This has been an interesting thread, barring the torpedo attack near the end.
I'd like to point out the thread's title and several members are spelling Kamikaze incorrectly. Also I noted this statement?
Pat Carry wrote:
... the destroyer USS Ward which fired the first shots of the Pacific war when it engaged a Japanese midget sub off Pearl Harbor on Dec 7th, 1941.
I thought that the first shots of the Pacific War were fired in a fight between RAAF Hudsons and the Japanese off of Malaya? I seem to recall it was some hours before people were getting out of bed in Pearl Harbor.
Or to be really pedantic, the Germans were sinking a lot of Allied ships in the Pacific and were being hunted by the Allied navies and air forces in 1940 and through 1941. In fact it's interesting that though Pearl Harbor was attacked on the 8th of December 1941, our time, a chap called Thomas Mack who was born here in my home town and who was was a merchant seaman was killed alongside his captain in a battle between his ship, the
Komata, and the German Navy raider
Komet (disguised as a Japanese fishing vessel I might add, now that's a sneak attack!) off Nauru on the 8th of December 1940. Try telling him that the Paciic War was still a year away. I doubt he'd believe you.
Later that month 496 survivors of numerous ships that had been captured and sunk by the German Navy's 'auxiliary cruiers' in the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea were discovered at the remote Emirau Island where they's been dumped by the Germans to fend for themselves. A lot more than them were aboard those ships, many were killed in these attacks, and some of those ships like the
Turakina went down fighting with 36 men lost, 20 survivos, heroes to a man. Tell them there was no war in the Pacific till 8th of December 1941.
These raiders also sank the
Rangitane, the
Holmwood and right close to NZ's shores they sank the luxury liner
Niagara with mines they'd laid in the shipping lane. These are just the kiwi ships that the Komet, the Orion and the Komerant got. They got a load of Australian ships too in the Pacific and Tasman, The Germans had nine of these fast, heavily armed auxiliary cruisers, named raiders by the Allies, roaming the seas at will picking off Allied ships and they were around the Asian countries and in the Indian Ocean too I believe, in 1941.
Back to the main topic - I too have met men who were attacked by Kamikazes, one was British and four were kiwis, all of them aboard HMS Invincible which was hit twice. After each they poured a bit of concrete into the dent that the plane had made on the steel deck and within 45 minutes the carrier was fully operational again. They were lucky to be in the British carriers I think. One told me he was with his mates and just nipped down the stairs to the loo. He looked out the window in time to see a Japanese plane explode between his carrier and the close escort ship - hit by the ships guns. The wreckage hit the ship where he'd previously been stood with his mates, who bought it. I agree with the sentiments that it must have been bloody awful to be on the receiving end.
There was at least one FAA Corsair squadron commander who was mortally hit, so he dived into a ship. I can't recall his name but my mate was flying with him at the time and saw it. Might have been a Canadian I think?
I seem to also recall reading that the first ship sunk by Kamikase was Australian??
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