoided a collision while her battered sister ship passed aft, to starboard.
    As the warship turned, Kinugasa's searchlight illuminated her, and men on deck passed the order to No. 2 turret to shoot out the offending light.
    When the turret responded with Astoria's 12th and final salvo, the shells missed Kinugasa but struck the No. 1 turret of Chōkai.

    Astoria lost steering control on the bridge at about 0225, shifted control to central station, and began steering a zig-zag course south.
    Before she made much progress, though, the heavy cruiser lost all power.
    Fortunately, the Japanese chose that exact instant to withdraw.
    By 0300, nearly 400 men, including about 70 wounded and many dead, were assembled on the forecastle deck.
    Suffering from the effects of at least 65 hits, Astoria fought for her life. A bucket brigade battled the blaze on the gun deck and the starboard passage forward from that deck, and the wounded were moved to the captain's cabin where doctors and corpsmen proceeded with their care.
    Eventually, however, the deck beneath grew hot and forced the wounded back to the forecastle.
     
  10. Fred Wilson

    Fred Wilson "The" Rogue of Rogues

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    US Navy Queen Aircraft Carrier Candidates.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sunken_aircraft_carriers#United_States

    Yorktown (CV-5) Lexington class Aircraft Carrier [​IMG]30°36′N 176°34′W, Battle of Midway 7 June 1942 Crippled by carrier-based aircraft bombs and torpedoes, sank after being torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-168
    https://en.wikipedia...Yorktown_(CV-5)
    Captain Elliott Buckmaster.
    Three of the four Japanese carriers had been destroyed. The fourth, Hiryū, separated from her sisters, launched a striking force of 18 "Vals" and soon located Yorktown.
    As soon as the attackers had been picked up on Yorktown's radar at about 1329, she discontinued fueling her CAP fighters on deck and swiftly cleared for action.
    Her returning dive bombers were moved from the landing circle to open the area for antiaircraft fire.
    The Dauntlesses were ordered aloft to form a CAP.

    Despite an intensive barrage and evasive maneuvering, three "Vals" scored hits.
    Two of them were shot down soon after releasing their bomb loads; the third went out of control just as his bomb left the rack.
    It tumbled in flight and hit just abaft the number two elevator on the starboard side, exploding on contact and blasting a hole about 10 feet (3 m) square in the flight deck.
    Splinters from the exploding bomb killed most of the crews of the two 1.1-inch (28 mm) gun mounts aft of the island and on the flight deck below.
    Fragments piercing the flight deck hit three planes on the hangar deck, starting fires.
    One of the aircraft, a Yorktown Dauntless, was fully fueled and carrying a 1,000 pounds (450 kg) bomb.
    Prompt action by LT A. C. Emerson, the hangar deck officer, prevented a serious fire by activating the sprinkler system and quickly extinguishing the fire.

    The second bomb to hit the ship came from the port side, pierced the flight deck, and exploded in the lower part of the funnel.
    It ruptured the uptakes for three boilers, disabled two boilers, and extinguished the fires in five boilers. Smoke and gases began filling the firerooms of six boilers.
    The men at number one boiler remained at their post and kept it alight, maintaining enough steam pressure to allow the auxiliary steam systems to function.
    A third bomb hit the carrier from the starboard side, pierced the side of number one elevator and exploded on the fourth deck,
    starting a persistent fire in the rag storage space, adjacent to the forward gasoline stowage and the magazines.
    The prior precaution of smothering the gasoline system with carbon dioxide undoubtedly prevented the gasoline from igniting.
    While the ship recovered from the damage inflicted by the dive-bombing attack, her speed dropped to 6 knots (7 mph; 11 km/h); and then
    at 14:40, about 20 minutes after the bomb hit that had shut down most of the boilers, Yorktown slowed to a stop, dead in the water.
    At about 15:40, Yorktown prepared to get steaming again; and, at 15:50, the engine room force reported that they were ready to make 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h) or better.

    Simultaneously, with the fires controlled sufficiently to warrant the resumption of fueling, Yorktown began refueling
    the fighters then on deck; just then the ship's radar picked up an incoming air group at a distance of 33 miles (53 km).
    While the ship prepared for battle, again smothering gasoline systems and stopping the fueling of the planes on her flight deck,
    she vectored four of the six fighters of the CAP in the air to intercept the raiders.
    Of the 10 fighters on board, eight had as little as 23 US gallons (87 l) of fuel in their tanks.
    They were launched as the remaining pair of fighters of the CAP headed out to intercept the Japanese planes.

    <SNIP> Meanwhile, Yorktown was having problems of her own. Maneuvered by Captain Elliott Buckmaster, her commanding officer, the carrier dodged eight torpedoes.
    Attacked then by "Vals", the ship managed to evade all but one bomb. That one, however, penetrated the flight deck and exploded below decks, killing or seriously injuring 66 men.
    ___________________

    Gambier Bay a Casablanca-class Escort Carrier [​IMG]11°31′N 126°12′E, Battle off Samar 25 October 1944 Sunk by Japanese naval gunfire
    https://en.wikipedia...er_Bay_(CVE-73)
    Captain Walter V. R. Vieweg - Full name request

    Around 0820, Gambier Bay was severely damaged by an 8 in (200 mm) shell from the Japanese Heavy Cruiser Chikuma which flooded her forward engine room, cutting her speed in half.
    Gambier Bay was soon dead in the water as the battleship Yamato closed to point blank range.
    Yamato is clearly seen in the background of photographs taken during the attack on "Taffy 3".
    Fires raged through the riddled escort carrier, and she capsized at 0907 and sank at 0911.
    The majority of her nearly 800 survivors were rescued two days later by landing and patrol craft dispatched from Leyte Gulf.
    Sharks killed many drifting crew members. Three other ships—Hoel, Samuel B. Roberts, and Johnston—were also lost in the battle.
    Gambier Bay was the only US Navy aircraft carrier sunk by surface naval gunfire during World War II.
    ___________________

