USS

Enterprise

War

History

December

to

August

CONFIDENTIAL

USS

Enterprise

War

History

December

to

August

The

Chief

of

Naval

Operations

directs

that

this

report

be

shown

only

to

those

persons

to

whom

the

report

would

be

of

value

in

the

performance

of

their

duties

Steps

shall

be

taken

accordingly

to

insure

that

the

report

will

be

seen

by

those

persons

responsible

for

design

construction

and

repair

of

naval

vessels

as

well

as

for

their

operation

but

by

no

others

Preliminary

Design

Section

Bureau

of

Ships

Navy

Department

WAR

DAMAGE

REPORT

No

Printed

By

U

S

Hydrographic

Office

USS

ENTERPRISE

War

History

December

to

August

Class

YORKTOWN

Class

Length

OA

Ft

In

Launched

October

Length

BP

Ft

In

Displacement

Standard

tons

Before

Blister

Addition

Beam

Without

Blisters

Ft

In

Beam

With

Blisters

Ft

In

References

General

a

War

Diaries

of

ENTERPRISE

complete

from

April

through

September

plus

January

Damage

of

February

b

CO

ENTERPRISE

conf

ltr

to

BuShips

Serial

of

February

Damage

of

August

c

CO

ENTERPRISE

conf

ltr

to

BuShips

Serial

of

September

d

Comdt

Navy

Yard

Pearl

Harbor

conf

ltr

to

BuShips

Serial

of

October

e

CO

ENTERPRISE

conf

ltr

to

BuShips

Serial

of

March

Damage

of

October

f

CO

ENTERPRISE

conf

ltr

to

BuShips

Serial

of

November

g

Comdt

Navy

Yard

Pearl

Harbor

conf

ltr

to

BuShips

Serial

of

July

Damage

of

and

March

h

CO

ENTERPRISE

conf

ltr

to

BuShips

Serial

of

April

Damage

of

April

i

CO

ENTERPRISE

conf

ltr

to

Cominch

Serial

of

April

j

CO

ENTERPRISE

conf

ltr

to

BuShips

Serial

of

May

Damage

of

May

k

CO

ENTERPRISE

conf

ltr

to

Cominch

Serial

of

May

l

War

Damage

Report

USS

ENTERPRISE

Actions

of

April

and

May

prepared

by

Puget

Sound

Naval

Shipyard

and

USS

ENTERPRISE

forwarded

by

ComNavShipYdPug

conf

ltr

to

BuShips

Serial

of

February

CONTENTS

SECTION

Page

A

FOREWORD

Photographs

Nos

to

B

EARLY

HISTORY

Design

and

Construction

Peacetime

Operations

Start

of

the

War

C

BOMB

DAMAGE

MARSHALL

ISLANDS

FEBRUARY

Narrative

Material

Damage

Fire

and

Firefighting

Conclusion

Photographs

Nos

and

Plate

I

D

HISTORY

FIRST

STRIKE

AGAINST

WAKE

ISLAND

FEBRUARY

TO

THE

LANDINGS

IN

THE

SOLOMONS

AUGUST

Strikes

Against

Wake

and

Marcus

Islands

February

and

March

Bombing

of

Tokyo

April

The

Battle

of

Midway

June

Landings

on

Tulagi

and

Guadalcanal

August

E

BOMB

DAMAGE

BATTLE

OF

THE

EASTERN

SOLOMONS

AUGUST

Narrative

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Structural

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Piping

Machinery

and

Electrical

Flooding

and

Flooding

Control

Measures

Fire

and

Firefighting

Japanese

Bombs

Conclusion

Photographs

Nos

to

Plates

II

and

III

F

BOMB

DAMAGE

BATTLE

OF

SANTA

CRUZ

OCTOBER

Narrative

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Structural

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Piping

Machinery

and

Electrical

Flooding

and

Flooding

Control

Measures

Fire

and

Firefighting

Japanese

Bombs

Conclusion

Photographs

Nos

to

Plates

IV

and

V

G

HISTORY

OCTOBER

to

MARCH

The

Battle

of

Guadalcanal

November

Winter

and

Spring

Overhaul

Summer

Amphibious

Operations

and

Strikes

Winter

Spring

Activities

Advance

to

the

Philippines

Landings

on

Iwo

Jima

February

H

BOMB

DAMAGE

STRIKES

AGAINST

SOUTHERN

JAPAN

and

MARCH

Narrative

Dud

Bomb

of

March

NearMisses

Friendly

Shell

Hits

and

Fire

of

March

Photographs

Nos

to

Plate

VI

I

SUICIDE

PLANE

CRASHES

OKINAWA

APRIL

Narrative

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Structural

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Piping

Machinery

and

Electrical

Flooding

and

Flooding

Control

Measures

Fire

and

Firefighting

Japanese

Planes

and

Bombs

Conclusion

Photographs

Nos

to

Plate

VII

J

SUICIDE

PLANE

CRASH

KYUSHU

MAY

Narrative

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Structural

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Piping

Machinery

and

Electrical

Flooding

and

Flooding

Control

Measures

Fire

and

Firefighting

Japanese

Planes

and

Bombs

Conclusion

Photographs

Nos

to

Plate

VII

K

EXIT

ENTERPRISE

Repairs

The

Magic

Carpet

A

National

Memorial

L

SUMMARY

AND

CONCLUSION

Summary

Conclusion

SECTION

A

FOREWORD

Line

drawing

showing

hits

Numbers

in

drawing

correspond

with

text

below

BOMB

DAMAGE

MARSHALL

ISLANDS

FEBRUARY

BOMB

DAMAGE

BATTLE

OF

THE

EASTERN

SOLOMONS

AUGUST

BOMB

DAMAGE

BATTLE

OF

SANTA

CRUZ

OCTOBER

BOMB

DAMAGE

STRIKES

AGAINST

SOUTHERN

JAPAN

AND

MARCH

SUICIDE

PLANE

CRASHES

OKINAWA

APRIL

SUICIDE

PLANE

CRASH

KYUSHU

MAY

The

war

history

of

ENTERPRISE

is

unique

in

length

of

active

service

in

extent

of

destruction

brought

to

the

enemy

and

in

number

of

instances

of

damage

survived

Therefore

this

war

damage

report

has

been

written

with

brief

summaries

of

operational

history

and

detailed

discussions

of

each

instance

of

damage

to

cover

the

whole

war

experience

of

the

ship

ENTERPRISE

served

with

the

Fleet

throughout

the

war

steaming

more

than

miles

and

accumulating

out

of

a

possible

combat

stars

for

carriers

in

the

Pacific

area

She

missed

only

the

Battle

of

the

Coral

Sea

and

three

operations

in

the

Southwest

Pacific

Eastern

New

Guinea

Bismarck

Archipelago

and

TreasuryBougainville

Island

Her

planes

the

big

guns

of

a

carrier

are

credited

with

sinking

or

an

assist

in

the

sinking

of

enemy

ships

and

with

damaging

enemy

ships

The

sinkings

and

assists

include

three

large

carriers

and

a

heavy

cruiser

of

the

Japanese

Fleet

in

the

Battle

of

Midway

and

a

battleship

large

cruiser

and

four

carriers

in

the

Battle

for

Leyte

Gulf

During

the

period

of

the

war

she

was

damaged

by

the

enemy

on

six

separate

occasions

by

hits

or

nearmisses

from

bombs

or

suicide

planes

In

addition

she

was

damaged

by

a

fire

caused

by

the

detonation

of

a

friendly

antiaircraft

shell

In

all

cases

but

one

her

excellent

damage

control

organization

prevented

serious

consequences

and

enabled

ENTERPRISE

to

continue

in

action

Damage

to

her

flight

deck

which

resulted

from

the

suicide

plane

crash

of

May

so

impaired

her

operating

efficiency

that

she

was

forced

to

retire

the

following

day

Solid

line

indicates

hits

Dashed

lines

indicate

nearmisses

Friendly

shell

hits

Photo

ENTERPRISE

shortly

after

her

commissioning

May

Photo

ENTERPRISE

from

the

port

quarter

shortly

after

her

commissioning

Photo

Planes

taking

off

from

ENTERPRISE

for

a

strike

in

the

Western

Pacific

Photo

ENTERPRISE

as

she

appeared

during

the

latter

part

of

the

war

after

her

overhaul

SECTION

B

EARLY

HISTORY

Design

and

Construction

At

the

close

of

World

War

I

the

potentialities

of

Naval

airpower

were

recognized

and

in

order

to

initiate

development

of

a

sound

doctrine

the

collier

JUPITER

was

converted

into

the

experimental

aircraft

carrier

LANGLEY

She

was

followed

in

by

LEXINGTON

and

SARATOGA

which

were

converted

from

battlecruisers

as

a

result

of

the

Washington

Treaty

for

the

Limitation

of

Naval

Armament

Through

the

years

to

preliminary

design

studies

of

and

ton

standard

displacement

aircraft

carriers

were

made

in

order

to

determine

the

best

way

to

utilize

the

tons

of

carriers

allowed

under

the

Washington

Treaty

Problems

of

suitable

speed

armor

armament

torpedo

protection

disposition

of

flue

gases

arrangement

of

flight

decks

elevators

and

hangars

location

of

bridge

criteria

of

stability

etc

were

studied

by

the

Bureau

of

Construction

and

Repair

and

discussed

with

the

General

Board

other

Bureaus

of

the

Navy

Department

and

operating

personnel

The

studies

finally

crystallized

into

plans

for

RANGER

the

first

US

aircraft

carrier

to

be

designed

as

such

from

its

inception

RANGER

was

ordered

November

and

commissioned

June

With

a

valuable

background

of

design

lessons

derived

in

the

development

of

RANGER

and

a

much

greater

knowledge

of

carrier

operations

gained

from

experience

with

LANGLEY

LEXINGTON

and

SARATOGA

preliminary

design

work

on

ENTERPRISE

was

started

in

Displacement

was

increased

from

to

tons

standard

and

speed

from

to

knots

Many

significant

changes

were

made

in

the

arrangements

so

that

ENTERPRISE

and

her

sistership

YORKTOWN

embodied

many

advances

in

carrier

development

Construction

of

ENTERPRISE

was

ordered

August

and

her

keel

was

laid

July

at

Newport

News

Shipbuilding

and

Dry

Dock

Company

She

was

launched

October

and

commissioned

May

Peacetime

Operations

After

a

shakedown

cruise

to

Brazil

and

winter

maneuvers

with

the

Fleet

in

the

Caribbean

early

in

ENTERPRISE

was

ordered

to

the

Pacific

in

April

With

the

proclamation

of

a

state

of

limited

national

emergency

in

September

she

proceeded

to

Pearl

Harbor

where

she

trained

for

war

operations

as

a

part

of

the

Hawaiian

Fleet

Detachment

and

shuttled

planes

and

squadrons

among

the

Pacific

island

bases

On

November

she

departed

Pearl

Harbor

for

Wake

Island

with

twelve

Marine

Corps

fighter

planes

to

be

delivered

to

the

newly

completed

airfield

there

Start

of

the

War

ENTERPRISE

was

scheduled

to

return

to

Pearl

Harbor

on

December

but

fortunately

was

delayed

a

day

by

heavy

weather

Some

of

her

planes

flew

to

Pearl

Harbor

during

the

Japanese

raid

on

December

and

the

remainder

were

launched

in

an

unsuccessful

attempt

to

locate

the

enemy

carriers

after

word

of

the

attack

on

Pearl

Harbor

had

been

received

by

radio

During

the

early

weeks

of

the

war

she

patrolled

to

the

west

of

the

Hawaiian

Islands

and

acted

as

escort

for

transports

reinforcing

Samoa

Later

in

January

she

sailed

north

to

participate

in

the

first

offensive

US

Planes

from

ENTERPRISE

bombed

and

strafed

shore

installations

on

Moloelap

Wotje

and

Kwajalein

in

the

Marshalls

and

bombed

and

torpedoed

several

enemy

ships

including

one

cruiser

and

two

submarines

The

raid

set

back

Japanese

plans

for

strengthening

bases

in

the

West

Central

Pacific

and

provided

the

first

good

news

after

the

disaster

at

Pearl

Harbor

The

opposite

result

might

have

occurred

if

ENTERPRISE

had

not

successfully

evaded

two

determined

bombing

attacks

from

Japanese

landbased

planes

receiving

only

minor

damage

from

a

nearmiss

SECTION

C

BOMB

DAMAGE

MARSHALL

ISLANDS

FEBRUARY

NEARMISS

KG

BOMB

FRAME

PORT

Narrative

About

on

February

while

operating

in

the

northeastern

Marshalls

ENTERPRISE

was

approached

on

the

starboard

bow

by

five

Japanese

twinengined

land

planes

flying

at

feet

While

in

a

shallow

power

dive

to

about

feet

each

plane

released

three

bombs

ENTERPRISE

was

maneuvering

at

high

speed

and

all

bombs

fell

beyond

the

ship

the

nearest

about

feet

off

the

port

quarter

at

frame

The

bombs

were

estimated

by

the

ship

to

be

general

purpose

with

instantaneous

fuzes

weighing

between

and

pounds

and

were

probably

the

Kg

Type

No

One

plane

returned

apparently

to

strafe

the

ship

Its

right

wing

scraped

the

flight

deck

between

frames

and

knocking

off

the

ships

port

side

light

and

cutting

off

the

tail

of

a

scout

bomber

on

deck

It

plunged

over

the

port

side

at

frame

and

carried

away

the

forward

stay

of

the

antenna

outrigger

A

second

attack

began

at

when

two

Japanese

twinengined

planes

each

dropped

two

bombs

off

the

starboard

bow

The

nearest

was

yards

away

and

the

splashes

appeared

to

rise

higher

than

those

of

the

first

bombs

Although

several

fragments

were

found

on

the

forecastle

no

damage

was

incurred

Material

Damage

Fragments

from

the

first

attack

opened

four

holes

in

the

medium

steel

plating

of

the

port

hangar

bulkhead

between

frames

and

and

six

holes

in

the

hangar

roller

curtain

Plate

I

There

were

numerous

dents

in

the

STS

shell

plating

below

the

main

deck

and

fragments

pierced

and

dented

the

splinter

mats

gallery

walkway

ladders

and

gallery

deck

in

way

of

the

cal

machine

gun

at

frame

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

Handbook

of

Japanese

Explosive

Ordnance

OPNAV

August

The

externallyfitted

to

gasoline

line

was

pierced

by

fragments

in

nine

places

between

frames

and

A

gasoline

fire

resulted

The

and

coils

of

the

externallyfitted

degaussing

cable

at

frame

the

hangar

sprinkler

electrical

control

box

in

the

port

pocket

at

frame

and

fifteen

minor

electrical

cables

were

pierced

or

severed

by

fragments

or

destroyed

in

the

gasoline

fire

Fire

and

Firefighting

Gasoline

from

the

pierced

gasoline

line

caught

fire

either

from

hot

fragments

or

electrical

short

circuits

and

the

fire

spread

over

the

port

gallery

walkway

and

the

boat

pocket

between

frames

and

The

flames

consumed

canvas

covers

splinter

mats

airplane

fueling

hose

rubber

deck

matting

life

jackets

and

paint

on

the

deck

and

bulkheads

Photos

and

Although

the

fire

seemed

very

threatening

it

was

soon

extinguished

with

chemical

foam

from

pressureoperated

foam

generators

phomene

accumulators

Conclusion

By

quick

and

effective

use

of

the

available

firefighting

apparatus

ENTERPRISE

repair

parties

successfully

passed

their

first

real

test

The

penetration

of

splinter

mats

by

fragments

substantiated

the

prior

decision

to

discontinue

their

use

because

of

their

limited

value

against

even

low

velocity

fragments

Although

a

gasoline

fire

developed

as

a

result

of

penetration

of

the

exposed

portion

of

the

gasoline

piping

by

fragments

no

change

in

its

location

was

seriously

considered

It

would

be

impracticable

to

give

adequate

protection

to

this

main

and

a

fire

on

the

gallery

walkway

is

obviously

preferable

to

one

in

the

hangar

Although

internal

fitting

of

degaussing

cables

had

become

standard

practice

ENTERPRISE

could

not

be

so

fitted

until

her

extensive

overhaul

Photo

Fire

damage

in

cal

machine

gun

gallery

port

side

Picture

taken

from

about

frame

looking

forward

Photo

Charred

paint

on

bulkhead

port

gun

gallery

Archway

and

ladder

are

between

frames

and

Phomene

accumulator

at

extreme

left

SECTION

D

HISTORY

FIRST

STRIKE

AGAINST

WAKE

ISLAND

FEBRUARY

TO

THE

LANDINGS

IN

THE

SOLOMONS

AUGUST

Strikes

Against

Wake

and

Marcus

Islands

February

and

March

After

the

success

of

the

raid

on

the

Marshalls

other

strikes

were

planned

While

one

task

force

assembled

around

LEXINGTON

made

a

diversionary

attack

on

