Here is the blow by blow account of the demise of the Yamato. An extra large lift of the alfa6 lid to the folks at http://www.combinedfleet.com/for the accounts that I posted yesterday and today and the folks at http://www.bismarck-class.dk for the illustrations of the Yamato.
0200: The Attack Force, zigzagging at 22 knots on a southerly course, passes the Miyazaki coast and reaches the entrance to Osumi Kaikyo Channel. Speed is slowed to 16 knots.
0600: The YAMATO launches her Aichi E13A1 Type 0 "Jake" reconnaissance floatplane.
0630: Six Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters of Vice Admiral Ugaki's 5th Air Fleet's 203rd Naval Air Group arrive to provide air cover. For the next three and one-half hours, a total of 14 "Zekes" from the Kasanbara air base on Kyushu, provide cover in small groups. The YAMATO's "Jake" returns to Kyushu.
0657: The ASASHIMO begins lagging behind the force with engine trouble.
0832: The Attack Force is sighted by a searching Grumman F6F "Hellcat" from the USS ESSEX (CV-9).
0840: The Attack Force briefly sights seven "Hellcat" fighters, but they are not seen by the escorting "Zekes".
1014: The Attack Force sights two large Martin "Mariner" PBM flying boats. The Japanese also spot the HACKLEBACK trailing the Attack Force.
1017: The YAMATO turns towards the planes and opens fire unsuccessfully as does the cruiser YAHAGI. While the YAHAGI jams their sighting messages, the YAMATO receives a report from a Japanese scout plane that Task Force 58 has been located east of Okinawa, 250 nautical miles from the Attack Force.
1018: The aircraft are lost behind the clouds. Both ships cease firing.
1022: The Attack Force turns towards Sasebo.
1107: The YAMATO's Type 13 air search radar operator reports contact with a large aircraft formation at his set's maximum range of 63 miles. He reports the formation at bearing 180, heading north, and splitting into two groups. All ships increase speed to 25 knots and commence a simultaneous turn.
1115: A report that had been delayed for 25 minutes by transmission and decoding, is received finally. It says that the Kikaigashima Island lookout station saw 150 carrier planes heading northwest. Just then, eight F6F "Hellcats" appear and begin circling over the force to maintain contact until the main formation arrives. The YAMATO and the YAHAGI open fire, increase speed to 24 knots and commence a series of sharp evasive maneuvers.
Air search reports two groups of aircraft, range 44 miles, closing at high speed. The sky is still overcast and visibility is poor. Then radar reports the closing aircraft have turned towards the force. The Attack Force resumes zigzagging.
1129: The Attack Force turns to course 205, towards Okinawa.
1222: A lookout spots three Japanese troopships on bearing 0250 heading for Amami-Oshima.
1232: A lookout spots American planes 25 degrees to port, elevation 8, range 4,375 yards, moving to port. This is the first wave of 280 aircraft (132 fighters, 50 bombers, 98 torpedo planes) from Task Group 58. 1: USS HORNET (CV-12), HANCOCK (CV-19), BENNINGTON (CV-20), BELLEAU WOOD (CVL-24) and the SAN JACINTO (CVL-30) and from Task Group 58. 3: USS ESSEX (CV-9), BUNKER HILL (CV-17), BATAAN (CVL-24) and the CABOT (CVL-28).
Lagging behind the main force, the destroyer ASASHIMO is attacked and sunk by aircraft from the SAN JACINTO.
1234: The YAMATO opens fire with her two forward main turrets and AA guns.
1235: The YAMATO stops zigzagging and increases speed to 24 knots. Her nine 18.1-inch guns firing "Sanshikidan" beehive shells, twenty-four 127-mm. AA guns and one hundred fifty-two 25-mm AA guns all open fire. The American planes release their bombs and torpedoes and strafe the bridge with machine-gun fire.
1240: The YAMATO is hit by two AP bombs. Smoke rises from the vicinity of the mainmast and a bomb explodes in the same area. The aft secondary battery fire control, secondary gun turret and the air search radar are knocked out.
The Attack Force changes course to 100 degrees. "Helldivers" from the BENNINGTON and the HORNET attack from port. At flank speed, the YAMATO commences a right turn but two 1000-lb AP bombs hit her. The first explodes in the crew's quarters abaft the Type 13 radar shack. The second penetrates the port side of the aft Command station and explodes between the 155-mm gun magazine and main gun turret No. 3's upper powder magazine. It starts a fire that cannot be extinguished and rips a 60-foot hole in the weather deck. One "Helldiver" is shot down, another is damaged badly.