    St. Lo a Casablanca-class escort carrier [​IMG]11°13′N 126°05′E, Battle off Samar 25 October 1944 Sunk by Kamikaze aircraft
    https://en.wikipedia...St._Lo_(CVE-63)
    Captain F. J. McKenna - Full name request

    At 10:47, the task unit came under a concentrated air attack by the Shikishima Special Attack Unit.
    During the 40–minute engagement with enemy kamikazes, all the escort carriers except Fanshaw Bay were damaged.
    One Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero—perhaps flown by Lieutenant Yukio Seki—crashed into the flight deck of St. Lo at 10:51.
    Its bomb penetrated the flight deck and exploded on the port side of the hangar deck, where aircraft were in the process of being refueled and rearmed.
    A gasoline fire erupted, followed by six secondary explosions, including detonations of the ship's torpedo and bomb magazine.
    St. Lo was engulfed in flame and sank 30 minutes later.
    Of the 889 men aboard, 113 were killed or missing and approximately 30 others died of their wounds.
    The survivors were rescued from the water by Heermann, John C. Butler, Raymond, and Dennis (which picked up 434 survivors).
    ___________________

    Bismarck Sea [​IMG]24°2′21″N 141°18′49″E, Battle of Iwo Jima 21 February 1945 Sunk by Kamikaze aircraft
    https://en.wikipedia...ck_Sea_(CVE-95)
    http://derekconant.c...n_john_l_pratt/
    Captain John L. Pratt.

    During July and August 1944, Bismarck Sea escorted convoys between San Diego, California, and the Marshall Islands.
    After repairs and additional training at San Diego, she steamed to Ulithi, Caroline Islands, to join Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid's 7th Fleet.
    During 14–23 November 1944, she operated off Leyte in support of the operations and later took part in the Lingayen Gulf landings (9–18 January 1945).
    On 16 February, she arrived off Iwo Jima to support the invasion.

    On 21 February 1945, despite heavy gunfire, two Japanese kamikazes hit the Bismarck Sea, first on the starboard side under the first 40 mm gun (aft),
    crashing through the hangar deck and striking the ship's magazines. The fire was nearly under control when the second plane struck the aft elevator shaft,
    exploding on impact and destroying the fire fighting salt water distribution system, thus preventing any further damage control.
    Shortly after, the order was given to abandon ship.
    The USS Bismarck Sea sank with the loss of 318 men, and was the last US Navy aircraft carrier to be lost during World War II.
    Three destroyers and three destroyer escorts rescued survivors over the next 12 hours, between them saving a total of 605 officers and men from her crew of 923.
    ___________________

    Hornet (CV-8) [​IMG]08°38′S 166°43′E, Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands 26 October 1942
    Sunk by carrier-based aircraft bombs and torpedoes. The last US fleet carrier ever sunk by enemy fire.
    https://en.wikipedia...S_Hornet_(CV-8)
    Captain Charles Perry Mason

    The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands took place on 26 October 1942 without contact between surface ships of the opposing forces.
    That morning, Enterprise's planes bombed the carrier Zuihō, while planes from Hornet severely damaged the carrier Shōkaku and the heavy cruiser Chikuma.
    Two other cruisers were also attacked by Hornet's warplanes. Meanwhile, Hornet was attacked by a coordinated dive bomber and torpedo plane attack.
    n a 15-minute period, Hornet was hit by three bombs from Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers.
    One "Val", after being heavily damaged by anti-aircraft fire while approaching Hornet, crashed into the carrier's island, killing seven men and spreading burning Avgas over the deck.
    Meanwhile, a flight of Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo planes attacked Hornet and scored two hits, which seriously damaged the electrical systems and engines.
    As the carrier came to a halt, another damaged "Val" deliberately crashed into Hornet's port side near the bow.

    With power knocked out to her engines, Hornet was unable to launch or land aircraft; forcing its aviators to either land on Enterprise or ditch in the ocean.
    Rear Admiral George D. Murray ordered the heavy cruiser Northampton to tow Hornet clear of the action.
    Since the Japanese planes were attacking Enterprise, this allowed Northampton to tow Hornet at a speed of about five knots (9 km/h; 6 mph).
    Repair crews were on the verge of restoring power when another flight of nine "Kate" torpedo planes attacked.
    Eight of these aircraft were either shot down or failed to score hits but the ninth planted a torpedo into Hornet's starboard side; which proved to be the fatal blow.
    ___________________

    Block Island a Bogue-class escort carrier [​IMG]31°13′N 23°03′W 29 May 1944 Torpedoed by German submarine U-549
    https://en.wikipedia...Island_(CVE-21)
    Captain Logan C. Ramsey - Full name request

    Block Island was torpedoed off the Canary Islands at 20:13 on 29 May 1944. U-549 had slipped undetected through her screen.
    The submarine put three torpedoes into the carrier before being sunk herself by Eugene E. Elmore and Ahrens of the screen in 31°13′N 23°03′W.
    The carrier lost 6 men in the attack; the remaining 951 were picked up by the escort screen.
    ___________________

    Langley (CV-1) [​IMG]8°51′S 109°2′E, Just off Tjilatjap Harbor, Indonesia, Battle of the Java Sea 27 February 1942
    Scuttled at sea after being heavily damaged by Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive bombers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, to ensure she didn't fall into enemy hands.
    https://en.wikipedia..._Langley_(CV-1)
    http://www.navalhist...latforms-people
    R.P. Mcconnell Commander - Full name request

    cont...
     
  11. Fred Wilson

    Fred Wilson "The" Rogue of Rogues

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    US Navy Queen Aircraft Carriers cont...