Rabaul

ENTERPRISE

accompanied

another

force

against

the

newly

established

enemy

garrison

on

Wake

Island

Extensive

damage

to

shore

installations

was

inflicted

by

a

combined

airsea

bombardment

A

brief

surprise

attack

was

next

made

on

Marcus

Island

Planes

bombed

shore

installations

before

dawn

and

then

returned

to

ENTERPRISE

which

was

already

proceeding

toward

Pearl

Harbor

During

March

alterations

including

removal

of

ten

boats

and

most

of

the

cal

machine

guns

and

the

installation

of

thirty

guns

and

additional

radar

units

were

accomplished

by

Navy

Yard

Pearl

Harbor

Bombing

of

Tokyo

April

On

April

ENTERPRISE

and

her

escort

departed

Pearl

Harbor

to

rendezvous

with

HORNET

which

had

sailed

from

San

Francisco

with

Army

spotted

on

her

flight

deck

destined

for

a

bombing

raid

on

Tokyo

ENTERPRISE

provided

search

and

combat

air

patrol

for

the

attack

on

the

Japanese

capital

Although

the

force

encountered

heavy

gales

and

was

discovered

some

miles

off

the

coast

of

Japan

the

bombers

got

away

and

were

successful

in

carrying

out

their

mission

The

ships

returned

to

Pearl

Harbor

on

April

The

Battle

of

Midway

June

ENTERPRISE

next

headed

south

to

assist

LEXINGTON

and

YORKTOWN

in

their

efforts

to

slow

the

advance

of

the

Japanese

but

arrived

too

late

to

take

part

in

the

attack

on

the

Japanese

force

at

Tulagi

May

and

the

air

battles

Battle

of

the

Coral

Sea

and

May

in

which

LEXINGTON

was

sunk

and

YORKTOWN

was

damaged

She

returned

to

Pearl

Harbor

just

in

time

to

depart

again

to

repel

the

expected

Japanese

landings

on

Midway

The

Battle

of

Midway

was

a

turning

point

in

the

Pacific

War

for

from

this

time

the

balance

of

power

in

the

Pacific

shifted

steadily

to

the

United

States

side

Three

large

forces

of

Japanese

ships

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

including

many

transports

and

cargo

vessels

supported

by

seven

carriers

eleven

battleships

about

fourteen

cruisers

and

many

destroyers

were

severely

mauled

and

driven

off

by

US

air

groups

from

two

task

groups

built

around

ENTERPRISE

HORNET

and

YORKTOWN

and

by

landbased

bombers

The

Japanese

were

completely

surprised

Four

carriers

and

one

heavy

cruiser

were

sunk

and

one

heavy

cruiser

two

destroyers

and

one

transport

were

damaged

On

June

dive

bombers

from

ENTERPRISE

and

HORNET

severely

damaged

the

four

carriers

which

later

sank

and

sank

the

heavy

cruiser

on

June

One

of

the

damaged

carriers

was

torpedoed

by

a

HAMMANN

were

lost

Landings

on

Tulagi

and

Guadalcanal

August

Following

Midway

ENTERPRISE

had

a

short

availability

at

Pearl

Harbor

during

which

the

forward

auxiliary

elevator

the

two

catapults

on

the

main

deck

and

the

remaining

cal

machine

guns

were

removed

A

antiaircraft

mount

was

added

at

the

extreme

bow

on

the

forecastle

deck

and

forward

fire

control

radar

installed

ENTERPRISE

departed

July

for

Tongatabu

the

staging

area

for

the

landing

in

the

Solomons

To

cover

the

amphibious

force

and

fire

support

groups

of

the

first

US

offensive

thrust

three

task

groups

were

formed

around

SARATOGA

WASP

and

ENTERPRISE

During

the

successful

landings

of

August

on

Tulagi

and

Guadalcanal

planes

from

the

carriers

provided

air

reconnaissance

and

tactical

bombing

They

were

unable

to

participate

however

in

the

surprise

night

engagement

of

August

fought

off

Savo

Island

during

which

three

US

cruisers

were

lost

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

SECTION

E

BOMB

DAMAGE

BATTLE

OF

THE

EASTERN

SOLOMONS

AUGUST

Diagram

showing

hits

and

near

miss

KG

BOMB

HIT

FRAME

KG

BOMB

HIT

FRAME

BOMB

HIT

FRAME

NEARMISS

BOMB

FRAME

PORT

Narrative

During

the

two

weeks

following

the

landings

in

the

lower

Solomons

the

three

carrier

task

groups

operated

to

the

southeast

of

Guadalcanal

On

August

WASPs

task

group

was

detached

leaving

SARATOGA

and

ENTERPRISE

in

the

area

The

following

day

air

contact

was

made

with

a

large

Japanese

force

of

combatant

ships

Planes

from

our

carriers

attacked

this

force

at

the

same

time

our

carriers

were

being

attacked

by

Japanese

planes

A

Japanese

carrier

a

destroyer

and

a

transport

were

sunk

enemy

planes

were

destroyed

a

small

carrier

and

a

light

cruiser

were

damaged

The

Japanese

retired

without

About

on

August

ENTERPRISE

underwent

a

heavy

fiveminute

attack

from

more

than

Japanese

divebombers

during

which

she

received

three

direct

bomb

hits

and

four

nearmisses

The

first

bomb

struck

about

two

minutes

after

the

start

of

the

attack

piercing

No

elevator

at

the

flight

deck

and

detonating

feet

below

between

the

second

and

third

decks

close

to

the

starboard

side

It

caused

extensive

though

not

serious

structural

damage

minor

flooding

disablement

of

No

elevator

and

several

stubborn

fires

Half

a

minute

later

a

second

bomb

struck

the

flight

deck

at

frame

close

Despite

the

damage

ENTERPRISE

commenced

landing

planes

within

an

hour

after

the

engagement

The

following

day

however

she

proceeded

to

Pearl

Harbor

for

repairs

escorted

by

PORTLAND

and

four

destroyers

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Structural

The

first

bomb

released

from

a

or

dive

at

an

altitude

of

about

feet

penetrated

the

forward

starboard

corner

of

No

elevator

at

frame

feet

to

starboard

of

the

centerline

Leaving

only

a

small

hole

it

continued

down

through

the

starboard

bulkhead

of

the

elevator

well

the

inboard

forward

corner

of

the

GROUP

III

gun

gallery

the

hatchway

on

the

flat

below

the

hangar

deck

at

frame

and

the

second

deck

in

to

its

point

of

detonation

between

the

second

and

third

decks

in

at

frame

feet

from

The

bomb

detonated

high

order

Its

blast

tore

large

holes

in

the

second

and

third

decks

a

by

hole

in

the

fourth

deck

and

a

by

hole

through

the

side

plating

Photos

and

The

second

deck

was

bulged

up

to

inches

over

its

entire

width

between

frames

and

and

the

third

deck

was

dished

down

more

or

less

irregularly

over

the

same

area

Photos

and

The

main

deck

was

bulged

up

symmetrically

between

frames

and

between

the

port

and

starboard

boat

pockets

to

a

Fragment

damage

was

extensive

Stiffeners

cables

ducts

and

piping

under

the

main

deck

above

the

explosion

were

riddled

though

only

a

few

fragments

perforated

the

deck

itself

Photos

and

The

second

deck

was

peppered

with

holes

and

the

third

and

fourth

decks

were

also

penetrated

A

few

fragments

pierced

the

shell

plating

in

and

Photo

Other

fragments

passed

through

bulkhead

above

the

third

deck

through

bulkhead

into

and

through

the

starboard

bulkhead

of

The

maximum

distance

traveled

by

a

fragment

was

feet

after

which

it

pierced

the

The

second

bomb

released

at

about

the

same

height

and

angle

as

the

first

pierced

the

flight

deck

at

frame

about

feet

from

the

starboard

edge

of

that

deck

and

close

to

the

starboard

edge

of

No

elevator

It

traveled

about

feet

and

detonated

high

order

about

feet

above

the

deck

of

the

GROUP

III

gun

gallery

slightly

forward

and

outboard

of

the

point

of

impact

Photos

and

The

blast

tore

a

by

hole

in

the

adjacent

starboard

bulkhead

of

elevator

trunk

and

another

about

feet

by

feet

in

the

gallery

deck

Photos

and

Instruments

on

guns

Nos

and

were

wrecked

and

the

guns

rendered

unsafe

for

use

The

ammunition

hoist

for

No

gun

was

torn

loose

and

pushed

inboard

and

the

scuttle

completely

destroyed

The

hoist

for

No

gun

was

damaged

and

disabled

The

splinter

shield

between

the

guns

was

torn

loose

at

the

bottom

and

bent

aft

Photo

and

the

sponson

shield

Fragment

attack

was

less

severe

than

from

the

first

hit

Fragments

traveled

downward

through

the

deck

of

the

gun

gallery

the

platform

deck

in

the

ready

airplane

issue

room

the

main

deck

in

and

upward

through

the

flight

deck

The

splinter

shields

and

guns

Nos

and

were

peppered

with

small

fragments

and

other

fragments

perforated

the

starboard

bulkhead

of

No

elevator

trunk

and

the

starboard

bulkhead

of

The

maximum

distance

traveled

by

a

fragment

was

about

feet

after

which

it

penetrated

medium

steel

plate

The

maximum

thickness

of

plating

pierced

was

The

third

bomb

released

from

a

dive

at

an

altitude

of

about

feet

struck

the

flight

deck

at

frame

feet

to

starboard

of

the

centerline

close

to

the

starboard

after

corner

of

No

elevator

and

detonated

instantly

Photo

Portions

of

the

nose

continued

down

through

hatch

cover

and

trunk

as

far

as

the

fourth

deck

A

hole

approximately

feet

in

diameter

was

blown

in

the

flight

deck

by

the

detonation

Photos

and

Blast

knocked

a

high

pressure

torpedo

charging

flask

from

its

bracket

on

the

hangar

deck

bulkhead

but

did

not

damage

it

The

yielding

element

of

No

arresting

gear

was

blown

overboard

Fragments

cut

or

damaged

the

purchase

cable

sheave

bracket

purchase

cable

yielding

element

control

cable

and

barrier

crossdeck

cable

of

No

arresting

gear

and

the

purchase

cables

of

Nos

and

arresting

gears

Fragments

also

pierced

hatch

cover

elements

of

No

crane

the

overhead

of

the

flight

and

hangar

decks

and

one

continued

through

the

second

deck

Although

the

bomb

detonated

almost

against

STS

plating

protecting

the

ready

torpedo

and

warhead

stowage

no

fragments

penetrated

Yet

the

STS

after

bulkhead

of

was

pierced

at

a

distance

of

feet

The

maximum

While

the

ship

was

heeled

to

starboard

in

a

left

turn

a

bomb

detonated

abreast

frame

about

feet

from

the

ships

port

side

It

had

been

released

on

the

starboard

quarter

at

a

low

angle

of

dive

about

and

at

an

altitude

of

about

feet

The

detonation

caused

general

flexural

vibration

of

the

ship

of

low

frequency

but

of

relatively

high

amplitude

The

Commanding

Officer

estimated

that

the

stern

was

lifted

bodily

or

feet

The

column

of

water

thrown

up

by

the

detonation

deformed

the

flight

deck

upward

about

inches

between

frames

and

for

feet

inboard

of

the

port

waterway

Photo

Four

of

the

flight

deck

longitudinals

were

bent

and

two

broken

planking

in

the

area

was

split

and

shredded

and

a

life

raft

secured

at

the

gallery

level

on

the

port

side

was

completely

demolished

The

force

of

the

detonation

dished

in

the

hull

between

frames

and

from

the

first

platform

to

the

main

deck

Photo

The

hangar

deck

was

bulged

upward

slightly

Two

other

confirmed

nearmiss

bombs

which

detonated

abreast

frames

and

on

the

port

side

caused

minor

fragment

damage

on

the

port

side

between

frames

and

The

structural

damage

caused

by

the

hits

and

nearmisses

did

not

seriously

reduce

the

strength

of

the

ship

girder

but

impeded

operations

The

large

hole

in

the

flight

deck

resulting

from

the

detonation

of

the

third

bomb

was

rapidly

covered

with

two

by

plates

which

were

secured

to

the

wood

deck

around

the

hole

by

penny

nails

previously

cut

short

to

a

length

of

inches

Nail

holes

had

previously

been

drilled

in

the

plate

edges

at

intervals

An

identical

plate

was

used

to

cover

the

hole

in

No

elevator

Pieces

of

Wooden

shores

were

fitted

to

support

the

main

and

second

decks

in

way

of

ruptured

stanchions

but

vibrations

at

high

speeds

loosened

the

shores

so

the

stanchions

were

partially

reestablished

by

welding

patches

over

the

holes

torn

in

the

deck

and

four

short

lengths

of

by

by

angle

to

each

stanchion

and

to

the

patched

deck

Photo

Deck

longitudinals

broken

at

their

connections

to

deck

beams

were

temporarily

strengthened

by

welding

short

sections

of

by

angle

to

the

beam

the

longitudinal

and

the

overhead

Where

the

deck

had

been

pulled

away

around

sounding

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Piping

Machinery

and

Electrical

The

principal

machinery

damage

caused

by

the

first

hit

was

disablement

of

machinery

of

No

elevator

which

put

the

elevator

out

of

commission

Both

the

low

and

the

high

pressure

accumulator

tanks

were

forced

away

from

the

starboard

bulkhead

in

the

oil

storage

tank

was

crushed

and

the

bottom

blown

out

and

motors

were

submerged

in

oil

and

salt

water

This

was

a

serious

casualty

its

repair

beyond

the

capacity

of

the

ships

force

However

since

the

elevator

was

at

the

flight

deck

level

flight

operations

were

able

to

continue

Ammunition

hoist

motor

No

in

was

knocked

from

its

mounting

and

hoists

in

and

were

bent

and

inoperable

Ventilation

blowers

and

were

wrecked

and

ventilation

ducts

in

the

damaged

spaces

rendered

useless

The

aftermost

riser

of

the

firemain

at

frame

was

ruptured

in

several

places

but

with

the

firemain

split

into

four

sections

each

with

its

own

pump

this

casualty

was

easily

isolated

The

starboard

riser

for

the

hangar

deck

water

curtain

in

bay

No

frame

was

ruptured

eight

feet

above

the

main

deck

and

damage

control

The

second

bomb

completed

the

disablement

of

No

elevator

Fragments

gouged

and

burred

the

main

plungers

destroyed

the

elevator

platform

lock

carried

away

all

electrical

leads

and

extensively

damaged

the

flight

deck

safety

rail

and

its

starboard

control

shaft

All

power

wiring

fire

control

wiring

IC

wiring

and

lighting

in

GROUP

III

gun

gallery

were

completely

destroyed

The

motor

and

solenoid

for

controlling

closure

of

the

vent

cover

on

the

steering

engine

room

exhaust

duct

were

demolished

Machinery

in

the

aviation

sheet

metal

shop

was

damaged

An

hour

and

a

half

after

the

second

bomb

hit

and

as

a

secondary

result

thereof

the

casualty

occurred

which

from

an

operational

standpoint

was

the

most

serious

of

the

whole

engagement

ENTERPRISE

was

retiring

south

from

the

battle

with

the

rest

of

the

task

force

at

knots

functioning

again

almost

normally

and

landing

aircraft

when

suddenly

the

rudder

went

hard

left

then

hard

right

and

finally

stopped

at

right

Water

and

foamite

used

to

fight

the

fire

caused

by

the

second

bomb

had

collected

in

the

exhaust

vent

trunk

leading

directly

from

the

two

steering

motor

and

smoke

personnel

on

watch

could

not

shift

to

the

undamaged

port

motor

before

collapsing

and

the

rudder

stopped

as

noted

above

A

rescue

party

made

its

way

to

the

space

and

put

the

port

motor

