CHARLES G. FRIES, JR. ARM2/C TBM
U.S.S. YORKTOWN CV 10
APRIL 1945
OKINAWA
DFC
AIR MEDAL

I was a tail gunner on a TBM and I suppose that the thing that intrigued me most was in April 1945 when we went after the what they called the last remnants of the Japanese Fleet. Which comprised the battleship Yamoto and a cruiser, a Nagami class, and I just found out recently it was the Akagi. And there was a two screen destroyers in the same area. When we went to look for them it was an overcast day, and it was up to the crews of the bombers to find them. Which of course we did. When we came into range, the idea was to split the squadrons into two different sections. They wanted the battleship badly, and if necessary everybody would hit it. They wanted to bring it down. It turned out, that was not necessary. They got the wagon, and she was severely damaged, ready to sink and the difference in the two ships was the armor plating. In consequence we were briefed on how to change the depth setting on the torpedo so it wouldn't go under the cruiser and would hit it at the appropriate point and put a hole in it. We were told a little bit hairy because we told there were two wires attached to the bulkhead in the bomb bay. We could only get in there up to our armpit, so you were feeling your way. You did not have any real knowledge of what you were doing. We were told the wrench that turned the indicator would change the depth. It was right next to a piece of arming wire on the bulkhead to the fuse of the torpedo. If you pulled the wrong one, my understanding was that the air stream coming through could actually arm the torpedo. I suppose if it were anyway hit in any way it could be a problem to us. That we accomplished, and we went into the cruiser. There was a lot of flak from both ships and destroyers, and we were pleased to see the cruiser go also. Later there was one destroyer down too, we had one pilot who's torpedo hung up and, he had to make a couple subsequent runs. He got the torpedo off and he got the torpedo so we got three of them out of the four. As far as we were concerned, the Japanese fleet was no more.

The thing that intrigued me most was as a young kid, we were so elated to see those things go. The wagon rolled over on her side and went under eventually and the cruiser slipped up into the air, bow first and then slid back down into the war like it was a toy. Your first feeling was relevant to the Pearl Harbor attack, one of elation. We felt like we were getting even. However, that was soon followed in my particular case by a great feeling of sadness. We didn't know at the time, as you can recall everything the enemy did was a big joke. It turned out that they had a very good fighter plane, and they had the best battleship in the world, the biggest and best, and it is no more. And that is just about it. Oh, the men that were in the water. We made a few passes, we had a camera that was in my plane. Unfortunately the ones I took malfunctioned and did not come out. However, there are many pictures in our part of the archives, and I have a book at home. It shows them.

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The flamboyant Jocko Clark—the highest-ranking naval officer of Native American descent in US history—was admired by his men on the USS Yorktwn but not by everyone for his "Call 'em as I see 'em" leadership style.  The accompanying CD includes excerpts of interviews with Admirals J. J. Clark, Arleigh Burke, and George Anderson and other notable naval figures.

 

A very readable account of the USS Yorktown's involvement in the Pacific theater; the battles, plane crashes, torpedo firings, and naval bombings and day to day living of the typical USS Yorktown sailor.

 

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It is strange to see all the men in the water, and wondering to this day if there was any survivors. If there were I would truly like to talk to them if possible and get there side of the story. At this point in our lives, where we are all in our middle seventies, is that with war it is the young kids that you send. I don't know who starts them but it is not a pleasant thing when you consider all those fellows that did not make it were some bodies son, the same as we were, and they were only kids too doing what they were told to do.  So in this point of your life I guess there isn't any malice, or hopefully not. And that's about it for that raid.

[picture; after attack by planes from the USS Yorktown and other US Navy planes, the magazines explode on the largest battleship ever made]

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the chronology

1. The first and second waves

At about 1 pm, soon after the first US strike force completed its helter - skelter attack, a second wave of 167 planes arrived over the Japanese ships. The pilots found that the Yamoto's radio - jamming equipment had been silenced, and they were able to coordinate their attacks by voice communication. By 2 pm, when their attacks ended, they had hit the Yamoto with five torpedoes, leaving a battered wreck.

 

2. The third wave

The assault was continued without interruption by a third carrier strike force of 106 planes. An air group from the Intrepid slammed at least eight bombs and one torpedo into the Yamoto. As the torpedo bombers from the Yorktown started their run, the battleship was listing heavily to port, exposing her vulnerable underbelly.

 

3. Hit her in the belly

"Hit her in the belly-now!" yelled the leader of the Yorktown planes. Four more torpedoes blasted the Yamoto's bottom. The great battleship was wracked by a series of internal explosions. She capsized and began to go under.

Courtesy of:
Based on Time-Life Books Inc.

 

DOWN GOES THE YAMATO  by Clark G. Reynolds Ph.D

  Then the fighting lady got a chance for a last crack at the Imperial Japanese navy.  And what a target it was...the super battleship Yamato, at 72,000 tons the largest warship in the world.  Reportedly heading for Okinawa on April 7, the Yamato was attacked by TF 58 planes in repeated bombing runs.  The Yorktown launched its planes last, to make certain the planes had enough fuel to find their prey.

  Six Torpedo Nine Avengers led by Lieutenant Thomas Stetson lined up for a classic torpedo drop abreast of the turning behemoth.  Harvey Ewing, gunner in one of the planes, was "scared out of my wits as we flew at a breathtaking 300 miles an hour toward the starboard side of the ship.  I threw window (foil strips) into the slipstream as fast as I could" to foul any radar directed guns.  "In quick glances out the side windows, I could see burst of AA (anti aircraft) shells as they exploded closer and closer to our planes."

  The first four planes released their fish (torpedoes) simultaneously.  All four struck together, followed by two others.  The Yamato  suddenly listed to one side, rolled over, and erupted in a huge explosion that sent a mushroom cloud 3,000 feet into the sky.  The Japanese Navy was dead.  Better yet, all the torpeckers made it back to the Yorktown, although several were damaged.

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