    Lexington (CV-2) [​IMG]15°12′S 155°27′E, Battle of the Coral Sea 8 May 1942 Sunk by carrier-based aircraft bombs and torpedoes
    https://en.wikipedia...xington__(CV-2)
    http://www.militaryf...S-Lexington-CV2
    Captain Frederick Carl Sherman

    The Japanese aircraft spotted the American carriers around 11:05 and the B5Ns attacked first because the D3As had to circle around to approach the carriers from upwind.
    The CAP shot down three of the torpedo bombers before they could drop their torpedoes, but 11 survived long enough to hit Lexington twice on the port side at 11:20, although 2 of the B5Ns were shot down by anti-aircraft fire after dropping their torpedoes. The shock from the first torpedo hit at the bow jammed both elevators in the up position and started small leaks in the port avgas storage tanks. The second torpedo hit her opposite the bridge, ruptured the primary port water main, and started flooding in three port fire rooms. The boilers there had to be shut down, which reduced her speed to a maximum of 24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph), and the flooding gave her a 6–7° list to port. Shortly afterward, Lexington was attacked by 19 D3As. One was shot down by the CAP before it could drop its bomb and another was shot down by the carrier. She was hit by two bombs, the first of which detonated in the port forward five-inch ready ammunition locker, killing the entire crew of one 5-inch AA gun and starting several fires. The second hit struck the funnel, doing little significant damage although fragments killed many of the crews of the .50-caliber machine guns positioned near there. The hit also jammed the ship's siren in the "on" position. The remaining bombs detonated close alongside and some of their fragments pierced the hull, flooding two compartments.[66]





    Fuel was pumped from the port storage tanks to the starboard side to correct the list and Lexington began recovering damaged aircraft and those that were low on fuel at 11:39.
    The Japanese had shot down three of Lexington's Wildcats and five Dauntlesses, plus another Dauntless crashed on landing.
    At 12:43, the ship launched five Wildcats to replace the CAP and prepared to launch another nine Dauntlesses.
    A massive explosion at 12:47 was triggered by sparks that ignited gasoline vapors from the cracked port avgas tanks.
    The explosion killed 25 crewmen and knocked out the main damage control station.
    The damage did not interfere with flight deck operations, although the refueling system was shut down.
    The fueled Dauntlesses were launched and six Wildcats that were low on fuel landed aboard.
    Aircraft from the morning's air strike began landing at 13:22 and all surviving aircraft had landed by 14:14.
    The final tally was three Wildcats shot down, plus one Wildcat, three Dauntlesses and one Devastator that were forced to ditch.
    ___________________

    Liscome Bay a Casablanca-class escort carrier [​IMG]02°54′N 172°30′E 24 November 1943 Torpedoed by Japanese Kaidai class submarine I-175
    https://en.wikipedia...me_Bay_(CVE-56)
    Captain I.D. Wiltsie - Full name request

    At about 05:10, a lookout shouted, "Here comes a torpedo!"
    The torpedo struck abaft the after engine room and detonated the aircraft bomb stockpile, causing a major explosion which engulfed the ship and sent shrapnel flying as far as 5,000 yards.
    "It didn't look like a ship at all", wrote Lieutenant John C. W. Dix, communications officer on Hoel,
    "We thought it was an ammunition dump... She just went whoom — an orange ball of flame."





    At 05:33, Liscome Bay listed to starboard and then sank, carrying 53 officers and 591 enlisted men
    – including Admiral Mullinix, Captain Wiltsie, - Full name request and famous Pearl Harbor hero Ship's Cook Third Class Doris Miller - down with her.
    Of the 916 crewmen, only 272 were rescued by Morris, Hughes and Hull. The survivors had reached the deck soon after the initial torpedo impact.
    The bombs in storage exploded minutes later, possibly due to a second torpedo.[2]
    Including the sailors lost on the Liscome Bay, American casualties in the assault on Makin Island exceeded the strength of the entire Japanese garrison.
    Future legal scholar Robert Keeton, then a Navy lieutenant, survived the attack.
    ___________________

    Princeton (CVL-23) [​IMG]15°21′N 123°31′E, Battle of Leyte Gulf 24 October 1944 Sunk by land-based aircraft bomb
    https://en.wikipedia...nceton_(CVL-23)
    Captain John M. Hoskins, who had been prospective commanding officer of CVL-23 was rescued, but lost his right foot.

    On the 24th, however, the task group was found by enemy planes from Clark and Nichols fields. Shortly before 10:00 am Princeton was attacked by a lone Yokosuka D4Y 'Judy'.
    The dive bomber dropped a single bomb, which struck the carrier between the elevators, punching through the flight deck and hangar before exploding.
    Although structural damage was minor, a fire broke out as a result of the hit; it quickly spread due to burning gasoline and caused further explosions.

    At 15:24 a second and larger explosion shook the Princeton, possibly caused by an explosion of one or more bombs in the magazine.
    Birmingham suffered extensive damage to her superstructure and considerable casualties.[3]Irwin was also damaged, but stayed close and launched boats to rescue survivors from the sea.
    Irwin rescued 646 crewmen from the Princeton; the ship later received a Navy Unit Commendation award for her actions.

    Efforts to save the carrier continued, but at 16:00 the fires were out of control.
    The remaining personnel were evacuated and at shortly after 17:06 Irwin commenced firing torpedoes at the burning hulk.
    However, Irwin abandoned this effort due to torpedo malfunctions (likely her torpedo tubes were damaged in the collision with Princeton) which caused her torpedoes to circle back and almost hit her.
    USS Reno (CL-96) at 17:46 took over the task of scuttling Princeton.
    Three minutes later an even larger explosion occurred on Princeton, destroying the entire forward section and sending flames and debris up to 1000–2000 feet into the air.
    Princeton sank at approximately 17:50.
    ___________________

    Saint. Lo a Casablanca-class escort carrier [​IMG]11°13′N 126°05′E, Battle off Samar 25 October 1944 Sunk by Kamikaze aircraft
    https://en.wikipedia...St._Lo_(CVE-63)
    Captain F. J. McKenna - Full name request