in

operation

restoring

steering

minutes

after

it

had

been

lost

The

third

bomb

disabled

No

elevator

leaving

only

No

elevator

able

to

handle

aircraft

The

platform

lock

control

shaft

including

the

bevel

gears

was

carried

away

for

about

feet

along

the

starboard

after

side

of

the

transverse

hatch

girder

the

flight

deck

safety

rail

and

two

stanchions

were

badly

damaged

hydraulic

and

air

lines

to

the

main

elevator

platform

lock

power

unit

were

ruptured

or

crushed

and

elevator

control

cables

and

electrical

leads

to

the

after

safety

rail

control

motor

were

carried

away

Both

elevator

plungers

were

scored

and

burred

by

fragments

the

largest

score

being

The

nearmiss

on

the

port

quarter

caused

considerable

leakage

through

the

stern

tube

glands

of

Nos

and

shafts

Two

blades

of

No

propeller

and

all

three

blades

of

No

propeller

had

edges

curled

aft

by

the

detonation

Degaussing

cable

Q

and

M

coils

fitted

externally

on

the

sheer

strake

were

torn

loose

from

their

supports

for

a

length

of

feet

on

the

port

quarter

but

were

not

broken

Fragments

from

the

other

nearmisses

punctured

the

M

and

F

degaussing

coils

in

numerous

places

in

way

of

frame

port

and

starboard

pierced

sections

of

the

gasoline

line

at

hangar

and

flight

deck

levels

between

frames

and

port

and

carried

away

the

auxiliary

radio

antenna

on

the

port

side

at

frame

Flooding

and

Flooding

Control

Measures

The

shell

was

opened

in

way

of

the

waterline

by

the

detonation

and

fragments

from

the

first

bomb

hit

As

a

result

was

completely

flooded

and

partially

flooded

A

small

hole

in

the

forward

bulkhead

of

permitted

to

flood

to

a

depth

of

about

one

foot

on

the

starboard

side

The

addition

of

this

water

caused

a

list

of

approximately

to

starboard

Trim

aft

was

increased

by

inches

The

increase

of

mean

draft

was

negligible

Drafts

Forward

Aft

Before

damage

feet

inches

feet

inches

After

damage

feet

inches

feet

inches

These

drafts

do

not

quite

check

with

the

ships

estimate

of

tons

of

flooding

water

but

may

have

been

incorrectly

read

Measures

were

taken

immediately

to

remove

the

list

by

pumping

out

approximately

gallons

tons

of

sea

water

from

each

of

the

following

starboard

tanks

and

and

flooding

the

following

port

tanks

with

gallons

each

and

Spaces

adjacent

were

found

to

be

tight

so

the

outboard

bulkheads

of

and

were

shored

Flooding

through

the

holes

in

and

was

stopped

by

constructing

a

cofferdam

between

frames

and

from

the

third

deck

down

to

the

shell

The

cofferdam

was

constructed

of

by

planking

set

Fire

and

Firefighting

The

first

bomb

started

a

smoldering

fire

in

protective

clothing

and

gas

masks

in

GROUP

III

gun

gallery

as

it

passed

through

This

fire

was

absorbed

in

the

general

conflagration

on

the

gallery

deck

which

resulted

from

the

second

hit

Detonation

and

fragments

from

the

first

bomb

started

a

serious

Class

A

fire

in

bedding

and

personal

effects

in

living

compartments

and

Dense

smoke

completely

filled

these

compartments

There

was

little

paint

on

bulkheads

and

overheads

to

support

the

conflagration

Dense

smoke

wreckage

and

damage

to

the

firemain

hindered

firefighting

personnel

The

ventilation

supply

system

was

started

in

the

undamaged

area

forward

on

the

second

and

third

decks

portable

ventilation

sets

were

set

up

and

doors

and

hatches

were

opened

to

the

hangar

deck

in

an

effort

to

clear

the

smoke

and

give

access

to

the

firefighters

Gas

masks

were

found

to

give

relief

from

the

smoke

for

short

periods

At

first

firemain

valves

and

were

closed

to

segregate

the

damaged

section

but

when

the

damage

was

found

to

be

in

the

riser

aft

of

frame

Detonation

of

the

second

bomb

in

the

gun

gallery

caused

the

immediate

ignition

of

about

rounds

of

cal

ready

service

powder

Heavy

weather

and

protective

clothing

gas

masks

rubber

matting

on

the

deck

and

paint

on

the

guns

contributed

additional

combustible

material

Since

all

personnel

in

the

gun

gallery

were

killed

the

fire

was

fought

by

repair

parties

from

the

flight

deck

Photo

Water

foam

and

CO

were

used

to

bring

this

fire

under

control

in

about

minutes

As

soon

as

conditions

permitted

all

remaining

powder

and

projectiles

from

the

gallery

were

jettisoned

The

fire

spread

from

the

blasted

gun

gallery

to

airplane

accessories

flight

clothing

rubber

lungs

etc

in

airplane

issue

room

immediately

below

This

fire

smoldered

and

broke

out

periodically

for

eight

hours

In

minor

fires

occurred

and

were

quickly

extinguished

among

rubber

hose

bedding

electric

cables

in

the

paint

on

the

overhead

and

in

some

small

pieces

of

wood

in

the

port

forward

corner

of

the

elevator

pit

A

small

fire

which

was

extinguished

by

water

and

CO

was

ignited

in

the

port

after

corner

of

by

fragments

from

the

third

bomb

detonation

Japanese

Bombs

The

Commanding

Officer

estimated

the

hits

to

be

from

bombs

as

follows

Weight

in

Pounds

Diameter

Kind

Impact

to

Detonation

Detonation

Fragments

Recovered

Smoke

Hit

In

AP

Ft

High

Order

In

Yellowish

Hit

In

GP

Ft

High

Order

In

Not

Noxious

Hit

Low

Order

In

Nose

White

NearMiss

on

Port

Quarter

High

Order

The

holes

left

by

the

first

bomb

as

it

passed

through

the

elevator

and

main

deck

indicate

that

the

diameter

was

approximately

inches

Photos

and

Therefore

this

bomb

was

probably

a

Kg

Type

No

Ordinary

bomb

US

Navy

Bomb

Disposal

School

designation

Kg

SAP

which

corresponds

approximately

in

size

and

charge

weight

with

the

US

GP

bomb

The

extent

of

damage

was

consistent

with

the

amount

of

explosive

carried

in

a

Kg

bomb

and

fragmentation

was

exceptionally

good

From

the

small

amount

of

evidence

available

it

is

estimated

that

the

second

hit

and

the

severe

nearmiss

under

the

port

quarter

were

also

Kg

Ordinary

bombs

The

second

bomb

detonated

in

an

unconfined

space

which

would

account

for

the

lesser

damage

as

compared

with

that

of

the

first

bomb

The

comparatively

light

damage

and

the

recovery

of

large

fragments

some

inches

in

diameter

and

segments

of

the

nose

of

the

third

bomb

indicate

that

it

detonated

low

order

It

too

was

probably

a

Kg

Ordinary

bomb

Conclusion

The

campaign

to

scrape

all

paint

from

bulkheads

overheads

and

decks

inside

the

ship

which

was

almost

completed

in

the

section

affected

by

the

first

hit

reduced

the

extent

of

the

fires

Dispersal

of

repair

party

personnel

and

equipment

and

detailing

special

firefighters

to

operate

CO

systems

in

paint

alcohol

and

pyrotechnic

lockers

led

to

prompt

action

in

combatting

fires

and

repairing

damage

The

skill

shown

by

personnel

of

ENTERPRISE

in

coping

with

serious

damage

and

controlling

fires

and

flooding

attests

to

the

serious

attention

given

to

careful

preparation

of

equipment

to

study

of

war

damage

to

LEXINGTON

and

YORKTOWN

and

the

recommendations

of

the

special

Damage

Control

Board

of

Inspection

made

in

December

and

to

regular

damage

control

drills

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

Photo

First

hit

Bomb

entry

hole

at

forward

starboard

corner

of

after

elevator

frame

looking

forward

and

to

starboard

Bomb

exploded

between

second

and

third

decks

Photo

First

hit

Pathway

of

bomb

from

gallery

deck

through

bulkhead

and

main

deck

Just

to

starboard

of

forward

side

of

after

elevator

pit

Photo

First

hit

Looking

aft

and

upward

from

compartment

through

bomb

passage

hole

in

main

deck

to

bomb

passage

hole

in

bulkhead

between

the

main

and

gallery

decks

Photo

First

hit

Bomb

hole

in

second

deck

compartment

Note

fragment

holes

Photo

First

hit

Compartment

starboard

after

corner

looking

outboard

Note

bomb

hole

in

third

deck

and

shoring

and

mattresses

used

to

stop

leak

in

shell

just

below

the

fourth

deck

Photo

First

hit

Hole

blown

in

shell

just

below

fourth

deck

showing

wire

mesh

and

mattresses

used

to

stop

rapid

influx

of

water

Photo

First

hit

Compartment

looking

aft

showing

starboard

bulkhead

of

elevator

pump

room

dished

in

to

port

third

deck

dished

down

and

second

deck

dished

up

Photo

First

hit

Compartment

looking

forward

showing

deflection

of

third

deck

Photo

First

hit

View

of

port

after

corner

of

Note

bulge

in

overhead

and

temporary

angles

welded

between

stanchion

and

third

deck

Photo

First

hit

View

forward

across

No

elevator

pit

showing

bulge

in

main

deck

Photo

Second

hit

Fighting

fire

in

the

Group

III

gun

gallery

Photo

Second

hit

Group

III

gun

gallery

showing

bulge

in

flight

deck

above

guns

caused

by

bomb

explosion

and

ammunition

blast

Photo

Second

hit

Entrance

hole

in

flight

deck

made

by

bomb

Photo

Second

hit

Damage

to

STS

shield

between

Nos

and

guns

Photo

Second

hit

View

of

Group

III

gun

gallery

looking

forward

showing

damage

in

gallery

deck

and

inboard

bulkhead

by

explosion

of

bomb

and

burning

of

readyservice

ammunition

Photo

Second

hit

Looking

outboard

from

No

elevator

trunk

through

hole

blown

in

inboard

bulkhead

of

Group

III

gun

gallery

by

explosion

of

bomb

and

burning

of

readyservice

ammunition

Photo

Third

hit

View

of

flight

deck

showing

bomb

hole

near

after

starboard

corner

of

No

elevator

Photo

Third

hit

Closeup

of

bomb

hole

in

flight

deck

Photo

Nearmiss

View

of

counter

showing

nearmiss

damage

Note

near

rupture

of

shell

in

way

of

third

deck

and

degaussing

cable

clips

sheared

from

shell

Photo

Nearmiss

Damage

to

extreme

after

port

corner

of

flight

deck

caused

by

water

column

from

the

nearmiss

SECTION

F

BOMB

DAMAGE

BATTLE

OF

SANTA

CRUZ

OCTOBER

Diagram

showing

bomb

hits

and

near

misses

KG

BOMB

HIT

FRAME

KG

BOMB

HIT

FRAME

NEARMISS

KG

BOMB

FRAME

STBD

NEARMISS

KG

BOMB

FRAME

STBD

Narrative

After

leaving

the

Solomons

on

August

ENTERPRISE

proceeded

via

Tongatabu

to

Pearl

Harbor

docking

immediately

upon

her

arrival

on

September

She

was

undocked

three

days

later

and

repairs

were

completed

by

October

Besides

battle

damage

repairs

some

outstanding

ShipAlts

including

installation

of

twelve

additional

guns

replacement

of

four

mounts

with

four

quadruple

mounts

and

installation

of

a

search

radar

were

accomplished

Damage

to

SARATOGA

on

August

and

loss

of

WASP

on

September

both

from

submarine

torpedoes

had

reduced

the

number

of

carriers

available

in

the

South

Pacific

to

one

HORNET

After

hastily

replenishing

her

stores

and

training

a

new

flight

group

ENTERPRISE

departed

Pearl

Harbor

for

the

South

Pacific

with

her

escort

plus

the

new

battleship

SOUTH

DAKOTA

on

October

On

October

she

joined

HORNETs

task

force

northwest

of

the

New

Hebrides

Islands

In

the

meantime

despite

the

victory

of

the

Battle

of

Cape

Esperance

on

the

night

of

October

the

support

for

US

troops

on

Guadalcanal

was

not

proceeding

well

The

Japanese

were

preparing

a

largescale

land

and

sea

offensive

to

drive

the

Americans

out

of

the

Solomons

with

a

force

which

included

four

carriers

four

battleships

nine

cruisers

and

a

large

number

of

smaller

ships

The

US

task

force

ready

to

repel

them

was

barely

half

as

large

with

only

two

carriers

one

battleship

six

cruisers

and

fourteen

destroyers

Air

reconnaissance

made

initial

contact

with

elements

of

the

Japanese

force

about

noon

October

The

Battle

of

Santa

Cruz

took

place

the

following

day

without

contact

being

made

at

any

time

between

surface

ships

of

the

opposing

forces

During

the

course

of

the

battle

planes

from

the

Japanese

carriers

made

at

least

eight

separate

attacks

on

the

US

ships

damaging

both

carriers

the

battleship

one

light

cruiser

and

two

destroyers

at

a

cost

of

about

planes

HORNET

and

PORTER

were

so

extensively

damaged

that

they

were

abandoned

and

sunk

by

our

own

force

ENTERPRISE

was

damaged

by

two

bomb

hits

and

two

nearmisses

Three

waves

of

aircraft

from

HORNET

and

ENTERPRISE

succeeded

in

damaging

two

of

the

Japanese

carriers

a

heavy

cruiser

and

two

destroyers

with

the

loss

of

planes

of

them

in

combat

Although

the

costly

Battle

of

Santa

Cruz

appeared

of

dubious

value

to

our

cause

aircraft

losses

and

damage

inflicted

on

the

enemys

carriers

prevented

him

from

providing

effective

air

cover

in

the

decisive

Battle

of

Guadalcanal

November

Between

and

on

October

ENTERPRISE

was

attacked

by

dive

bombers

which

succeeded

in

making

two

direct

hits

and

two

damaging

nearmisses

The

first

bomb

struck

the

flight

deck

at

frame

port

side

passed

down

and

out

through

the

ships

side

and

detonated

in

the

air

off

the

port

bow

It

produced

heavy

fragment

damage

and

started

two

small

fires

The

second

bomb

struck

at

frame

on

the

port

side

of

the

flight

deck

and

broke

up

below

part

detonating

on

the

hangar

deck

and

part

on

the

third

deck

in

the

forward

repair

Despite

the

crippling

damage

to

No

elevator

ENTERPRISE

continued

in

action

and

landed

a

large

number

of

planes

from

the

abandoned

HORNET

as

well

as

her

own

With

the

hangar

deck

full

and

planes

parked

on

the

flight

deck

as

far

aft

as

No

elevator

aircraft

continued

to

land

successfully

The

following

day

ENTERPRISE

proceeded

south

toward

Noumea

for

repairs

arriving

October

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Structural

The

first

bomb

released

by

a

dive

bomber

at

an

angle

of

and

a

height

of

about

feet

pierced

the

flight

deck

at

frame

feet

to

port

of

the

centerline

Photo

passed

through

the

transverse

bent

at

frame

tumbled

down

through

the

forecastle

deck

just

inboard

of

the

port

bitts

about

feet

forward

of

the

forward

perpendicular

Photo

and

exited

feet

farther

forward

through

the

port

shell

above

the

main

deck

tearing

two

of

the

externallyfitted

degaussing

cables

Photo

This

bomb

detonated

high

order

about

feet

below

the

forecastle

deck

close

to

the

port

bow

Blast

effect

on

the

ship

was

negligible

but

the

fragment

attack

was

heavy

About

fragment

holes

were

made

varying

in

diameter

from

inch

to

inches

the

majority

being

small

Fragments

perforated

the

ships

side

in

and

some

continuing

out

through

the

starboard

side

Photo

Other

fragments

traveled

upward

through

the

port

edge