1243: A section of five low flying "Avengers" from the HORNET start a torpedo run from the port, bearing 70 degrees. The YAMATO, at 27 knots flank speed, heels to starboard in evasive action. The "Avengers" drop three torpedoes. One strikes her port side near the forward windlass room. One "Avenger" is shot down. The YAMATO ships 2,350-tons of water. Damage Control counterfloods with 604-tons of water. Fourteen F4U Chance-Vought "Corsairs" from the BUNKER HILL strafe and rocket the YAMATO but cause only minor damage. ,p. 1245: Thirty-four "Hellcats", 22 "Helldivers" and one "Corsair" attack the YAMATO's escorts. DesDiv 17's HAMAKAZE takes a near miss on her starboard quarter that disables her starboard shaft. ,p. 1247: A torpedo strikes the HAMAKAZE starboard, aft of amidships and she jackknifes. The SUZUTSUKI takes a 500-lb GP bomb hit to starboard, abreast her No. 2 gun mount. Two dud rockets hit the FUYUTSUKI.
1250: The first attack wave retires. The destroyer SUZUTSUKI wreathed in black smoke, burns furiously. The light cruiser YAHAGI, without headway, drifts helplessly behind the main force. The YAMATO, despite hits by two bombs and one torpedo, maintains flank speed.
1300: The YAMATO changes course to 180 degrees, due South.
1302: Her remaining air search radar reports the approach of a second attack wave. The Attack Force changes course due south to 180 degrees. 1322: The YAMATO increases speed to 22 knots. A "Corsair" from the ESSEX drops a 1000-lb GP bomb that hits the superstructure in the port bow area. Twelve "Helldivers" claim several hits near the bridge and main gun turret No. 3. Five "Helldivers" are damaged by AA fire.
1333: Another 110 aircraft from Task Group 58. 4: USS YORKTOWN (CV-10), INTREPID (CV-11), LANGLEY (CVL-27) engage the Attack Force. This time all the attacks are concentrated against the battleship. Twenty "Avengers" make a new torpedo run from 60 degrees to port. The YAMATO starts a sharp turn to port but three torpedoes rip into her port side amidships. Her auxiliary rudder is jammed in position hard port.
The YAMATO has taken a total of four torpedo hits. She ships about 3,000-tons of seawater. She lists about seven degrees to port. Damage Control counter-floods both starboard engine and boiler rooms and almost entirely corrects the list. The YAMATO starts a turn starboard to course 230 degrees. One of her lookouts spots the tracks of four torpedoes approaching. The first torpedoes pass by harmlessly, but the remaining two strike her port amidships. She takes on a heavy list to port and her speed drops to 18 knots. Armor-piercing and other bombs make a shambles of her upper works.
1342: The YAMATO turns hard to port. She continues to throw up a screen of desperate flak fire. One "Avenger" is shot down but her barrage is largely ineffective because each AA battery fires independently without coordination. The escorts cannot defend the flagship either.
1402: Three bombs explode port amidships, five minutes later a torpedo hits her starboard side amidships. Ten minutes later, two more torpedoes strike her port side. The YAMATO's list increases to about 15 degrees and her speed slows to 12 knots.
Executive Officer Nomura Jiro reports to Captain Aruga that his damage control officers are all dead and that the counter-flooding system can no longer correct the list. He suggests that the order to abandon ship be given. The Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Ito, orders the mission cancelled and directs the remaining ships to pick up as many survivors as possible. The Emperor's portrait is removed.
1405: The light cruiser YAHAGI, hit by 12 bombs and seven torpedoes sinks exactly one minute after the last bomb hits. LtCdr (later Captain) Herbert Houck, the leader of 43 TBM Avengers of VT-9 from the YORKTOWN, detaches Lt Thomas Stetson's six Avengers in a final torpedo attack from the ship's starboard side. Stetson's crewmen reset their Mark 13 torpedoes' running depth to 20 feet. Listing heavily to port, the YAMATO's exposed hull is hit by several more torpedoes. She rolls slowly over her port side on her beam ends.
1423: Sunk: The YAMATO's No. 1 magazine explodes and sends up a cloud of smoke seen 100 miles away. She slips under followed by an underwater explosion. The YAMATO sinks at 30-22 N, 128-04 E. Vice Admiral Ito and the YAMATO's skipper Captain Aruga and 3,063 men are lost. Aruga receives a rare double promotion posthumously to Vice Admiral on the request of Admiral Toyoda. Later that day, the battered destroyers ISOKAZE and the KASUMI are scuttled and sink. 1,187 crewmen of DesRon 2's light cruiser the YAHAGI and the four destroyers are also lost.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}