    At 10:47, the task unit came under a concentrated air attack by the Shikishima Special Attack Unit.
    During the 40–minute engagement with enemy kamikazes, all the escort carriers except Fanshaw Bay were damaged.
    One Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero—perhaps flown by Lieutenant Yukio Seki—crashed into the flight deck of St. Lo at 10:51.
    Its bomb penetrated the flight deck and exploded on the port side of the hangar deck, where aircraft were in the process of being refueled and rearmed.
    A gasoline fire erupted, followed by six secondary explosions, including detonations of the ship's torpedo and bomb magazine.
    St. Lo was engulfed in flame and sank 30 minutes later.
    Of the 889 men aboard, 113 were killed or missing and approximately 30 others died of their wounds.
    The survivors were rescued from the water by Heermann, John C. Butler, Raymond, and Dennis (which picked up 434 survivors).
    ___________________

    Wasp (CV-7) a reduced-size version of the Yorktown-class aircraft carrier hull [​IMG]12°25′S 164°08′E 15 September 1942 Torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-19
    https://en.wikipedia...USS_Wasp_(CV-7)
    Captain Forrest P. Sherman

    Tuesday, 15 September 1942, the carriers Wasp and Hornet and battleship North Carolina—with 10 other warships—were escorting the transports carrying the 7th Marine Regiment to Guadalcanal as reinforcements.
    Wasp had drawn the job of ready-duty carrier and was operating some 150 nautical miles (170 mi; 280 km) southeast of San Cristobal Island.
    Her gasoline system was in use, as planes were being refueled and rearmed for antisubmarine patrol missions; and Wasp had been at general quarters from an hour before sunrise until the time when the morning search returned to the ship at 10:00.
    Thereafter, the ship was in condition 2, with the air department at flight quarters.
    There was no contact with the Japanese during the day, with the exception of a Japanese four-engined flying boat downed by a Wasp Wildcat at 12:15.

    About 14:20, the carrier turned into the wind to launch eight Wildcats and 18 Dauntlesses and to recover eight Wildcats and three Dauntlesses that had been airborne since before noon.
    Lt. (jg) Roland H. Kenton, USNR, flying a F4F3 of VF-71 was the last aircraft off the deck of Wasp.
    The ship rapidly completed the recovery of the 11 planes, she then turned easily to starboard, the ship heeling slightly as the course change was made.
    At 14:44 a lookout reported "three torpedoes ... three points forward of the starboard beam".

    A spread of six Type 95 torpedoes were fired at Wasp at about 14:44 from the tubes of the B1 Type submarine I-19.
    Wasp put over her rudder hard to starboard to avoid the salvo, but it was too late.
    Three torpedoes struck in quick succession about 14:45; one actually broached, left the water, and struck the ship slightly above the waterline. All hit in the vicinity of the ship's gasoline tanks and magazines.
    Two of the spread of torpedoes passed ahead of Wasp and were observed passing astern of Helena before O'Brien was hit by one at 14:51 while maneuvering to avoid the other.
    The sixth torpedo passed either astern or under Wasp, narrowly missed Lansdowne in Wasp's screen about 14:48, was seen by Mustin in North Carolina's screen about 14:50, and struck North Carolina about 14:52.[9]





    There was a rapid succession of explosions in the forward part of the ship.
    Aircraft on the flight and hangar decks were thrown about and dropped on the deck with such force that landing gears snapped.
    Planes suspended in the hangar overheads fell and landed upon those on the hangar deck; fires broke out almost simultaneously in the hangar and below decks.
    Soon, the heat of the intense gasoline fires detonated the ready ammunition at the forward anti-aircraft guns on the starboard side, and fragments showered the forward part of the ship.
    The number two 1.1 in (28 mm) mount was blown overboard.

    Water mains in the forward part of the ship had been rendered inoperable: there was no water available to fight the fire forward, and the fires continued to set off ammunition, bombs, and gasoline.
    As the ship listed 10-15° to starboard, oil and gasoline, released from the tanks by the torpedo hit, caught fire on the water.
    Captain Sherman slowed to 10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h), ordering the rudder put to port to try to get the wind on the starboard bow; he then went astern with right rudder until the wind was on the starboard quarter, in an attempt to keep the fire forward.
    At that point, flames made the central station unusable, and communication circuits went dead.
    Soon, a serious gasoline fire broke out in the forward portion of the hangar; within 24 minutes of the initial attack, there were three additional major gasoline vapor explosions.
    Ten minutes later, Sherman decided to abandon ship, as all fire-fighting was proving ineffectual.
    The survivors would have to be disembarked quickly to minimise loss of life.

    After consulting with Rear Admiral Leigh Noyes, Captain Sherman ordered "abandon ship" at 15:20.
    All badly injured men were lowered into rafts or rubber boats.
    Many unwounded men had to abandon from aft because the forward fires were burning with such intensity.
    The departure, as Sherman observed it, looked "orderly", and there was no panic.
    The only delays occurred when many men showed reluctance to leave until all the wounded had been taken off.
    The abandonment took nearly 40 minutes, and at 16:00—satisfied that no one was left on board—Sherman abandoned the ship.
    Although the submarine hazard caused the accompanying destroyers to lie well clear or to shift position, they carried out rescue operations until Laffey, Lansdowne, Helena, and Salt Lake City had 1,946 men embarked.
    The fires on Wasp, drifting, traveled aft and there were four violent explosions at nightfall.
    Lansdowne was ordered to torpedo the carrier and stand by until she was sunk.
     
  12. Fred Wilson

    Fred Wilson "The" Rogue of Rogues

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    US Jacks Losses Research: a US Jack of Clubs Sub Battle Candidate! [​IMG]

    :flag_USA_ww2: Underhill [​IMG]19°20′N 126°42′E 24 July 1945 Sunk by kaiten suicide torpedo
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Underhill_(DE-682)
    Lieutenant Commander Sidney R. Jackson.