of

the

forecastle

deck

the

splinter

shield

of

the

director

and

the

flight

deck

The

maximum

distance

traveled

by

a

fragment

was

about

feet

after

which

it

pierced

the

flight

deck

plating

the

maximum

thickness

of

plating

penetrated

was

the

medium

steel

stem

plate

in

way

of

the

second

deck

at

a

distance

of

feet

The

second

bomb

released

from

approximately

feet

in

a

dive

pierced

the

flight

deck

at

frame

feet

to

port

of

the

centerline

leaving

a

diameter

hole

struck

the

lower

flange

of

the

transverse

bent

at

frame

and

broke

in

two

Photo

The

conical

tail

section

sheared

away

from

the

cylindrical

body

and

hit

the

hangar

deck

feet

to

starboard

of

the

centerline

at

frame

tearing

a

by

hole

and

detonated

Photo

The

nose

and

body

section

pierced

the

hangar

deck

on

the

centerline

at

frame

making

The

detonation

of

the

main

portion

of

the

bomb

caused

extensive

blast

damage

on

the

third

deck

in

and

Photo

and

on

the

second

deck

in

and

Above

the

third

deck

bulkhead

was

deflected

forward

and

bulkhead

aft

Watertight

doors

and

open

during

the

attack

were

damaged

and

watertight

door

which

was

closed

was

blown

off

and

wrecked

The

third

deck

in

was

wrinkled

The

second

deck

was

deflected

upward

unevenly

a

distance

of

to

inches

above

and

pulling

up

Fragments

traveled

downward

from

the

point

of

detonation

of

the

nose

and

body

of

the

bomb

through

the

deck

of

and

hatch

Hatch

was

pierced

at

the

edge

by

a

fragment

destroying

the

watertight

integrity

Fragments

flew

sideward

in

all

directions

but

penetrated

upward

through

the

second

deck

Fragments

from

the

tail

section

penetrated

downward

through

the

second

deck

sideward

through

the

starboard

bulkhead

of

No

elevator

trunk

slightly

gouging

and

burring

the

elevator

plungers

and

through

doors

and

Other

fragments

traveled

upward

and

through

the

flight

deck

and

No

elevator

The

first

damaging

nearmiss

occurred

when

a

bomb

detonated

about

feet

below

the

waterline

feet

outboard

of

the

starboard

shell

opposite

frame

Shock

to

the

ship

was

moderate

and

a

general

flexural

vibration

of

low

frequency

occurred

of

an

amplitude

estimated

by

the

Commanding

Officer

as

feet

The

shell

was

opened

by

rivet

failure

along

the

seam

between

G

and

H

strakes

between

frames

and

and

also

at

the

upper

seam

of

H

strake

between

frames

and

Photo

Tanks

and

were

opened

to

the

sea

Plating

was

deflected

inward

generally

over

an

area

about

feet

by

feet

between

frames

and

from

the

upper

edge

of

the

armor

belt

at

the

fourth

deck

almost

to

the

bilge

keel

Maximum

deformation

was

about

inches

at

the

lower

edge

of

H

strake

Evidently

the

lap

seam

During

the

third

attack

of

the

day

ENTERPRISE

was

heeled

to

port

in

a

hard

right

turn

when

the

second

damaging

nearmiss

a

bomb

released

from

a

Japanese

plane

in

a

dive

glanced

off

the

starboard

side

at

the

waterline

frame

It

detonated

about

feet

below

the

waterline

and

feet

outboard

of

the

starboard

shell

opposite

frame

Shock

was

moderate

causing

a

general

flexural

vibration

of

low

frequency

with

an

estimated

amplitude

of

one

foot

The

shell

plating

was

deflected

inward

over

a

roughly

elliptical

area

about

feet

by

feet

between

frames

and

from

the

first

platform

level

to

the

keel

The

maximum

indentation

was

about

feet

at

frame

above

and

below

the

lower

longitudinal

behind

F

strake

Photos

and

Four

small

cracks

circled

in

Photo

were

torn

in

the

shell

by

the

buckling

of

frames

and

longitudinals

which

pulled

away

from

the

plating

One

crack

occurred

at

the

juncture

of

bulkhead

and

watertight

longitudinal

opening

up

adjoining

compartments

and

The

weakened

structure

showed

signs

of

panting

with

the

ship

underway

so

temporary

shoring

was

installed

in

to

strengthen

the

first

platform

over

and

and

the

inboard

bulkheads

of

and

There

was

no

penetration

of

structure

by

fragments

Several

other

bombs

detonated

close

enough

to

the

ship

to

throw

geysers

of

water

on

the

side

The

only

damage

noted

however

was

a

pattern

of

small

fragment

holes

in

the

hangar

curtain

at

frame

on

the

port

side

probably

resulting

from

a

nearmiss

off

frame

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Piping

Machinery

and

Electrical

The

M

and

F

loops

of

the

degaussing

cables

externally

fitted

on

the

port

bow

were

cut

by

the

first

hit

as

it

passed

out

through

the

shell

and

by

fragments

About

lighting

cables

located

on

the

forecastle

forward

of

frame

were

also

cut

by

fragments

No

radio

direction

finder

loop

on

the

port

catwalk

forward

was

knocked

over

the

side

and

the

receiver

and

power

pack

were

wrenched

loose

from

the

bulkhead

of

the

direction

finder

room

As

a

result

of

the

second

hit

firemain

risers

were

carried

away

at

frame

port

and

starboard

in

and

on

the

port

side

in

The

main

had

been

segregated

at

frame

port

and

starboard

prior

to

the

action

creating

separate

sections

Ventilation

blower

was

damaged

its

control

panel

destroyed

and

motor

shaft

bent

and

all

ventilation

ducts

in

the

blasted

areas

were

demolished

There

were

about

gouges

and

burrs

on

the

main

elevator

plungers

the

largest

being

about

inch

long

inch

wide

and

inch

deep

in

the

starboard

plunger

The

starboard

pitch

and

roll

guide

and

gear

rack

were

also

slightly

gouged

Remote

control

and

telephone

cables

for

GROUP

I

battery

all

power

lighting

fire

control

and

IC

cables

in

and

and

many

cables

in

and

were

cut

Controllers

for

two

sprinkling

valves

were

damaged

several

power

panels

destroyed

and

two

ammunition

hoist

motors

were

torn

loose

from

their

foundations

in

The

flooding

and

sprinkling

remote

control

station

in

and

auxiliary

Battle

Dressing

Station

II

were

destroyed

Vacuum

tubes

were

shattered

and

leads

broken

by

shock

in

all

transmitters

in

Radio

II

The

most

serious

damage

from

the

shock

of

the

first

nearmiss

bomb

detonation

was

a

crack

which

occurred

in

the

after

bearing

pedestal

of

No

HP

turbine

The

pedestal

was

cast

iron

and

formed

an

integral

part

of

the

after

lower

section

of

the

turbine

casing

The

crack

extended

fore

and

aft

on

the

inboard

side

just

above

the

fillet

to

the

lower

flange

of

the

pedestal

The

cracked

pedestal

was

repaired

temporarily

by

securing

an

angle

support

built

up

of

a

plate

vertical

leg

plate

horizontal

leg

and

plate

gussets

to

the

foot

and

vertical

webb

of

the

pedestal

which

were

ground

to

make

a

neat

fit

The

horizontal

leg

of

the

angle

support

was

secured

by

extra

long

bolts

passing

through

the

foot

of

the

pedestal

and

the

vertical

leg

of

the

angle

was

secured

to

the

webb

of

the

pedestal

by

eight

bodybound

bolts

and

one

cap

screw

In

addition

to

the

cracked

pedestal

and

also

as

a

result

of

the

shock

of

the

first

nearmiss

the

forward

and

after

gyros

spilled

a

small

quantity

of

mercury

the

foremast

was

rotated

in

its

socket

throwing

the

SG

radar

wave

guide

out

of

alignment

the

YE

homing

antenna

drive

shaft

was

disabled

an

overboard

flushing

line

was

cracked

at

frame

in

and

fourteen

fuel

oil

tank

level

gauges

were

broken

Shock

of

the

second

nearmiss

threw

No

elevator

pump

and

motor

off

their

foundation

in

and

bent

the

drive

shaft

This

together

with

damage

from

the

second

hit

effectively

disabled

the

elevator

In

addition

some

lengths

of

high

pressure

hydraulic

piping

were

distorted

and

ruptured

the

secondary

drain

pump

in

was

thrown

off

its

foundation

and

broken

and

overboard

piping

and

valves

from

the

pump

were

ruptured

Two

fresh

water

pumps

were

damaged

Flooding

and

Flooding

Control

Measures

Peak

tank

was

flooded

by

seas

coming

in

through

fragment

holes

from

the

first

bomb

hit

in

way

of

and

above

the

waterline

No

attempt

was

made

to

control

this

flooding

until

ENTERPRISE

returned

to

port

The

tank

was

then

pumped

out

with

submersible

pumps

and

the

holes

were

patched

Flooding

after

the

second

hit

came

from

the

broken

firemains

in

and

Firemain

valves

and

were

closed

to

stop

flooding

from

ruptured

risers

at

frame

after

it

was

found

that

remote

controls

for

root

valves

in

the

risers

were

inoperable

and

the

valves

were

inaccessible

because

of

feet

of

flood

water

in

and

were

flooded

to

a

depth

of

two

feet

from

through

holes

in

the

third

deck

opened

by

the

pulling

up

of

stanchions

A

small

amount

of

water

ran

down

ventilation

duct

outlets

located

just

above

the

The

four

rows

of

wing

tanks

in

way

of

the

first

nearmiss

were

generally

empty

except

for

tanks

in

the

second

row

between

torpedo

bulkheads

and

which

were

about

threequarters

full

of

fuel

oil

Three

outboard

tanks

and

were

holed

by

the

detonation

and

flooded

to

the

waterline

and

flooded

immediately

flooded

more

slowly

at

about

gallons

per

hour

and

was

controlled

with

pumps

A

list

of

to

starboard

resulted

from

the

flooding

Tank

relief

valves

in

compartments

and

above

the

flooded

tanks

were

gagged

to

prevent

progressive

flooding

The

list

was

removed

by

partially

counterflooding

six

diagonally

opposite

forward

tanks

and

Although

no

explanation

was

given

for

not

completely

flooding

two

or

three

of

these

tanks

it

is

possible

they

were

already

partially

full

Compartment

flooded

completely

and

compartments

and

flooded

to

a

depth

of

feet

in

about

hours

through

small

cracks

in

the

hull

opened

by

the

second

nearmiss

flooded

to

the

fourth

deck

through

ruptured

drainage

piping

and

through

the

overflow

pipes

from

fresh

water

tanks

and

Very

slow

flooding

occurred

in

these

three

tanks

through

cracked

plating

and

bulkheads

also

flooded

to

a

depth

of

almost

six

feet

The

slow

flooding

resulting

from

the

second

nearmiss

could

not

be

controlled

by

the

ships

pumps

because

the

drainage

pump

in

was

disabled

and

subsequently

submerged

and

severed

power

leads

in

the

vicinity

of

frame

cut

by

the

second

bomb

hit

prevented

the

use

of

electric

submersible

pumps

until

casualty

power

leads

could

be

rigged

Drafts

resulting

from

the

flooding

and

counterflooding

were

approximately

feet

forward

and

feet

aft

Drafts

prior

to

the

action

were

approximately

feet

forward

and

feet

aft

Fire

and

Firefighting

Heat

generated

as

the

first

bomb

pierced

the

flight

deck

set

fire

to

planking

in

way

of

the

hole

A

plane

parked

nearby

caught

fire

and

leaked

gasoline

which

burned

on

the

deck

Passage

of

the

bomb

also

set

fire

to

some

rags

bunting

and

small

cordage

in

The

burning

plane

was

pushed

over

the

bow

and

the

small

fires

quickly

extinguished

Several

fires

resulted

from

the

twofold

detonation

of

the

second

bomb

Three

planes

triced

up

in

the

overhead

and

one

plane

on

the

hangar

deck

near

frame

were

ignited

by

hot

fragments

or

flash

from

the

detonation

of

the

tail

section

These

fires

were

quickly

extinguished

by

the

sprinkling

system

which

was

turned

on

immediately

in

the

forward

end

of

the

hangar

Fires

in

bedding

office

files

etc

in

started

by

hot

fragments

also

were

extinguished

without

difficulty

A

small

fire

started

in

protective

clothing

and

personal

effects

in

from

detonation

of

the

main

portion

of

the

second

bomb

This

fire

was

extinguished

by

water

from

the

ruptured

firemain

riser

at

frame

on

the

port

side

of

the

compartment

The

only

serious

fire

a

combination

electrical

and

Class

A

fire

occurred

in

Dense

smoke

filled

the

compartment

and

hampered

firefighters

but

was

partially

cleared

by

turning

on

the

supply

ventilation

in

and

M

The

fire

was

brought

under

control

within

an

hour

by

water

and

CO

Japanese

Bombs

Recognizable

fragments

of

the

second

bomb

were

recovered

including

several

pieces

of

the

tail

fuze

small

pieces

of

the

nose

fuze

pieces

of

the

nose

body

and

conical

tail

and

one

tail

strut

With

these

the

bomb

was

identified

as

a

Kg

No

Land

bomb

which

corresponds

approximately

with

the

US

GP

type

The

conical

tail

section

was

secured

by

a

row

of

screws

to

a

collar

which

in

turn

was

riveted

to

the

cylindrical

body

This

weak

connection

later

corrected

by

the

Japanese

probably

caused

the

rupture

of

the

bomb

The

tail

cone

containing

about

Although

no

conclusive

evidence

exists

for

identifying

the

other

three

bombs

it

is

believed

that

they

were

of

the

same

type

and

size

The

first

bomb

detonated

high

order

judging

by

the

excellence

of

the

fragment

attack

which

was

however

of

a

different

character

than

that

of

the

first

bomb

hit

on

August

The

size

of

the

holes

left

in

the

ships

structure

by

the

passage

of

the

bomb

indicates

a

diameter

of

about

inches

The

two

nearmiss

bombs

which

struck

close

to

the

starboard

side

also

evidently

detonated

high

order

As

experience

has

often

indicated

the

Conclusion

Again

as

during

the

Battle

of

the

Eastern

Solomons

the

excellent

damage

control

organization

of

ENTERPRISE

prevented

fires

from

getting

out

of

hand

and

enabled

the

ship

to

continue

in

the

battle

as

an

almost

normal

fighting

unit

Measures

taken

to

train

the

crew

and

to

strip

the

ship

of

all

inflammable

material

had

been

continued

at

an

accelerated

pace

Linoleum

and

paint

were

being

removed

wooden

articles

overstuffed

furniture

and

transoms

had

been

put

ashore

office

files

libraries

and

publications

had

been

reduced

to

a

minimum

and

a

policy

of

keeping

only

one

weeks

supply

of

inflammable

materials

As

in

the

action

of

August

flooding

of

watertight

compartments

through

piping

ventilation

ducts

etc

occurred

Firefighting

water

found

its

way

down

ventilation

ducts

into

some

of

the

magazines

and

elevator

pump

room

flooded

partly

through

relief

valves

in

overflow

pipes

from

the

three

fresh

water

tanks

forward

In

way

of

the

nearmiss

aft

however

tank

relief

valves

were

accessible

and

were

gagged

by

the

ships

force

to

prevent

progressive

flooding

in

spaces

above

those

opened

to

direct

flooding

Flooding

resulting

from

the

two

nearmisses

probably

could

have

been

avoided

had

the

outboard

spaces

been

full

of

water

instead

of

empty

