Two kamikazes hit USS Ticonderoga

21st January 1945: An aircraft maintenance man recalls how "divine intervention" saves him from obliteration on the stricken carrier

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) lists to port in the aftermath of a kamikaze attack in which two suicide planes hit the ship and a further three were shot down close to the ship, 21 January 1945

The Japanese military aim in attacking Pearl Harbor had been to neutralise the major components of the US Navy, enabling to them to win swift territorial victories relatively unopposed. In December 1941 they had failed to sink all the carriers they had hoped to hit. But just three year later they were facing an incomparably greater American Naval force, far stronger than the force that they had hoped to knock out.

The U.S. Third Fleet warships en route to the Philippines, circa January 1945. The destroyer USS Stephen Potter (DD-538) is in the right center, closest to the camera. The aircraft carrier at left is USS Enterprise (CV-6)

An F6F Hellcat prepares to take off from USS Ticonderoga (CV-14).

The extraordinary expansion of the US Fleet now not only enabled them to deploy huge numbers of ships for their amphibious attacks on Japanese held territories - but also to deploy the roving Fast Carrier Task Force. Within this were four Task Groups each based on four aircraft carriers, defended by numerous support ships - each Task Group had up 24 destroyers screening it.

It sounded like a bucket with rocks in it; more of a rattle than an explosion.

Operation Gratitude had begun with the conventional support of the landings on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. But the carriers had then moved into the South China Sea and their planes had successfully attacked a wide range of Japanese targets in French Indo-China (now Vietnam), crippling the Japanese mercantile fleet. Now they moved back for an attack on Formosa (Taiwan). The weather was good for flying - which meant it was also good for kamikazes.

Edgar Newlin¹ was part of the aircraft maintenance crew on the USS Ticonderoga:

As I remember, it was a nice calm day, which influenced a later decision. I was a plane captain. For anyone that doesn't know what that is. I took care of an airplane, a fighter to be exact. I was suppose to keep it fueled, tied down, cleaned etc. We were suppose to stay with the plane anytime we were at flight quarters if it wasn't tied down.

At this time we were at flight quarters, but for some reason the launch had been delayed so my plane was just sitting there. I would have been the third plane launched, one on each catapult, and then mine.

It was past noon and we hadn't had chow when another plane captain came along and talked me into going. Remember, we were not suppose to leave our plane in that condition, but we did and it probably saved my life.