    On the morning of the third day out, 24 July 1945, about 200 to 300 miles northeast of Cape Engaño,
    Underhill's radar detected a Japanese "Dinah" reconnaissance plane circling the convoy about ten miles out.
    Her crew immediately manned their battle stations and ordered other escorts to air defense stations.
    The Japanese pilot remained out of gun range, determining the convoy's base course and relaying it to Japanese submarines in the area.
    After some 45 minutes, Underhill crew secured from battle stations and ordered the other escorts to resume assigned patrol stations.
    During this time, an SC had developed mechanical problems and had to be taken in tow by PCE-872.





    Two or three Japanese submarines were in the area. After establishing the convoy's base course, one released a dummy naval mine in the path of the convoy.
    When it was sighted by Underhill lookouts, the ship's commander ordered a general course change to port. When the last ship had cleared, Underhill stood in to sink the mine.
    After repeated direct hits by the 20-millimeter guns and 30-calibre rifle fire, the convoy realized the mine was a diversionary tactic by the Japanese submarines.
    A sonar contact made earlier had been lost during the course changes required by the mine threat, but Underhill regained contact and guided PC-804 into a depth charge attack with no immediate results. A few minutes later, however, a sub was sighted on the surface in the area where PC-804 had attacked.
    Underhill set course to ram, but the sub dove and the command was changed to drop depth charges.
    A 13-charge pattern was laid, explosions brought up oil and debris, and PC-804 reported a kill.

    Underhill reversed course and passed back through the debris. Sonar picked up another contact.
    The depth charges had brought to the surface two Kaiten, Japanese suicide manned torpedoes, each with a warhead equivalent to about two standard torpedoes.
    One was on either side of Underhill; the one to starboard was too close for any of Underhill's guns to bear.
    At 15:15, the captain ordered flank speed, a turn onto collision course, and all hands to stand by to ram.
    Underhill struck the Kaiten to port, and two explosions resulted, the first directly under the bridge and magazine area, the second,
    a few seconds later, forward of the bridge area and more to starboard. Underhill broke in half at the forward fire room.
    The stern section remained upright and afloat; The bow, sticking straight up, began drifting away to starboard.

    The explosions flung a tremendous quantity of oily water over the aft section, knocking down men and washing some overboard, but also dousing possible fires in that portion of the ship.
    Although hampered in their rescue efforts by the necessity to pursue sound contacts and by alarms over real and imagined periscope sightings,
    PC-803 and PC-804 quickly came to the aid of survivors in the water and on the slowly sinking aft section.
    On board Underhill, the wounded were brought to the boat and main decks, while unhurt survivors aided the injured and attempted to control the damage.
    About an hour later PC-803 and PC-804 had returned to rescue survivors. Hampered because of still being under attack by the midget subs, the transfer of many seriously wounded men to the patrol craft was difficult. PC-804 was the first to reach the combat site to assist with rescue operations and hove-to off the starboard quarter of Underhill. The patrol boats and sub chasers alternated between assisting survivors and attacking submarine contacts.

    After the last known survivors were rescued, a firing line was formed by PC-803, PC-804, and PCE-872.
    The fragments of Underhill were sunk by three-inch (76.2 mm) and 40 mm gunfire at 19:17. Loss Location reported at 19°20'N, 126°42'E.
    The remainder of 24 July was spent rejoining the convoy. Some survivors were transferred to LST 768 and the balance to LST 739 which had on board Commander LST Group 46
    who among the command was the only Medical Doctor in the convoy at about 03:00 on 25 July. Task Unit 99-1-18 proceeded to its destination of Leyte Gulf.

    A total of 112 crew members of Underhill perished in the explosion, while 122 survived. Ten of the fourteen officers were lost, including the commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Newcomb.
    Every crewman was awarded the Purple Heart, and Newcomb also received the Silver Star.
    Chief Boatswain's Mate Stanley Dace was posthumously awarded the bronze star with combat "V" and citation of merit in August 1998.
    One other shipmate, Pharmacy Mate Third class Joseph Manory, was awarded the Navy and Marine Commendation Medal with Combat "V" in 1998.
    USS Underhill was struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on 1 September 1945.

    Destroyer escort vessels Name Location Date Cause
    Eversole [​IMG]10°10′N 127°28′E 28 October 1944 Presumed torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-45

    Fechteler [​IMG]36°07′N 02°40′W 5 May 1944 Torpedoed by German submarine U-967
    https://en.wikipedia...hteler_(DE-157)
    Lieutenant Commander C. R. Simmers
    On 1 April 1944, Fechteler sailed from New York for Hampton Roads, Virginia, where she joined a convoy for Bizerte, arriving on 22 April after coming under heavy enemy air attack two days before.
    Homeward-bound, Fechteler was torpedoed by U-967 commanded by Albrecht Brandi on 5 May in the Western Mediterranean.
    As the ship began to break in two and sink, it was abandoned.
    Twenty-nine of the crew were killed and 26 wounded. USS Laning and other ships of the convoy rescued 186 survivors.

    Fiske [​IMG]47°11′N 33°29′W 2 August 1944 Torpedoed by German submarine U-804 Frederick C. Davis [​IMG]43°52′N 40°15′W 24 April 1945 Sunk by German submarine U-546
    https://en.wikipedia..._Fiske_(DE-143)
    Commander R. P. Walker
    Fiske joined the hunter-killer group formed around the USS Wake Island (CVE-65) at Norfolk 10 June.
    Five days later her group sailed to patrol across the Atlantic, putting into Casablanca to replenish 20 to 24 July.
    On 2 August, during a special hunt for submarines known to be transmitting weather information from stations in the central Atlantic,
    Fiske and USS Douglas L. Howard (DE-138) were detached from the task group to investigate a visual contact both had made.
    The contact (north of the Azores), surfaced U-804, quickly dived, but the two escorts picked it up on sonar, and began their attack approach.
    Suddenly, Fiske was torpedoed on her starboard side amidships, and within 10 minutes, she broke in two and had to be abandoned.
    Thirty-three of her men were killed and 50 badly wounded by the explosion, but all who survived it were rescued by the USS Farquhar (DE-139).