The

crack

sustained

by

the

after

bearing

pedestal

of

No

HP

turbine

casing

from

the

shock

of

the

first

nearmiss

again

demonstrated

the

poor

shock

resisting

qualities

of

cast

iron

During

the

ships

availability

in

the

summer

of

this

pedestal

casting

was

replaced

with

one

made

of

cast

steel

It

was

decided

however

not

to

replace

the

undamaged

cast

iron

pedestals

of

the

other

turbines

It

is

therefore

of

particular

interest

to

note

that

the

casualty

occurred

again

on

April

on

No

HP

turbine

as

a

result

of

an

underwater

detonation

Photo

First

hit

View

of

bomb

entry

hole

in

flight

deck

Photo

First

hit

Bomb

passage

hole

in

port

side

of

forecastle

deck

Photo

First

hit

Bomb

exit

hole

in

way

of

degaussing

cables

and

fragment

holes

on

port

bow

Photo

First

hit

Fragment

holes

on

port

bow

Fragment

exit

holes

circled

on

starboard

bow

Photo

Second

hit

View

from

hangar

deck

showing

bomb

entry

hole

in

flight

deck

and

point

of

impact

on

transverse

bent

at

frame

Photo

Second

hit

Hangar

deck

at

hatch

looking

aft

Main

portion

of

bomb

passed

through

deck

aft

of

hatch

on

centerline

Tail

portion

struck

and

detonated

on

starboard

side

of

hatch

Photo

Second

hit

Hatch

on

second

deck

looking

forward

Main

portion

of

bomb

passed

through

hatch

to

Fragment

holes

are

from

detonation

of

tail

portion

at

main

deck

above

Photo

Second

hit

Third

deck

near

point

of

detonation

of

main

portion

of

bomb

in

Photo

Second

hit

Blast

effect

in

starboard

side

looking

aft

Stanchion

in

center

is

at

frame

Photo

Second

hit

Blast

effect

in

showing

lifting

of

main

deck

and

tearing

of

bulkhead

Photo

First

nearmiss

Starboard

side

frames

in

way

of

detonation

Note

wooden

plugs

driven

into

rivet

holes

by

divers

Photo

First

nearmiss

Looking

aft

and

outboard

to

frame

and

shell

in

tank

Note

sharp

bends

in

shell

at

seam

between

G

and

H

strakes

Photo

First

nearmiss

Looking

aft

to

bulkhead

frame

in

tank

Note

deep

wrinkles

in

bulkhead

plating

Photo

First

nearmiss

Looking

forward

and

outboard

in

tank

showing

distorted

stiffeners

on

bulkhead

Photo

First

nearmiss

Tank

looking

aft

and

up

to

armor

deck

Photo

First

nearmiss

Tank

looking

forward

and

outboard

to

shell

and

upper

portion

of

bulkhead

Photo

Second

nearmiss

View

of

damage

to

shell

frames

starboard

Photo

Second

nearmiss

View

of

damage

to

shell

with

small

cracks

in

plating

circled

Photo

Second

nearmiss

Tank

looking

forward

and

outboard

to

shell

and

swash

bulkhead

Photo

Second

nearmiss

Tank

looking

down

and

aft

on

forward

side

of

bulkhead

Photo

Second

nearmiss

Tank

looking

forward

and

down

to

swash

bulkhead

Photo

Second

nearmiss

Tank

looking

down

and

forward

between

frames

and

Note

break

in

frame

Photo

Second

nearmiss

Looking

down

into

tank

Photo

Second

nearmiss

Deflected

inner

bottom

plating

in

looking

forward

on

starboard

side

CONFIDENTIAL

SECTION

G

HISTORY

OCTOBER

TO

MARCH

The

Battle

of

Guadalcanal

November

In

Noumea

shipfitters

and

machinists

from

VESTAL

a

construction

battalion

and

the

ships

force

worked

continuously

to

repair

damage

incurred

in

the

Battle

of

Santa

Cruz

Work

was

not

completed

on

November

however

when

ENTERPRISE

was

ordered

to

proceed

to

Guadalcanal

The

Japanese

had

assembled

a

large

force

with

which

to

make

a

last

supreme

effort

to

drive

the

US

forces

from

Guadalcanal

It

was

essential

to

reinforce

our

troops

and

destroy

the

Japanese

force

ENTERPRISEs

planes

operating

from

Henderson

Field

gave

air

support

to

US

ground

forces

on

Guadalcanal

and

made

strikes

against

the

Japanese

Fleet

in

the

battle

which

culminated

in

the

defeat

of

a

superior

Japanese

force

by

two

US

battleships

and

escorting

destroyers

in

the

night

surface

engagement

of

November

and

the

full

retreat

of

the

remnants

of

the

Japanese

Fleet

on

November

Unremitting

repair

work

on

ENTERPRISE

succeeded

in

readying

the

forward

elevator

for

testing

at

the

height

of

the

battle

However

because

of

the

possibility

that

it

might

not

come

up

again

after

being

lowered

the

tests

were

postponed

and

ENTERPRISE

completed

her

part

in

the

engagement

with

only

two

elevators

operating

After

her

return

to

Noumea

on

November

work

was

continued

although

no

effort

was

made

to

repair

the

damage

caused

by

the

two

nearmisses

received

on

October

beyond

restoring

watertight

integrity

and

stiffening

weakened

frames

forward

as

extended

drydocking

would

have

been

required

Canvas

partitions

sufficed

Winter

and

Spring

From

December

until

May

ENTERPRISE

operated

out

of

Espiritu

Santo

spending

a

relatively

quiet

time

in

port

with

occasional

sorties

for

patrol

submarine

hunting

or

training

duties

The

only

action

occurred

at

the

end

of

January

when

her

planes

provided

air

cover

for

CHICAGO

which

had

been

damaged

by

Japanese

bombers

and

torpedo

planes

in

the

evening

of

January

Unfortunately

a

force

of

or

Japanese

torpedo

planes

intercepted

in

a

projected

attack

on

ENTERPRISE

succeeded

in

hitting

CHICAGO

with

four

additional

torpedoes

which

sank

her

The

enemy

planes

were

all

shot

down

subsequently

by

AA

fire

and

fighter

planes

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

ENTERPRISE

sailed

for

Pearl

Harbor

on

May

where

she

was

drydocked

from

to

May

for

the

repair

of

the

underwater

damage

suffered

in

the

Battle

of

Santa

Cruz

On

May

Admiral

Nimitz

presented

the

award

of

the

Presidential

Unit

Citation

to

ENTERPRISE

the

first

carrier

to

receive

this

distinction

Overhaul

Summer

After

leaving

drydock

on

May

ENTERPRISE

remained

in

Pearl

Harbor

during

June

and

part

of

July

A

few

alterations

including

fitting

of

identification

radar

removal

of

paint

and

inflammable

stores

to

fumetight

compartments

below

the

waterline

fitted

with

mechanical

ventilation

and

CO

fire

extinguishing

systems

and

fitting

of

watertight

quickacting

scuttles

in

hatches

leading

to

elevator

machinery

and

pump

room

were

accomplished

during

this

period

On

July

ENTERPRISE

departed

Pearl

Harbor

for

Puget

Sound

where

she

was

placed

in

No

graving

dock

on

July

During

the

period

from

July

to

September

blisters

were

fitted

between

frames

and

to

effect

improvement

in

stability

necessitated

by

the

increase

in

topside

weights

resulting

from

wartime

alterations

Her

original

gasoline

tanks

were

replaced

with

saddle

tanks

which

had

been

devised

to

give

increased

protection

against

underwater

attack

shells

bombs

splinters

etc

A

discussion

of

this

type

of

tank

is

included

in

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

WASP

In

addition

to

the

two

major

structural

alterations

mentioned

above

compartments

and

made

available

by

the

change

in

gasoline

stowage

were

altered

to

provide

additional

plane

ammunition

and

incendiary

bomb

stowage

gasoline

mains

were

extended

aft

a

manuallycontrolled

inert

gas

system

was

installed

to

replace

the

CO

system

for

protection

and

purging

of

gasoline

lines

and

airdriven

defueling

pumps

were

fitted

at

each

fueling

station

on

the

flight

and

hangar

decks

to

expedite

the

draining

of

fuel

tanks

in

returned

planes

Firefighting

facilities

were

improved

by

the

installation

of

manuallycontrolled

fixed

fog

nozzle

systems

in

many

spaces

and

steam

smothering

lines

in

the

machinery

spaces

and

by

replacing

chemical

foam

generators

with

new

design

mechanical

foam

pressure

proportioners

Additional

cutout

valves

were

fitted

in

the

damage

control

and

firemain

systems

and

two

GPM

Dieseldriven

centrifugal

pumps

were

installed

one

in

and

one

in

and

connected

to

the

firemains

The

entire

ventilation

system

was

revised

to

improve

watertight

integrity

and

living

conditions

The

system

was

altered

in

the

steering

motor

room

to

prevent

a

recurrence

of

the

casualty

of

August

and

terminals

of

all

natural

exhaust

ducts

from

forward

magazines

were

raised

feet

above

the

second

deck

Other

alterations

included

fitting

STS

plating

around

trunk

between

the

second

and

third

decks

leading

to

the

after

magazines

installation

of

internal

degaussing

cables

addition

of

several

radars

replacement

of

the

two

forward

flight

deck

catapults

with

units

of

a

later

design

and

an

increase

of

armament

by

the

addition

of

twin

mounts

and

several

guns

All

alterations

trials

etc

were

complete

and

ENTERPRISE

was

ready

for

sea

October

Amphibious

Operations

and

Strikes

Winter

On

November

ENTERPRISE

departed

Puget

Sound

for

Pearl

Harbor

where

on

November

she

joined

the

task

force

which

was

to

support

the

landings

on

Tarawa

Makin

and

Apamama

in

the

Gilbert

Islands

On

board

were

newly

organized

teams

of

night

fighters

Bat

Teams

each

consisting

of

a

radarequipped

Avenger

torpedo

plane

and

two

Hellcat

fighters

ENTERPRISE

planes

struck

at

Makin

during

the

threeday

period

November

and

during

the

nights

of

and

November

her

night

fighters

successfully

repulsed

attacks

by

Japanese

torpedo

bombers

against

the

task

force

ENTERPRISE

withdrew

on

the

afternoon

of

ENTERPRISE

departed

Pearl

Harbor

December

to

participate

in

the

landings

on

Kwajalein

in

the

Marshalls

Operating

to

the

south

and

west

of

the

islands

she

provided

planes

for

the

bombardment

of

enemy

aircraft

and

ground

installations

for

combat

air

patrol

antisubmarine

patrol

photographic

reconnaissance

and

for

direct

support

of

landing

troops

The

Japanese

offered

comparatively

little

resistance

No

special

night

fighters

were

required

and

the

occupation

was

completed

by

February

On

February

planes

from

ENTERPRISE

participated

in

strikes

against

shipping

and

oil

storage

installations

at

Truk

Although

the

major

units

of

the

Japanese

Fleet

had

already

left

that

base

six

enemy

combatant

ships

and

many

enemy

auxiliaries

were

sunk

or

damaged

The

strikes

continued

through

the

seventeenth

Then

the

US

carriers

and

their

escorts

retired

rapidly

to

the

northeast

pausing

to

launch

two

strikes

against

shore

installations

on

Jaluit

February

Spring

Activities

On

March

ENTERPRISE

headed

once

more

for

the

Southwest

Pacific

where

her

planes

provided

air

support

combat

air

patrol

and

antisubmarine

patrol

for

the

landings

on

Emirau

She

then

joined

Task

Force

and

participated

in

strikes

against

Peleliu

and

Koror

in

the

Palau

Islands

Yap

and

Ulithi

in

the

western

Carolines

and

as

the

group

retired

eastward

against

Woleai

ENTERPRISE

planes

flew

their

first

strikes

against

airfields

and

installations

in

Hollandia

on

April

in

support

of

amphibious

operations

in

Tanahmerah

Bay

She

remained

in

the

area

until

April

when

after

a

final

strike

against

Wakde

Island

she

retired

to

the

newly

won

harbor

at

Manus

to

repair

a

hydraulic

leak

in

the

steering

engine

and

to

pick

up

replacements

On

and

April

six

strikes

were

flown

by

ENTERPRISE

planes

each

day

against

ground

installations

and

aircraft

on

Truk

Her

task

group

then

continued

eastward

to

Majuro

where

they

anchored

May

After

a

month

of

relative

inactivity

ENTERPRISE

departed

Majuro

on

June

with

Task

Group

to

support

landings

on

Saipan

Her

first

fighter

sweeps

were

sent

against

the

Island

on

June

and

continued

for

the

next

three

days

On

June

the

landings

took

place

supported

by

carrier

planes

and

bombardment

by

surface

ships

While

repulsing

an

air

attack

superficial

damage

to

superstructure

was

sustained

when

a

shell

from

a

US

vessel

struck

ENTERPRISE

It

was

suspected

that

the

Japanese

Fleet

was

in

the

vicinity

and

during

and

June

the

US

ships

worked

around

to

the

west

of

Saipan

searching

for

the

enemy

fleet

On

June

the

US

task

group

was

attacked

by

more

than

Japanese

dive

bombers

and

torpedo

planes

the

majority

of

them

carrier

type

aircraft

So

effective

were

the

combat

air

patrol

and

antiaircraft

defense

that

approximately

enemy

planes

were

destroyed

ENTERPRISE

fliers

accounting

for

Unfortunately

search

planes

could

not

discover

the

Japanese

naval

force

until

the

afternoon

of

the

twentieth

some

miles

Advance

to

the

Philippines

At

the

cost

of

hard

fighting

and

many

casualties

Saipan

was

established

as

a

base

from

which

the

strategic

bombing

of

Japan

could

take

place

In

addition

it

afforded

protection

to

the

northern

flank

of

the

line

of

advance

from

the

Central

Pacific

to

the

Philippines

toward

which

the

amphibious

forces

of

the

Southwest

Pacific

were

also

headed

A

base

in

the

western

Carolines

was

needed

however

and

the

Palau

Islands

were

chosen

To

divert

attention

from

the

projected

landings

on

Peleliu

in

the

Palau

Islands

Task

Group

which

included

ENTERPRISE

made

a

raid

on

the

Volcano

and

Bonin

Islands

While

the

other

carriers

of

the

task

group

struck

at

Iwo

Jima

she

launched

fighter

sweeps

against

Chichi

Jima

and

provided

combat

air

patrol

and

photographic

reconnaissance

After

a

brief

stop

at

Saipan

ENTERPRISE

sent

fighter

sweeps

and

photographic

missions

against

Yap

and

Ulithi

on

and

September

followed

by

strikes

against

Malakai

Harbor

in

the

Palau

Islands

on

and

September

On

September

troops

landed

on

Peleliu

with

planes

from

ENTERPRISE

furnishing

a

part

of

the

direct

air

support

She

continued

to

provide

air

support

until

September

when

she

retired

to

Manus

The

task

group

returned

to

patrol

duties

west

of

the

Palaus

on

September

remaining

for

the

next

eight

days

ready

to

intercept

any

attempt

by

the

Japanese

Fleet

to

repeat

the

tactics

used

at

Saipan

During

the

operations

against

the

Palau

Islands

another

task

group

was

making

the

first

large

raids

on

Formosa

and

the

northern

Philippines

These

were

designed

to

divert

the

Japanese

away

from

the

amphibious

operation

and

to

whittle

down

the

enemys

strength

in

the

Philippines

Opposition

was

so

light

that

the

decision

was

made

to

accelerate

the

speed

of

advance

by

landing

directly

in

the

Philippines

ENTERPRISEs

part

preliminary

to

this

landing

was

to

strike

north

of

the

Philippines

as

a

unit

of

one

of

three

task

groups

On

October

her

planes

flew

against

Okinawa

Shima

in

the

Ryukyus

The

next

day

she

provided

combat

air

patrol

