This was a black day in the Wee Vee’s case history. It was a
lovely day all day over the Island of Okinawa (350 miles from Japan)
and things were pretty quiet considering that we were giving the Japs
plenty of hell all day long. This was “L” day and the troops had made
landings on the Island which is by the way the largest one of the
Ryukyu chain of Islands, and they had met little or no opposition up to
the time of this writing. It was Easter Sunday and in the States I
imagine that the people were worrying more about what they were going
to wear in the Easter Parade rather than what was happening in the war
zone. But for us our here so close to Japan we don’t even realize what
Easter, Christmas, or anything else is.
About 0800 on the
night 1 April there was 100 planes set out from the Japanese homeland
and started down here to see what they could do to even up the score
for the hell that we had been raising in their own front yard. Combat
air patrol got 77 of these before they got near the main battle force
but there were about 30 of those left that got thru to us (the main
Battle Fleet) and seeing the Wee Vee setting here looking the NEWEST
AND BIGGEST in this force of old Wagons I guess he thought this is my
baby so consequently it ended up us being his baby! The starboard
battery had opened up and had hit him but instead of coming down he
gained altitude right over the ship and at about 2000 feet he leveled
with flames coming out of his engine and dived in a straight line for
the ship. He hit us on the port side right amidships. He hit among
the flag and signal halyards of the signal bridge and a group of 20’s
and a 5” director and really raised hell topside, but he went right
through the O2 deck down to the mess deck, fouled up the galley and put
it out of commission, the engine tore down another deck put the laundry
and tailor shop out of business. He was also carrying a 250 lb bomb
with him and that went thru the press shop down to the 2nd (about 20
feet from the radio men’s compartment) but did not go off, and a good
thing too as the radiomen were all in their sack as a result of having
stood watch and watch off for better than 2 weeks.
Total
damage done was 4 men killed, 23 injured or seriously
burned, galley, press shop, laundry, 5” director, port side of signal
bridge, 2 20mm mounts all out of commission. This is the Wee Vee’s
first hit since December 7, 1941 and in BATDIV 4 a 100 percent hit
average. The WEST VIRGINIA, MARYLAND, AND COLORADO, have all been hit
by suicide planes now, the Wee Vee only has had one so far and the
others two but give us time we know where we stand and we also realize
that there is a war going on out here even if they do seem to have a
bit of trouble in the states realizing that little fact. ---------
HAPPY EASTER if it is at all possible to be happy – maybe in the states
but I have yet to see a happy face out here.
Written by Robert Sutherland
2 April 1945
at Okinawa, Japan
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