    Frederick C. Davis [​IMG]43°52′N 40°15′W 24 April 1945 Sunk by German submarine U-546
    https://en.wikipedia..._Davis_(DE-136)
    Lieutenant Commander O. W. Goepner,
    Returning to duty in the western Atlantic early in 1945, Frederick C. Davis served on coastal convoy escort and antisubmarine patrol service and in mid-April joined a
    special surface barrier force, formed to protect the Atlantic coast from the threat of close penetration by snorkel-equipped German submarines during Operation Teardrop.
    It was one of these, U-546, which was contacted 24 April by Frederick C. Davis.
    Within minutes, as the destroyer escort prepared to attack, the submarine torpedoed her, hitting on the port side, forward.
    Five minutes later, she broke in two, and efforts to preserve the buoyancy of the stern, where the damage was less and the majority of survivors were located, failed.
    Her survivors abandoned the ship, with a loss of 115 men. They were taken from the water within 3 hours, and other escorts sank her attacker the same day.

    Holder Mediterranean Sea 11 April 1944 Irreparably damaged by German aircraft torpedo
    https://en.wikipedia...Holder_(DE-401)
    Lieutenant Commander G. Cook
    After completion of her shakedown cruise, Holder departed 24 March escorting a convoy bound for Mediterranean ports.
    Proceeding along the coast of Algeria the convoy was followed 10 and 11 April by German planes and just before midnight 11 April it was attacked by torpedo bombers.
    Holder and the other escorts immediately opened fire and began making smoke, but a torpedo struck the escort vessel amidships on the port side, causing two heavy explosions.
    Though fires spread and flooding was serious, Holder's crew remained at their guns to drive off the attackers without damage to the convoy.
    Alert damage control kept the ship seaworthy and she arrived in tow at Oran for repairs.
    There it was decided to tow her to New York, where she arrived safely 9 June 1944. Holder decommissioned at
    New York Navy Yard 13 September 1944, and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 23 September 1944.

    Leopold [​IMG]58°44′N 25°50′W 9 March 1944 Torpedoed by German submarine U-255
    https://en.wikipedia...eopold_(DE-319)
    Lieutenant Commander Kenneth C. Phillips, USCG
    Departing New York on 1 March on her second voyage, Leopold took her screening station — as part of CortDiv 22 — with the 27-ship convoy CU-16 bound for the British Isles.
    On the 8th, she reported an HF/DF intercept which indicated an enemy submarine on the route of the convoy.
    The route was consequently altered. On 9 March, while south of Iceland, she reported a radar contact at 19:50 at 8,000 yd (7,300 m), which placed it 7 mi (11 km) south of the convoy at 57°37′0″N 26°30′0″W.
    Assisted by the destroyer escort Joyce, Leopold was ordered to intercept. General Quarters was sounded and orders were issued to "fire on sight."
    A flare was released and gun crew strained to sight the submarine in the lighted area.
    The U-boat was almost submerged when spotted and the gun crews had to work blind.
    Leopold was struck by an acoustic torpedo fired from the German submarine U-255. Badly damaged, she was abandoned.
    Joyce rescued 28 survivors at the close of the action; 171 others were lost through explosion on board or drowning after abandoning.
    Leopold remained afloat until early the next morning, then sank just south of Iceland.

    Oberrender Off Okinawa, Ryukyus 9 May 1945 Irreparably damaged by Kamikaze aircraft
    https://en.wikipedia...render_(DE-344)
    Lieutenant Commander Samuel Spencer
    As United States forces pushed closer to the Japanese home islands, Oberrender moved along in the van.
    Through April and into May, Okinawa was the focus of attention.
    There, on 9 May, a Japanese suicide plane crashed into the plucky escort on her starboard side.
    A bomb carried by the plane penetrated the forward fireroom, where it exploded and caused extensive heavy damage.
    Twenty-four sailors were killed, wounded, or listed as missing as a result of the blast.
    Towed to Kerama Retto, Oberrender was beyond repair.
    She decommissioned 11 July 1945 and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 25 July.
    Stripped of all worthwhile equipment, her hulk was sunk by gunfire on 6 November of that year.
     
  13. Fred Wilson

    Fred Wilson "The" Rogue of Rogues

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    US Navy Jack Candidates.

    Jack of Spades Candidates:


    Jack of Hearts Candidates:

    Maddox a Gleaves-class destroyer, [​IMG]36°52′N 13°56′E 10 July 1943 Sunk by land-based aircraft bombs
    https://en.wikipedia...Maddox_(DD-622)
    Lieutenant Commander Eugene S. Sarsfield KIA
    On 8 June 1943, Maddox departed Norfolk for Oran, Algeria, where she became a unit of Task Force 81 (TF81), the assault force for the Sicilian invasion.
    As the assault troops opened the Amphibious Battle of Gela on 10 July, Maddox was on antisubmarine patrol about 16 miles offshore.
    Steaming alone, the destroyer was attacked by a German Junkers Ju 88 bomber of KG 54.
    There are conflicting reports that Italian dive bombers were responsible for the sinking.
    One of the bombs exploded Maddox's after magazine, causing the ship to roll over and sink within 2 minutes.
    Lt. Comdr. Sarsfield was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for heroism displayed in supervising abandon ship.
    His action was responsible for saving the lives of 74 of the crew.
    The survivors not only survived the sinking, but survived strafing from the plane that sunk them.
    The survivors swam in shark infested waters for 17 hours before being rescued.
    Maddox was struck from the Navy list 19 August 1943.