while

planes

from

other

carriers

attacked

northern

Luzon

On

and

October

strikes

were

made

against

strong

Japanese

installations

on

Formosa

On

October

from

a

position

east

of

Luzon

ENTERPRISE

sent

a

fighter

strike

and

sweep

against

Manila

and

on

and

October

her

planes

made

bombing

and

strafing

strikes

against

aircraft

and

installations

The

landings

on

Leyte

took

place

October

with

ENTERPRISE

planes

among

the

air

support

groups

She

left

the

next

day

however

and

headed

toward

Ulithi

as

the

task

group

had

been

out

since

September

and

other

ships

were

available

to

cover

the

operations

But

on

the

twentythird

intelligence

advised

that

the

Japanese

Fleet

was

at

last

coming

out

of

hiding

to

throw

all

of

its

weight

against

the

US

foothold

in

Leyte

Gulf

and

all

available

American

vessels

were

readied

for

action

The

Japanese

attack

was

threepronged

One

force

came

up

from

the

south

through

the

Sulu

Sea

toward

Surigao

Strait

south

of

Leyte

a

central

force

passed

north

of

Palawan

into

the

Sibuyan

Sea

heading

for

San

Bernardino

Strait

north

of

Samar

and

a

northern

force

sailed

south

from

Japan

directly

toward

Samar

and

Leyte

The

resulting

Battle

for

Leyte

Gulf

accordingly

developed

in

three

parts

known

respectively

as

the

Battle

of

Surigao

Strait

the

Battle

off

Samar

and

the

Battle

off

Cape

Engano

ENTERPRISE

planes

participated

in

action

against

all

three

of

these

Japanese

Forces

On

the

morning

of

October

they

damaged

two

battleships

and

a

cruiser

in

the

Sulu

Sea

and

in

the

afternoon

they

scored

torpedo

and

bomb

hits

on

a

third

battleship

in

the

Sibuyan

Sea

During

the

night

and

next

day

the

Seventh

Fleet

bore

the

brunt

of

the

attacks

from

the

Japanese

southern

and

central

forces

The

southern

force

was

routed

in

the

night

Battle

of

Surigao

Strait

and

the

next

morning

the

powerful

central

force

was

engaged

by

a

task

unit

of

CVEs

During

this

time

ENTERPRISE

had

steamed

north

with

the

Third

Fleet

to

engage

the

Japanese

northern

force

off

Cape

Engano

Five

strikes

launched

by

ENTERPRISE

on

October

assisted

in

sinking

four

Japanese

carriers

and

damaging

battleships

and

other

units

This

ended

ENTERPRISEs

part

in

the

largest

Naval

engagement

of

the

war

For

the

remainder

of

the

month

she

remained

on

patrol

east

of

Samar

and

Leyte

providing

combat

air

patrol

survivor

searches

and

searchattack

groups

On

October

a

strong

enemy

air

attack

developed

which

included

suicide

plane

crashes

on

FRANKLIN

and

BELLEAU

WOOD

One

ZEKE

although

on

fire

from

repeated

hits

dived

on

ENTERPRISE

from

the

starboard

beam

crossed

the

after

flight

deck

narrowly

missed

parked

planes

and

fell

into

the

sea

on

the

port

quarter

The

next

day

the

task

group

departed

for

Ulithi

ENTERPRISE

spent

only

three

days

at

Ulithi

leaving

on

November

with

Task

Group

On

November

a

successful

strike

was

made

on

a

Japanese

convoy

landing

troops

in

Ormoc

Bay

on

the

west

side

of

Leyte

and

on

November

a

heavy

attack

was

made

against

shipping

in

Subic

and

Manila

Bays

Many

ships

were

sunk

or

damaged

After

routine

patrols

and

fueling

near

Palau

the

task

group

returned

on

November

to

attack

Clark

Field

and

Subic

Bay

After

the

strike

of

November

ENTERPRISE

retired

eastward

sending

planes

against

the

airfields

at

Yap

before

anchoring

in

Ulithi

on

November

Five

days

later

she

departed

for

Pearl

Harbor

arriving

December

for

two

weeks

availability

at

the

Navy

Yard

where

new

fourbladed

propellers

were

fitted

in

an

effort

to

reduce

vibration

during

high

speed

turns

The

new

propellers

were

successful

and

on

December

she

departed

for

the

Philippines

After

the

successful

landings

at

Leyte

and

Mindoro

it

was

decided

to

land

on

Luzon

and

Lingayen

Gulf

was

chosen

to

achieve

surprise

in

the

rear

of

the

main

Japanese

forces

on

the

island

In

order

to

protect

the

amphibious

operations

a

strong

force

of

carriers

and

other

ships

operated

between

Luzon

and

the

mainland

of

Asia

ENTERPRISE

joined

Task

Group

a

night

carrier

group

forming

part

of

this

strategic

support

force

on

January

During

the

following

twenty

days

her

planes

performed

routine

patrols

participated

in

strikes

against

airfields

on

Luzon

shipping

off

the

coast

of

IndoChina

and

installations

on

the

coast

of

China

and

made

sweeps

along

the

coastal

area

of

the

China

Sea

from

Formosa

to

Hong

Kong

Landings

on

Iwo

Jima

February

In

February

as

a

diversion

for

the

planned

amphibious

operations

against

Iwo

Jima

carriers

of

the

Fifth

Fleet

sailed

north

from

Ulithi

to

within

miles

of

Honshu

While

planes

from

the

other

carriers

struck

at

airfields

ground

installations

and

shipping

in

the

Tokyo

area

ENTERPRISE

provided

planes

for

combat

air

patrol

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

The

carriers

then

retired

southward

arriving

near

Iwo

Jima

on

the

evening

of

the

landings

February

For

almost

three

weeks

thereafter

until

March

ENTERPRISE

planes

had

a

busy

routine

of

day

and

night

combat

air

patrol

and

strikes

against

airfields

on

Chichi

Jima

With

the

bitter

struggle

for

Iwo

Jima

almost

completed

ENTERPRISE

returned

to

Ulithi

on

March

Photo

Dud

hit

Forward

elevator

showing

point

of

initial

impact

Photo

Dud

hit

Port

side

of

island

and

navigating

bridge

showing

brackets

broken

by

passage

of

bomb

Photo

Dud

hit

Flight

deck

amidships

showing

main

portion

of

bomb

and

scattered

lumps

of

picric

acid

Photo

Friendly

shell

hit

Parked

planes

on

fire

Note

use

of

low

velocity

fog

applicator

to

protect

man

with

foam

hose

Photo

Friendly

shell

hit

View

of

flight

deck

near

island

after

fires

extinguished

Photo

Friendly

shell

hit

Gutted

mounts

Nos

and

SECTION

H

BOMB

DAMAGE

STRIKES

AGAINST

SOUTHERN

JAPAN

AND

MARCH

Diagram

of

ship

showing

bomb

and

shell

hits

KG

DUD

BOMB

HIT

FRAME

INCH

CAL

FRIENDLY

SHELL

FRAME

STARBOARD

INCH

CAL

FRIENDLY

SHELL

FRAME

PORT

Narrative

Shortly

before

operations

started

against

Okinawa

Gunto

the

fast

carrier

force

which

had

supported

the

landings

on

Iwo

Jima

was

sent

north

to

continue

strikes

against

the

Japanese

home

islands

Its

mission

was

to

provide

a

powerful

shield

between

Japan

and

Okinawa

which

could

prevent

largescale

Japanese

Fleet

action

against

the

US

amphibious

operations

to

bombard

and

bomb

strategic

shore

installations

and

to

seek

out

and

destroy

the

remnants

of

the

Japanese

Fleet

ENTERPRISE

departed

Ulithi

on

March

as

a

unit

of

a

night

carrier

task

group

Her

primary

mission

was

to

furnish

night

combat

air

patrol

for

the

task

force

which

struck

airfields

factories

and

ships

in

the

Kyushu

Shikoku

and

southern

Honshu

area

during

the

threeday

period

March

On

March

the

task

group

operating

to

the

southeast

of

Kyushu

was

subjected

to

sporadic

attacks

by

single

Japanese

planes

At

a

JUDY

was

sighted

on

the

port

bow

at

a

distance

of

yards

and

an

altitude

of

about

feet

Although

taken

under

fire

the

plane

flew

head

on

toward

ENTERPRISE

and

dropped

a

Kg

bomb

which

ricocheted

off

the

forward

elevator

struck

under

the

navigating

bridge

and

fell

to

the

deck

a

dud

Five

more

attacks

were

made

on

the

ship

during

the

day

without

causing

damage

The

following

day

ENTERPRISE

was

spared

On

March

the

ships

were

subjected

to

additional

sporadic

attacks

from

Japanese

planes

At

a

JUDY

dropped

a

bomb

about

feet

to

port

of

frame

and

at

another

plane

dropped

a

bomb

off

the

starboard

quarter

Other

ships

in

the

vicinity

had

opened

fire

and

two

cal

projectiles

detonated

over

ENTERPRISE

starting

a

moderately

serious

fire

on

the

flight

deck

in

way

of

the

island

and

a

small

fire

in

shield

ammunition

at

No

mount

At

another

Japanese

bomb

was

dropped

but

missed

the

port

quarter

The

task

group

retired

to

the

southeast

on

the

twentieth

and

on

March

ENTERPRISE

in

company

with

other

damaged

ships

returned

to

Ulithi

for

repair

Dud

Bomb

of

March

On

March

as

described

in

paragraph

a

bomb

was

released

almost

horizontally

from

masthead

height

struck

the

forward

elevator

at

frame

about

feet

to

starboard

of

the

centerline

ricocheted

aft

and

struck

the

island

structure

just

below

the

port

side

of

the

navigating

bridge

at

frame

Photos

and

It

passed

through

seven

brackets

supporting

the

navigating

bridge

and

primary

fly

control

tumbling

as

it

went

and

broke

into

two

parts

The

small

tail

cone

fell

to

the

flight

deck

immediately

below

the

navigating

bridge

and

the

main

portion

came

to

rest

farther

Planking

on

No

elevator

was

crushed

and

broken

in

way

of

the

initial

impact

over

an

area

roughly

feet

by

feet

the

aluminum

deck

beneath

was

ruptured

and

one

longitudinal

was

sheared

at

frame

so

that

the

elevator

sagged

about

inches

Electric

cables

running

along

the

port

side

of

the

island

structure

to

primary

fly

control

and

to

the

alidade

on

the

port

wing

of

the

navigating

bridge

were

severed

The

small

fire

under

primary

fly

control

was

quickly

extinguished

and

temporary

repairs

were

made

to

No

elevator

within

half

an

hour

permitting

it

to

operate

Direction

of

air

activities

was

shifted

to

secondary

fly

control

The

bomb

was

identified

as

a

Kg

streamlined

No

Mod

Ordinary

bomb

It

corresponds

approximately

with

the

US

GP

bomb

but

has

somewhat

greater

penetrating

ability

Although

normally

fitted

with

nose

and

tail

fuzes

it

had

a

plug

in

its

nose

fuze

seat

which

partially

accounts

for

its

not

detonating

The

tail

cone

was

fuzed

with

a

fuze

which

fell

out

on

deck

without

functioning

Throughout

the

war

ENTERPRISE

was

favored

by

good

fortune

which

accounts

in

no

small

measure

for

her

survival

This

was

particularly

true

in

this

case

for

had

the

bomb

detonated

either

on

impact

with

the

forward

elevator

or

on

striking

the

island

severe

damage

would

have

resulted

NearMisses

Friendly

Shell

Hits

and

Fire

of

March

On

March

as

stated

in

paragraph

three

bombs

detonated

in

the

water

not

far

from

the

ship

one

about

feet

to

port

of

frame

and

two

off

the

port

and

starboard

quarters

to

feet

away

These

were

visually

identified

as

the

Kg

streamlined

Ordinary

type

Shock

cracked

tubing

in

the

relief

and

replenishing

line

to

the

expansion

tank

of

the

starboard

steering

unit

and

a

brazed

joint

between

the

flange

and

shell

of

a

copper

auxiliary

exhaust

pipe

in

the

after

engineroom

No

other

damage

was

reported

Steering

was

shifted

to

the

port

unit

until

repairs

could

be

effected

during

the

night

During

the

bombing

attack

a

cal

projectile

fired

by

another

US

ship

in

the

task

group

detonated

over

mounts

Nos

and

between

frames

and

on

the

starboard

side

of

the

flight

deck

Almost

simultaneously

a

second

cal

projectile

detonated

off

the

port

bow

starting

a

small

fire

in

the

ammunition

on

the

shield

of

mount

No

This

fire

was

quickly

extinguished

Shell

fragments

from

the

first

detonation

pierced

the

belly

gasoline

tanks

of

two

planes

spotted

in

the

vicinity

of

the

hit

igniting

gasoline

which

spread

over

the

flight

deck

between

frames

and

The

burning

gasoline

ignited

two

additional

planes

and

initiated

the

explosive

burning

of

readyservice

ammunition

stowed

on

the

shields

of

Nos

and

mounts

and

cal

plane

ammunition

piled

on

the

flight

deck

just

forward

of

the

island

Primary

fly

control

the

main

communication

office

radio

central

and

CIC

were

made

untenable

by

heat

and

smoke

and

abandoned

via

descending

lines

previously

attached

to

the

navigating

bridge

The

navigating

bridge

however

remained

habitable

and

the

ships

course

was

altered

to

take

advantage

of

the

wind

to

clear

smoke

and

heat

to

port

away

from

the

island

As

a

result

of

the

fire

Nos

and

mounts

and

the

Mk

director

for

No

mount

were

burned

out

Photo

Primary

fly

control

was

gutted

and

the

port

signal

bridge

facilities

were

destroyed

or

put

out

of

commission

Electrical

radio

and

IC

systems

in

the

pilothouse

main

communications

office

and

Radio

I

were

burned

out

or

grounded

by

water

Flight

deck

planking

was

destroyed

in

the

area

between

frames

and

on

the

starboard

side

and

the

expansion

joint

cover

at

frame

the

armored

hatch

of

the

forward

bomb

elevator

and

Although

hampered

by

exploding

ammunition

flying

fragments

and

continued

dive

bombing

attacks

repair

parties

attacked

the

fire

vigorously

cooling

and

smothering

it

with

fog

and

mechanical

foam

so

that

after

minutes

all

but

a

few

persistent

blazes

apparently

burning

magnesium

airplane

wheels

were

smothered

beneath

the

foam

blanket

Electrical

fires

in

the

island

structure

persisted

somewhat

longer

but

all

fires

were

out

minutes

after

the

hit

While

the

fire

raged

on

the

flight

deck

measures

were

taken

to

prevent

its

effects

from

spreading

to

other

parts

of

the

ship

Readyservice

ammunition

in

was

sprinkled

hose

streams

were

played

on

the

overhead

of

the

hangar

deck

beneath

the

conflagration

and

the

after

water

curtain

of

the

forward

bay

was

turned

on

to

segregate

planes

aft

A

small

fire

developed

in

the

bottom

of

the

forward

bomb

elevator

well

fed

by

gasoline

which

leaked

around

the

damaged

elevator

hatch

Although

the

elevator

trunk

bulkheads

in

way

of

the

third

deck

were

heated

the

fire

burned

itself

out

without

causing

damage

Watertight

integrity

for

the

most

part

was

good

preventing

all

but

a

small

quantity

of

the

tons

of

water

poured

on

the

flight

and

hangar

decks

from

penetrating

the

hull

below

the

hangar

deck

Some

gasoline

and

water

leaked

down

the

after

bomb

elevator

without

igniting

and

gasoline

and

water

also

backed

up

into

crews

head

and

sick

bay

bath

through

weather

deck

and

below

deck

drainage

which

interconnected

at

the

same

valve

on

the

fourth

deck

There

was

no

measurable

reduction

in

buoyancy

or

stability

Fireresistant

paint

and

fiber

glass

insulation

on

the

inside

of

the

island

plating

stood

up

excellently

to

the

intense

heat

Although

paint

on

the

inside

of

deadlights

in

some

cases

carbonized

and

