The kamikaze attack on the USS Bunker Hill

[Louis]

This is the aircraft carrier named USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) under kamikaze attack.
On the morning of May 11, 1945, while supporting the Okinawa invasion, Bunker Hill was hit and severely damaged by two suicide planes. Gasoline fires flamed up around fueled and armed planes and several explosions took place. One of the two suicide pilots was Imperial Japanese Navy Ensign Kiyoshi Ogawa (1922-1945) of the Dai-nana Showa-tai Squadron flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen (Allied code name "Zeke") fighter with a 550-pound (249-kilogram) bomb. the Japanese Navy carried out a massive kamikaze mission called Kikusui Rokugi Sakusen (Operation Kikusui "Floating Chrysanthemums" No. 6). He and his unknown wingman surprised both the Combat Air Patrol and the ship's gunners. His wingman's bomb punctured the flight deck and went on through, and exploded over the water before his plane crashed into the 34 aircraft waiting to take off. Ogawa struck next, dropping his bomb and impacting the flight deck near the island.

Ogawa

Almost all the pilots of Composite Air Group 84 were killed, in the Ready Room or on the flight deck. 346 Americans were killed, 43 were missing, and 264 were wounded. This was the deadliest kamikaze attack of the entire WW2.

The kamikaze plane was untouched by the fire. Subsequently was recovered photos and letters from the dead pilot's aircraft. These artifacts were returned to Ogawa's family in 2001.

In his last letter, Ogawa wrote to his parents: "I will make a sortie, flying over those calm clouds in a peaceful emotion. I can think about neither life nor death. A man should die once, and no day is more honorable than today to dedicate myself for the eternal cause. I will go to the front smiling. On the day of the sortie too, and forever."

2001, Ogawa's family receive the personal effects​

 

[Bulletpoint]

I'm not sure I understand what happened to Ogawa's plane. He dropped his bomb before his plane impacted the flight deck, yet his plane was untouched by the fire?

 

[Louis]

I'm not sure I understand what happened to Ogawa's plane. He dropped his bomb before his plane impacted the flight deck, yet his plane was untouched by the fire?

Precisely for this reason, because Ogawa was a kamikaze, his will was to crash into the aircraft carrier -managing to avoid the anti-aircraft fire-, but not before launching his bomb to cause more damage.

 

[mTk]

"Ogawa dove next. His 250 kg bomb ignited aviation fuel, and then the aircraft dove into the flight deck near the control tower...." WWII data Base
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"According to Robert Schock, a U.S. Navy diver on board Bunker Hill, Ogawa's aircraft was not completely destroyed after penetrating the flight deck, but remained partially intact and did not catch fire. Instead, the wreckage rested on the hangar deck of Bunker Hill, half awash in water, with live wires sparking all around. Schock found Ogawa dead in the cockpit, and removed Ogawa's name tag from his flight suit, along with a letter Ogawa carried with him on his last mission, some photographs, a belt from Ogawa's parachute harness, and a large smashed aviator watch of the type that Japanese pilots wore around their necks." Wiki
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Well, that explains a bit.

 

[Rico]

Amazing story.