    Mannert L. Abele an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, 27°25′N 126°59′E 12 April 1945 Sunk by Kamikaze rocket-powered Ohka aircraft bomb
    https://en.wikipedia...annert_L._Abele
    Commander Alton E. Parker
    Abele resumed radar picket duty on 8 April, patrolling station No. 14 about 70 nmi (81 mi; 130 km) northwest of Okinawa, accompanied by LSM®-189 and LSM®-190.
    Midway through the afternoon watch on 12 April, Abele caught the full fury of the kamikaze.
    Three "Vals" attacked at 13:45, but lethal gunfire drove off two and set fire to the third which failed in an attempt to crash into LSM®-189.
    By 14:00, between 15 and 25 additional planes “had come down from the North and the ship was completely surrounded.”
    Except for one light bomber which challenged and was damaged by the destroyer’s fire, the enemy kept outside her gun range for more than half an hour.
    At about 14:40, three Zeroes broke orbit and closed to attack. Abele drove off one and shot down another about 4,000 yd (3,700 m) out.
    Despite numerous hits from 5‑inch and light anti-aircraft fire, and spewing smoke and flame, the third kamikaze crashed into the starboard side
    and penetrated the after engine room where it exploded. LSM®-189's captain, James M. Stewart, reported, "It is difficult to say what it was that hit the DD 733.
    This officer personally saw what appeared to be two (2) planes orbiting in a northerly direction from the DD 733, and then suddenly, what appeared to be, one plane, accelerated at a terrific rate, too fast for us to fire at.
    This plane dove at an angle of approximately 30 degrees, starting at about four miles [7.5 km] away.
    Since we had no air search radar, the above statements are merely my own conclusions."
    (This may have been one of the earliest intelligence reports of the Ohka kamikaze aircraft). Immediately, Mannert L. Abele began to lose headway.
    The downward force of the blast, which had wiped out the after engineering spaces, broke the destroyer’s keel midships, abaft No. 2 stack.
    The bridge lost control and all guns and directors lost power.
    A minute later, at about 14:46, Abele took a second and fatal hit from a Ohka that struck the starboard waterline abreast the forward fireroom.
    Its 2,600 lb (1,200 kg) warhead exploded, buckling the ship, and “cutting out all power, lights, and communications.”
    Almost immediately, Abele broke in two, her midship section obliterated. Her bow and stern sections sank rapidly.
    As survivors clustered in the churning waters enemy planes bombed and strafed them.
    However, LSM®-189 and LSM®-190, praised by Commander Parker as “worth their weight in gold as support vessels”,
    shot down two of the remaining attackers, repulsed further attacks, and rescued the survivors.
    Mannert L. Abele was the first of three radar pickets hit by an Ohka, but the only ship sunk by one during the Okinawa campaign.
    Despite the enemy’s desperate efforts, the radar pickets successfully completed their mission, thus ensuring the success of the campaign.
    Capt. Frederick Moosbrugger, picket force commander, acclaimed their hazardous duty, “...a symbol of supreme achievement in our naval traditions.”
    And, paraphrasing Sir Winston Churchill, he wrote: “Never in the annals of our glorious naval history have naval forces done so much with so little against such odds for so long a period.”
    Roy Anderson, a survivor of the M.L. Abele sinking, wrote a detailed history of the specifics of that experience in a book called “Three Minutes off Okinawa”.
    It was published in 2007.

    USS Meredith (DD-434) a Gleaves-class destroyer
    https://en.wikipedia...redith_(DD-434)
    Lieutenant Commander William F. Mendenhall, Jr.
    Departing Espiritu Santo on 12 October 1942, Meredith, now commanded by Commander Harry E. Hubbard, was underway as part of a convoy with Alchiba, Bellatrix, Jamestown, Nicholas, and Vireo, each pulling a barge carrying barrels of aviation gasoline and 500 pound bombs to the United States forces on Guadalcanal.
    Two days later it was learned that a Japanese carrier task force was in the vicinity and all ships except Meredith and Vireo turned back.
    Despite the fact that Meredith was equipped only with surface-search and not air-search radar, Commander Hubbard decided to press on to deliver the critically needed aviation gas.
    Meredith was sighted by a Japanese patrol plane on the morning of 15 October, and shortly after midday took aboard the 68 man crew of Vireo to depart the area at high speed.
    However, while preparing to torpedo Vireo to keep her out of Japanese hands, Meredith was attacked by a force of 38 bombers, torpedo planes, and escort fighters from Zuikaku.
    In the first three minutes of the attack, Meredith was struck by a bomb that exploded beneath her bridge, destroying all communications, steering control, and gun direction.
    A second bomb struck the forward port side, and a torpedo exploded below the ready ammunition locker, igniting the ship's pyrotechnics and setting fire to fuel oil leaking from her bunkers.
    Meredith fought fiercely, and brought down three of her attackers, but she was struck by an estimated 14 bombs and seven torpedoes.
    Meredith rolled over and sank in 10 minutes at Lat. 11-53 S., Long. 163-20 E.
    Of the crew of 273 on board that day, only eight officers and 73 enlisted men survived the attack and the three ensuing days of exposure to the open sea and sharks until they were rescued by Grayson, Seminole and Gwin.
    Six members of the Meredith's crew managed to swim to the Vireo, and were rescued by naval PBY on the 19th of October.