flaked

it

did

not

ignite

thereby

preventing

fire

from

spreading

through

the

interior

of

the

island

Burning

gasoline

and

exploding

ammunition

presented

the

initial

ingredients

which

in

some

other

cases

of

carrier

damage

resulted

in

fatal

or

near

fatal

conflagrations

The

characteristically

skillful

and

vigorous

attack

made

by

ENTERPRISEs

crew

on

the

conflagration

however

confined

it

to

the

initial

area

with

the

exception

of

the

small

fire

in

the

forward

bomb

elevator

so

that

a

minimum

amount

of

damage

resulted

SECTION

I

SUICIDE

PLANE

CRASHES

OKINAWA

APRIL

Diagram

of

ship

showing

suicide

plane

misses

SUICIDE

PLANE

KG

BOMB

NEARMISS

FRAME

PORT

SUICIDE

PLANE

KG

BOMB

NEARMISS

FRAME

STARBOARD

Narrative

On

March

ENTERPRISE

anchored

in

Ulithi

where

repairs

to

the

damage

received

on

and

March

were

undertaken

by

the

ships

force

and

personnel

from

JASON

They

were

not

completed

in

time

for

her

to

participate

in

the

April

landings

on

Okinawa

but

by

April

she

was

able

to

join

Task

Group

operating

near

Oagari

Shima

to

the

east

of

Okinawa

After

the

landings

on

Okinawa

the

Japanese

committed

their

last

air

reserves

the

Kamikaze

corps

of

suicide

pilots

already

used

with

some

success

at

Leyte

and

Lingayen

Although

a

serious

drain

on

Japanese

manpower

and

aircraft

production

it

was

the

most

effective

aerial

weapon

for

damaging

naval

targets

developed

by

the

enemy

in

the

war

so

the

list

of

sunk

and

damaged

US

vessels

grew

rapidly

A

largescale

Kamikaze

attack

developed

against

Task

Group

on

April

northeast

of

Okinawa

At

two

large

groups

of

Japanese

aircraft

were

noted

closing

from

the

north

ENTERPRISE

opened

fire

on

two

planes

at

shooting

one

down

about

yards

off

the

starboard

quarter

While

ENTERPRISE

was

in

a

port

turn

the

other

dived

on

the

port

quarter

struck

and

carried

away

the

sponsons

of

mounts

Nos

and

and

fell

into

the

sea

The

engine

of

the

plane

glanced

off

the

ships

side

at

the

waterline

denting

and

opening

the

blister

at

frame

At

another

Japanese

plane

carrying

a

bomb

attempted

a

suicide

dive

but

missed

and

struck

the

water

to

feet

off

the

starboard

bow

opposite

frame

where

the

bomb

detonated

causing

additional

shock

damage

and

slight

structural

damage

in

six

tanks

and

voids

Water

spray

carried

as

far

aft

as

the

pilothouse

and

part

of

the

plane

wing

was

hurled

to

the

flight

deck

A

fighter

plane

on

the

starboard

catapult

was

ignited

and

fire

spread

to

the

deck

Since

shock

failure

of

the

forward

Diesel

fire

pump

hampered

firefighting

the

plane

was

catapulted

into

the

sea

The

small

fire

on

deck

was

quickly

extinguished

During

the

afternoon

five

more

enemy

planes

were

shot

down

near

ENTERPRISE

After

dark

the

Japanese

dropped

flares

but

no

attacks

developed

A

torpedo

plane

returning

from

a

night

intruder

mission

made

a

crash

landing

It

destroyed

four

night

fighter

aircraft

and

started

a

fire

which

was

quickly

extinguished

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Structural

The

outboard

gun

shields

and

semicircular

platforms

of

mounts

Nos

and

were

sheared

off

or

bent

by

impact

of

the

plane

and

blast

from

the

first

nearmiss

Photo

Parts

of

the

plane

remained

in

the

gun

tubs

Distortion

of

the

shield

of

mount

No

blocked

the

train

of

the

gun

until

damage

control

parties

removed

the

obstruction

The

guns

and

mount

were

undamaged

The

planes

engine

struck

the

blister

at

frame

tearing

a

by

hole

into

at

the

waterline

Photo

No

other

holes

were

opened

in

the

welded

blister

plating

although

it

was

dished

in

between

frames

and

by

the

bomb

detonation

Tanks

and

were

opened

to

by

failure

of

about

rivets

along

the

seam

just

below

the

armor

Photo

and

to

each

other

through

a

crack

in

a

seam

of

bulkhead

which

was

badly

wrinkled

Swash

plates

and

floors

frames

through

were

crumpled

bulkhead

was

slightly

buckled

and

No

torpedo

bulkhead

between

tanks

and

and

tank

was

deflected

but

not

opened

The

original

shell

plating

at

the

bottom

of

was

dished

in

and

a

riveted

seam

opened

Tanks

and

between

torpedo

bulkheads

Violent

whipping

of

the

foremast

induced

by

the

flexural

vibration

of

the

ship

broke

the

struts

supporting

the

SK

radar

antenna

and

snapped

off

about

feet

of

the

starboard

yardarm

The

yardarm

was

cleared

and

an

unsuccessful

attempt

was

made

to

install

a

temporary

support

for

the

antenna

The

second

nearmiss

slightly

buckled

floors

frames

and

bulkheads

in

tanks

and

Slight

leaks

developed

through

shell

seams

and

rivets

into

and

and

through

bulkhead

between

and

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Piping

Machinery

and

Electrical

Shock

and

structural

deformation

between

frames

and

in

way

of

the

first

nearmiss

forced

foundations

of

Nos

and

main

generators

Nos

and

main

engines

and

Nos

and

shaft

spring

bearings

inward

and

upward

with

a

maximum

permanent

deflection

of

about

one

inch

Both

generators

were

broken

loose

from

their

foundations

at

the

after

ends

of

the

turbines

The

turbines

were

thrown

upward

four

to

five

inches

The

supporting

pedestals

broke

away

from

the

cast

iron

exhaust

casings

of

which

they

were

a

part

Photo

leaving

the

ends

of

the

turbines

with

no

support

In

addition

the

governor

relay

housing

of

No

generator

broke

Photo

fixed

and

moving

rows

of

blading

were

bent

at

the

edges

and

bull

gear

pinion

and

turbine

bearings

and

bull

gear

and

pinion

thrust

bearings

were

wiped

Also

the

forward

bull

gear

bearing

of

No

generator

which

was

carrying

the

load

aft

under

split

plant

operation

tripped

out

An

attempt

was

made

to

carry

the

load

on

No

generator

in

order

to

maintain

split

plant

operation

but

after

two

hours

running

vibration

became

excessive

and

it

was

secured

The

ship

was

then

dependent

on

Nos

and

main

generators

and

the

emergency

Diesel

generators

It

should

be

noted

that

the

after

emergency

generator

started

instantly

and

automatically

when

No

main

generator

tripped

out

No

shaft

was

slightly

bent

the

bow

in

the

shaft

causing

its

Nos

and

spring

bearings

to

wobble

athwartships

about

one

inch

with

each

revolution

In

addition

the

horizontal

top

plate

of

the

foundation

for

No

spring

bearing

was

torn

from

the

vertical

plates

one

foot

supporting

the

shell

of

No

spring

bearing

was

broken

and

No

spring

bearing

was

moved

slightly

out

of

alignment

There

was

no

damage

to

No

main

engine

although

all

three

bearings

of

the

HP

pinion

and

the

center

bearing

of

the

LP

pinion

were

wiped

and

burned

The

after

end

of

the

LP

pinion

was

slightly

out

of

alignment

but

the

bearing

was

not

wiped

This

damage

apparently

did

not

prevent

the

reduction

gears

from

functioning

normally

Although

bent

less

than

the

outboard

shaft

No

shaft

suffered

more

damage

to

its

supports

No

spring

bearing

closest

to

the

detonation

had

three

shim

chocks

on

the

outboard

side

and

the

foot

and

one

shim

chock

on

the

inboard

side

fractured

in

compression

Photos

No

spring

bearing

was

broken

in

a

similar

way

and

in

addition

had

a

crack

in

the

bearing

shell

which

permitted

oil

to

leak

from

the

sump

Two

shim

chocks

each

were

broken

at

No

and

No

spring

bearings

Damage

to

No

main

engine

was

appreciable

though

not

disabling

The

bearing

pedestal

at

the

after

end

of

the

HP

turbine

was

lifted

inch

clear

of

the

shim

chocks

on

the

inboard

side

and

the

foot

of

the

pedestal

was

cracked

by

the

compressive

load

on

the

outboard

side

Photo

Two

chocks

were

broken

under

the

outboard

side

of

the

LP

turbine

The

after

bearing

of

the

LP

turbine

the

forward

and

after

bearings

of

the

HP

turbine

and

all

three

bearings

of

both

HP

and

LP

pinions

were

wiped

The

reduction

gear

teeth

were

not

Nos

and

ships

service

ACDC

motorgenerators

were

displaced

by

the

shock

Deformation

was

generally

elastic

however

with

permanent

distortion

only

in

the

foundation

bolts

which

had

to

be

tightened

one

half

turn

No

motorgenerator

was

temporarily

disabled

by

a

short

circuit

in

its

starting

panel

Photo

Although

it

was

not

running

at

the

time

the

motor

line

switch

was

in

the

closed

position

and

the

motor

line

contactor

was

closed

momentarily

by

shock

and

then

reopened

causing

a

flash

which

carbonized

the

ebony

asbestos

panel

on

which

the

contactor

was

mounted

so

reducing

the

resistance

The

general

flexural

vibration

splashed

some

mercury

from

the

bowls

of

both

gyro

compasses

across

electrical

connections

The

forward

compass

was

disabled

but

was

restored

to

service

within

a

few

hours

The

after

gyro

compass

continued

to

function

Miscellaneous

shock

damage

occurred

as

follows

i

The

after

surge

tank

leaked

slightly

through

a

small

crack

in

the

shell

ii

The

base

of

a

lathe

in

the

general

machine

shop

was

broken

iii

Numerous

thermometers

and

gauges

in

compartments

between

frames

and

were

broken

iv

There

were

several

piping

failures

in

salt

water

fuel

oil

and

drain

lines

v

No

searchlight

was

hit

by

fragments

and

damaged

by

shock

Lens

and

instruments

were

broken

The

SK

radar

was

inoperable

because

of

the

broken

supporting

struts

for

the

antenna

on

the

foremast

Blast

ruptured

the

main

drain

line

of

the

external

gasoline

system

between

frames

and

beneath

the

mounts

The

system

was

secured

at

a

cutoff

valve

forward

of

the

break

The

most

serious

machinery

damage

resulting

from

the

nearmiss

forward

was

the

disablement

of

No

Diesel

fire

pump

in

Shock

opened

its

piping

connections

distorted

the

foundation

and

broke

the

timing

gear

housing

Repairs

were

beyond

the

capacity

of

the

ships

force

A

minor

leak

occurred

in

the

inner

wall

of

the

doublewalled

gasoline

system

drain

line

in

way

of

the

gasoline

trunk

as

a

result

of

the

second

nearmiss

Flooding

and

Flooding

Control

Measures

The

three

tanks

between

torpedo

bulkheads

and

and

which

were

opened

to

the

sea

through

weeping

seams

and

rivets

were

the

only

damaged

tanks

empty

at

the

time

They

filled

slowly

and

caused

a

list

to

port

and

an

estimated

increase

in

draft

aft

The

tanks

were

pumped

down

through

the

main

drainage

suction

Fuel

tanks

and

were

full

so

that

although

leaks

contaminated

and

largely

displaced

the

fuel

there

was

little

appreciable

effect

on

list

or

trim

Flooding

from

the

sea

was

more

rapid

than

for

the

inboard

tanks

hence

only

could

be

pumped

down

A

large

oil

slick

trailed

ENTERPRISE

for

about

an

hour

The

drafts

before

damage

were

approximately

feet

inches

forward

and

feet

inches

aft

as

read

on

the

internal

draft

gauges

The

draft

was

increased

about

inches

aft

by

the

flooding

from

the

first

nearmiss

Fire

and

Firefighting

Failure

of

the

forward

Diesel

fire

pump

in

hampered

efforts

to

extinguish

the

blaze

on

the

plane

spotted

on

the

starboard

catapult

since

segregation

of

the

firemain

in

battle

condition

assigned

this

pump

to

the

forward

starboard

plugs

While

crossconnection

valves

were

being

opened

and

hoses

led

from

the

other

plugs

the

burning

plane

was

catapulted

from

the

ship

The

burning

tail

remained

on

deck

and

was

rapidly

extinguished

with

water

and

foam

Japanese

Planes

and

Bombs

The

problem

of

mounting

an

effective

attack

against

the

growing

US

Fleet

complicated

by

the

improved

interception

of

our

combat

air

patrols

the

accuracy

of

our

ship

antiaircraft

fire

using

the

proximity

fuze

a

lack

of

thoroughly

trained

pilots

and

other

factors

was

solved

in

characteristic

Japanese

fashion

by

organizing

a

corps

of

suicide

pilots

the

Kamikaze

to

dive

explosiveladen

planes

directly

into

the

target

ship

Although

this

method

was

very

wasteful

of

planes

and

pilots

it

was

extremely

effective

in

inflicting

serious

damage

to

our

ships

The

first

appearance

of

a

deliberate

suicide

attack

by

Japanese

planes

was

at

the

Battle

for

Leyte

Gulf

the

most

commonly

used

at

first

were

supplemented

by

many

other

types

later

on

A

Kg

bomb

was

usually

carried

The

final

war

damage

report

from

the

Commanding

Officer

of

ENTERPRISE

which

forms

a

part

of

reference

made

no

attempt

to

identify

the

planes

used

in

the

suicide

attacks

other

than

to

call

them

dive

bombers

The

action

report

reference

i

stated

the

belief

that

both

nearmisses

were

by

However

a

photograph

in

reference

i

shows

a

headon

view

just

before

the

crash

which

indicates

that

the

plane

which

grazed

the

port

quarter

was

a

with

a

bomb

slung

under

the

fuselage

the

type

of

plane

and

bomb

position

also

used

in

the

attack

of

There

is

no

way

to

determine

the

type

of

bomb

carried

in

either

instance

The

damage

sustained

as

a

result

of

the

detonation

under

the

port

quarter

would

suggest

a

Kg

streamlined

Ordinary

bomb

This

bomb

was

very

commonly

used

during

the

latter

part

of

the

war

and

was

the

type

which

fell

as

a

dud

on

ENTERPRISE

on

March

and

also

the

type

carried

into

the

ship

by

the

suicide

plane

of

May

Conclusion

Prompt

intelligent

action

typical

of

the

history

of

ENTERPRISE

prevented

the

fire

in

the

plane

on

the

starboard

catapult

from

becoming

serious

The

manner

in

which

the

fire

started

is

not

known

The

fact

that

part

of

the

wing

of

the

Japanese

plane

was

thrown

onto

the

flight

deck

suggests

that

hot

fragments

pierced

and

set

fire

to

the

fighter

Except

where

torn

open

by

the

impact

of

the

planes

engine

the

welded

blister

plating

did

not

develop

cracks

or

tears

from

the

first

nearmiss

The

structure

was

dished

in

but

remained

intact

In

contrast

to

this

rivets

popped

and

seams

opened

in

the

original

hull

even

where

protected

by

the

blister

As

in

the

Battle

of

Santa

Cruz

cast

iron

failed

when

subjected

to

shock

In

the

latter

instance

damage

was

much

more

widespread

with

failure

of

shim

chocks

under

spring

bearings

exhaust

casings

of

turbogenerators

and

the

pedestal

of

No

HP

turbine

The

low

impact

resistance

of

cast

iron

is

well

known

and

it

is

now

general

practice

not

to

use

grey

or

white

cast

iron

in

machine

parts