    Jack of Diamonds Candidates:

    Helena a St. Louis-class light cruiser [​IMG]7°46′S 157°11′E, Battle of Kula Gulf 6 July 1943 Sunk by naval gunfire (torpedoes)
    https://en.wikipedia...nese_Destroyers
    Captain Gilbert C. Hoover

    The Tokyo Express was ready to roar down once more and the escort group turned north to meet it.
    By midnight on 5 July, Helena's group was off the northwest corner of New Georgia, three cruisers and four destroyers composing the group.
    Racing down to face them were three groups of Japanese destroyers, a total of 10 enemy ships.
    Four of them peeled off to accomplish their mission of landing troops.
    By 01:57, the Battle of Kula Gulf had begun, Helena began blasting away with a fire so rapid and intense that the Japanese later announced in all solemnity that she must have been armed with "6 inch machine guns".
    The gunners fired 2,000 six-inch rounds and 400 smaller rounds during the battle.
    Ironically, Helena made a perfect target when lit by the flashes of her own guns, which was compounded by the fact that Helena had fired all her flashless powder in the preceding bombardments and was left with standard smokeless powder, which produced immense flames when fired.
    Sinking (6 July 1943)
    Helena opened fire to port at 0157 hours. About seven minutes after she opened fire at about 0203 hours, Helena was hit by a torpedo.
    The first Japanese Type 93 torpedo, also called a "Long Lance", could travel at 48–50 knots (56 to 57 Mph) and impacted Helena on the port side just below number one turret (near frame 32), tearing off the bow of the ship.
    The following explosions by two more torpedoes that hit under the second stack, port side, (near frame 82 and about frame 85) less than two minutes later at about 0205, caused catastrophic and terminal damage.
    The forward movement of the ship along with the massive structural frame damage caused the ship to twist and jackknife around the damaged area.
    The ship, still under momentum, went past her own bow and began to flood. The center part twisted to 45 degrees port sinking first.
    It dragged the rear of the ship down until the stern was vertical. About 22 minutes after the ship was first hit the ship sank at about 0225.

    Jack of Clubs Candidates:

    Reuben James a post-World War I, four-funnel Clemson-class destroyer [​IMG]51°59′N 27°05′W 31 October 1941 Torpedoed by German submarine U-552
    https://en.wikipedia..._James_(DD-245)
    Lieutenant Commander Heywood Lane Edwards
    http://uboat.net/all...s/ship1189.html
    Based at Hvalfjordur, Iceland, under command of LCDR Heywood Lane Edwards, she sailed from Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland, on 23 October, with four other destroyers to escort eastbound convoy HX 156.
    At daybreak on 31 October, she was torpedoed[2] by U-552 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Erich Topp near Iceland.
    Reuben James had positioned herself between an ammunition ship in the convoy and the known position of a "wolfpack", a group of submarines that preyed on Allied shipping.
    Reuben James was hit forward by a torpedo meant for a merchant ship and her entire bow was blown off when a magazine exploded.
    The bow sank immediately. The aft section floated for five minutes before going down.
    Of a crew of about 160, just 44 enlisted men and no officers survived.
     
  14. Fred Wilson

    Fred Wilson "The" Rogue of Rogues

    Joined:
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    Axis Navy King Candidates.

    Western Axis "King" Battleship and Battlecruisers Research.
    King of Spades: the one that dug in. Did the dirty job and got it done.

    King of Hearts: the Heart Throb loss. The most honourable of the honourable. The most memorable.
    - The court card King of Hearts called "The suicide King", that Captain is the Suicide King.

    Panzerschiff (pocket battleship) Admiral Graf Spee lost December 20th 1939 during the Battle of the River Plate.
    Western Axis Kapitän zur See (naval captain) Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff (20 March 1894 – 20 December 1939)
    Commander of the Panzerschiff (pocket battleship) Admiral Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate.
    He lay on Admiral Graf Spee's battle ensign and shot himself, forestalling any allegations that he had avoided further action through cowardice.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Langsdorff

    Admiral Graf Spee was deployed to the South Atlantic in the weeks before the outbreak of World War II, to be positioned in merchant sea lanes once war was declared.
    Between September and December 1939, the ship sank nine ships totaling 50,089 gross register tons (GRT), before being confronted by three British cruisers at the Battle of the River Plate on 13 December.
    Admiral Graf Spee inflicted heavy damage on the British ships, but she too was damaged, and was forced to put into port at Montevideo.
    Convinced by false reports of superior British naval forces approaching his ship, Hans Langsdorff, the commander of the ship, ordered the vessel to be scuttled.

    Kapitän zur See (naval captain) Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff
    He lay on Admiral Graf Spee's battle ensign and shot himself, forestalling any allegations that he had avoided further action through cowardice.
    https://en.wikipedia...miral_Graf_Spee
    http://www.lummifilm.com/grafspee/


    King of Diamonds: the one that sparkled.



    King of Clubs: the sledge hammer loss. The truly brutal one.
     
  15. Fred Wilson

    Fred Wilson "The" Rogue of Rogues

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Axis Navy Queen Candidates.

    Western Axis "Queen" Heavy Cruisers (and reclassified as thus Pocket battleships) Research.

    Queen of Spades: the one that dug in. Did the dirty job and got it done.

    Finnish Panssarilaiva (Navy) Panssarilaiva ("Armored ship") FNS Ilmarinen Sunk by mines on 13 September 1941 in in Operation Nordwind. Only 132 men of the crew survived, 271 were lost.
    Finnish and German ships were to be used in a diversionary operation to lure the Soviet fleet into battle – away from the real invasion force coming up from the south.
    Commander Ragnar Göransson survived.
    https://en.wikipedia..._ship_Ilmarinen

    Post war, Commander Ragnar Göransson was a major, major name in NATO. Significant legacy.
    Queen of Hearts: the Heart Throb loss. The most honourable of the honourable. The most memorable.




    Queen of Diamonds: The Valuable loss or the one that sparkled.




    Queen of Clubs: the sledge hammer loss. The truly brutal one.

    Axis Navy Jack Candidates.
     
  16. Alvinhy

    Alvinhy New Member

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    The USA deck is almost complete!
    Should I post the pictures here or is there a better section in the forum for this.

    Thank you all for all the hard work!
     
  17. Alvinhy

    Alvinhy New Member

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    Hope I've made the WW2 community proud with this! Thanks for all your hardwork guys.
    The USA deck is almost complete. with the AXIS, Common Wealth, and maybe a separate japan deck coming.

    [​IMG]
     

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