aboard

ship

Motorgenerator

parts

which

were

made

of

cast

steel

rather

than

cast

iron

stood

up

very

well

More

serious

perhaps

than

failure

of

the

turbine

generator

and

bearing

parts

made

of

cast

iron

was

the

misalignment

of

the

two

port

shafts

Both

were

bowed

the

outboard

one

considerably

as

a

result

of

general

deformation

of

the

ships

structure

in

way

of

the

detonation

This

could

only

be

prevented

by

design

changes

which

would

be

too

costly

in

weight

as

discussed

in

the

War

Damage

Report

on

CANBERRA

Although

the

engineering

force

experienced

difficulty

in

keeping

the

bearings

cool

the

shafts

continued

to

operate

a

tribute

to

rugged

design

and

justification

of

conservative

factors

of

safety

in

shaft

design

It

is

of

particular

interest

to

note

that

ENTERPRISE

returned

to

the

operating

area

in

May

with

her

shafts

still

bowed

because

the

major

repairs

required

to

realign

the

structure

were

beyond

the

facilities

of

the

forward

area

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

Photo

First

nearmiss

mounts

Nos

and

frame

port

showing

gun

sponson

shields

sheared

off

by

plane

Protruding

pipe

line

is

gasoline

main

drain

Photo

First

nearmiss

Hole

cut

in

blister

frame

at

waterline

tank

by

plane

Photo

First

nearmiss

Riveted

seam

below

armor

belt

inside

blister

tank

ruptured

a

a

result

of

bomb

detonation

Photo

First

nearmiss

View

of

break

in

foot

turbine

end

of

No

generator

Photo

First

nearmiss

Break

in

governorrelay

housing

No

generator

Photo

First

nearmiss

Showing

compression

failures

in

chocks

port

side

No

steady

bearing

No

shaft

Photo

First

nearmiss

Compression

failures

in

foot

of

bearing

housing

starboard

side

No

steady

bearing

No

shaft

Photo

First

nearmiss

Crack

in

No

engine

HP

turbine

pedestal

Photo

First

nearmiss

View

of

charred

controller

panel

No

motorgenerator

Photo

Second

nearmiss

View

of

flight

deck

forward

after

burning

fighter

plane

catapulted

off

SECTION

J

SUICIDE

PLANE

CRASH

KYUSHU

MAY

Diagram

of

ship

showing

suicide

plane

and

bomb

hit

SUICIDE

PLANE

BOMB

HIT

FRAME

Narrative

ENTERPRISE

remained

in

the

vicinity

of

Okinawa

providing

night

combat

air

patrols

antisubmarine

patrols

etc

until

April

when

she

once

again

departed

for

Ulithi

for

repairs

A

patch

was

welded

over

the

hole

at

frame

spring

bearings

were

realigned

and

cracked

cast

iron

feet

on

turbines

and

spring

bearings

were

repaired

with

metallock

or

brazing

A

riser

to

the

firemain

was

connected

from

one

of

the

two

steam

centrifugal

pumps

which

had

been

installed

but

not

connected

in

the

summer

of

By

May

temporary

repairs

were

completed

and

she

departed

Ulithi

rejoining

Task

Group

The

next

six

days

were

spent

northeast

of

Okinawa

providing

night

and

twilight

combat

air

patrols

target

combat

air

patrols

and

night

heckler

flights

over

the

northern

Ryukyus

and

the

airfields

of

southern

Kyushu

On

the

night

of

May

the

task

group

was

southeast

of

Kyushu

launching

strikes

against

Japanese

airfields

At

ENTERPRISE

went

to

General

Quarters

upon

receipt

of

the

report

that

Japanese

planes

were

in

the

vicinity

It

was

not

until

however

that

the

combat

air

patrol

shot

down

three

planes

At

the

guns

of

ENTERPRISE

opened

fire

on

a

plane

to

starboard

and

the

ship

swung

hard

left

in

an

emergency

turn

but

to

no

avail

The

enemy

plane

maneuvered

in

the

clouds

and

dropped

from

an

altitude

of

approximately

feet

in

a

dive

The

plane

engine

and

bomb

crashed

through

the

deck

and

the

engine

and

pieces

of

the

plane

came

to

rest

in

the

forward

elevator

pit

The

bomb

penetrated

the

elevator

pit

into

storeroom

below

where

it

detonated

high

order

causing

extensive

structural

damage

and

igniting

a

serious

fire

The

forward

elevator

was

completely

demolished

and

the

flight

deck

was

rendered

inoperative

aft

to

frame

Fires

were

extinguished

by

but

about

tons

of

firefighting

water

had

flooded

spaces

between

frames

and

up

to

the

hangar

deck

During

the

attack

ENTERPRISE

maintained

her

station

in

the

formation

and

from

to

was

actively

engaged

in

repelling

intermittent

attacks

by

Japanese

planes

of

which

her

gunners

shot

down

four

The

remainder

of

the

day

was

relatively

quiet

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Structural

The

plane

struck

the

flight

deck

at

an

angle

of

about

just

abaft

the

forward

elevator

at

frame

slightly

to

port

of

the

centerline

A

hole

roughly

feet

long

by

feet

wide

was

punched

through

the

flight

deck

Photo

After

nicking

the

lower

flange

of

the

transverse

bent

at

frame

plane

and

bomb

separated

The

bomb

pierced

the

elevator

pit

second

deck

at

about

frame

just

to

starboard

of

the

centerline

and

detonated

high

order

below

in

on

top

of

stowed

rags

Photo

The

engine

and

pieces

of

the

plane

A

hole

roughly

feet

square

was

blown

through

the

second

deck

and

a

slightly

smaller

one

through

the

third

deck

The

forward

elevator

was

hurled

into

the

air

the

decking

pulling

away

from

the

main

supporting

framework

About

threequarters

of

the

decking

was

raised

intact

on

a

plume

of

smoke

about

feet

above

the

ship

and

fell

into

the

sea

Photo

The

elevator

framework

was

turned

over

about

a

transverse

axis

falling

upside

down

into

the

elevator

pit

Photo

Other

parts

of

the

elevator

the

remainder

of

the

decking

the

peripheral

girder

and

brackets

for

The

fourth

deck

in

was

deflected

downward

by

the

blast

and

adjacent

structure

was

damaged

sufficiently

to

render

ineffectual

the

watertight

integrity

of

the

following

compartments

through

and

The

forward

bulkhead

of

the

elevator

trunk

at

frame

was

deflected

forward

between

the

main

and

flight

decks

Photo

Quickacting

watertight

door

was

blown

forward

Photo

Three

officers

heads

forward

of

the

elevator

and

the

officers

living

quarters

surrounding

the

elevator

were

demolished

Despite

the

large

venting

area

provided

by

the

elevator

opening

in

the

flight

deck

the

effect

of

the

blast

in

the

hangar

space

was

great

The

flight

deck

bulged

upward

across

the

whole

width

of

the

ship

between

frames

and

Photo

with

a

maximum

deflection

of

about

feet

inches

at

frame

centerline

Light

builtup

transverse

girders

deflected

more

than

heavier

plate

bents

Photo

In

addition

the

port

end

connection

of

the

intermediate

transverse

flight

deck

girder

at

frame

parted

completely

and

the

flight

deck

between

frames

and

tore

away

along

the

inboard

bulkhead

of

the

gallery

Photo

The

blast

wave

continued

aft

blowing

out

or

damaging

hangar

deck

curtains

back

to

frame

Evidence

was

noted

of

reflection

of

the

blast

wave

downward

from

the

flight

deck

to

the

hangar

deck

at

frame

and

upward

to

the

gallery

deck

at

frame

by

more

severe

distortion

of

structure

at

these

points

Buckling

of

the

heavy

centerline

stanchion

below

the

main

deck

at

frame

illustrates

this

reflection

Photo

Radio

III

on

the

gallery

deck

frames

to

The

bomb

detonation

was

about

feet

aft

and

feet

below

a

sectional

steel

rack

in

the

elevator

pit

on

which

was

stowed

a

quantity

of

bar

stock

Although

the

rack

was

destroyed

of

the

stock

was

dislodged

as

a

missile

hazard

The

bars

still

tied

together

by

light

wire

fell

to

the

deck

Detonation

was

just

above

a

pile

of

rags

stowed

to

feet

deep

in

which

was

effective

in

limiting

fragment

penetration

below

the

third

deck

Fragment

penetration

above

was

extensive

The

bulkheads

of

the

elevator

trunk

and

pit

were

riddled

by

fragments

Photo

except

in

way

of

six

or

seven

sheets

of

steel

stowed

vertically

against

bulkhead

Photo

The

hull

was

penetrated

by

a

few

small

fragments

on

the

third

and

fourth

decks

in

the

vicinity

of

the

detonation

Twenty

helium

and

sixteen

oxygen

cylinders

of

the

shatterproof

cubic

feet

capacity

type

stowed

in

the

elevator

pit

half

on

each

side

along

the

longitudinal

bulkheads

were

subjected

to

fragment

attack

and

enveloped

by

the

ensuing

fire

Two

oxygen

and

ten

helium

cylinders

were

recovered

intact

Of

those

which

were

destroyed

apparently

were

shattered

Those

which

burst

from

heat

tore

open

longitudinally

and

flattened

out

or

blew

off

the

valve

top

The

gas

bled

harmlessly

through

fragment

holes

in

those

which

were

pierced

Although

structural

damage

reduced

operational

effectiveness

by

rendering

the

flight

deck

useless

between

frames

and

the

strength

of

the

ships

girder

was

little

affected

The

hangar

deck

was

slightly

weakened

by

minor

deformation

and

the

second

and

third

decks

were

torn

open

below

the

elevator

pit

but

temporary

repairs

were

not

required

and

permanent

repairs

could

not

be

made

with

the

facilities

on

board

Damage

and

Damage

Control

Measures

Piping

Machinery

and

Electrical

The

most

serious

piping

damage

was

the

rupture

in

of

a

firemain

loop

and

a

damage

control

main

riser

Water

flowing

through

these

breaks

was

one

of

the

principal

sources

of

flooding

High

and

low

pressure

air

lines

fresh

water

piping

and

drainage

piping

also

were

extensively

damaged

in

the

vicinity

of

the

explosion

Photos

and

Three

of

the

ships

four

gasoline

tanks

developed

slow

leaks

from

the

shock

The

port

gasoline

main

was

crushed

and

unfit

for

use

between

frames

and

the

starboard

main

was

destroyed

by

fire

and

fragments

between

frames

and

and

various

risers

valves

and

fueling

stations

were

destroyed

The

system

was

estimated

to

be

only

per

cent

operative

Ventilation

ducts

were

carried

away

in

the

immediate

vicinity

of

the

detonation

and

considerable

duct

work

was

punctured

dented

and

crushed

throughout

the

area

in

which

blast

damage

to

bulkheads

and

decks

occurred

This

damage

was

heaviest

between

frames

and

on

the

second

deck

and

frames

and

on

the

main

deck

The

most

serious

damage

to

the

ventilation

system

occurred

when

blast

jammed

open

the

closure

of

the

Diesel

pump

air

supply

duct

in

permitting

firefighting

water

and

water

from

damaged

mains

to

flood

the

space

Five

men

were

driven

out

of

and

Flooding

of

No

Diesel

fire

pump

in

was

the

only

important

machinery

casualty

produced

by

the

hit

Pumps

were

overloaded

in

order

to

maintain

pounds

pressure

No

fireandbilge

pump

and

No

Diesel

fire

pump

overheated

but

did

not

have

to

be

secured

before

the

fire

was

under

control

Heavy

smoke

from

the

fire

reached

all

machinery

spaces

and

was

particularly

severe

in

the

firerooms

Personnel

had

to

use

battle

lanterns

in

order

to

see

water

levels

in

the

boiler

gauge

glasses

Key

men

used

hose

masks

adapted

by

the

ships

force

from

ordinary

gas

masks

by

removing

the

canister

and

fitting

an

air

hose

from

the

low

pressure

air

system

Air

bottles

of

cubic

feet

capacity

were

available

in

the

event

of

failure

of

the

compressors

Other

personnel

used

conventional

gas

masks

to

reduce

the

inhalation

of

smoke

Smoke

was

not

so

thick

in

the

enginerooms

The

forward

main

and

auxiliary

elevators

were

completely

destroyed

by

the

bomb

detonation

and

the

two

flight

deck

bomb

elevators

between

frames

and

on

the

starboard

side

were

disabled

Electrical

damage

was

extensive

A

total

of

feet

of

power

lighting

and

communication

cable

was

disabled

by

fragments

and

flooding

forward

of

frame

Power

cable

for

the

catapults

was

severed

on

the

starboard

side

of

the

second

deck

Degaussing

cables

of

the

M

coil

on

the

third

deck

were

severed

outboard

of

the

elevator

pit

and

F

coil

cables

were

burned

in

the

wireways

under

the

flight

deck

on

the

gun

platforms

port

and

starboard

All

lighting

forward

of

frame

was

lost

by

the

severance

of

main

feeder

cables

on

the

second

and

third

decks

Some

lighting

was

restored

by

portable

cables

and

emergency

to

KVA

single

phase

transformers

made

up

by

the

ships

force

The

water

which

entered

through

the

supply

duct

flooded

the

secondary

drain

pump

and

both

fresh

water

pumps

in

the

space

Fresh

water

supply

for

the

ship

was

regained

by

utilizing

a

boiler

feed

pump

taking

suction

from

a

reserve

feed

water

tank

and

discharging

to

the

fresh

water

system

through

a

hose

connected

between

the

pump

and

a

shore

filling

connection

No

damage

was

sustained

by

the

generating

plant

Although

water

from

flooded

compartments

leaked

through

damaged

cables

and

dripped

onto

bus

bars

of

the

forward

distribution

switchboard

the

cables

were

disconnected

from

the

switchboard

before

short

circuits

developed

With

split

plant

operation

only

one

forward

generator

was

running

Its

main

circuit

breaker

tripped

out

but

the

contacts

which

were

lashed

closed

because

the

breaker

was

not

shockproof

did

not

separate

and

loss

of

power

was

prevented

The

relay

panel

and

controllers

for

valves

and

of

the

hangar

sprinkling

system

were

damaged

by

shock

and

the

cables

were

severed

by

fragments

In

addition

the

controllers

for

hangar

curtains

Nos

and

were

grounded

by

salt

water

Almost

complete

loss

of

ventilation

occurred

forward

of

frame

Heater

and

fan

panel

No

at

frame

on

the

second

deck

was

damaged

by

shock

fragments

and

salt

water

Power

panels

and

which

supply

a

number

of

vent

sets

in

the

forward

area

were

soaked

with

salt

water

and

damaged

by

shock

Photo

and

many

ventilation

units

and

controllers

were

damaged

by

fragments

shock

fire

or

water

Undamaged

units

were

reconnected

to

available

volt

outlets

The

forward

elevator

main

pump

sump

pump

thruster

motors

controllers

cables

and

power

panel

were

submerged

in

salt

water

Motors

and

controllers

for

flight

deck

stanchions

were

destroyed

by

fire

and

shock

Photo

and

the

hangar

deck

stanchion

motor

controller

was

destroyed

by

fragments

and

shock

Power

to

the

Mk

sights

of

batteries

and

and

to

Groups

I

and

II

was

interrupted

by

the

destruction

of

a

bank

of

transformers

mounted

under

the

flight

deck

directly

in

the

path

of

the

bomb

and

plane

mounts

and

and

their

Mk

directors

lost

power

by

the

severance

of

normal

and

alternative

power

supply

cables

in

the

elevator

trunk

ammunition

hoists

Nos

and

were

disabled

when

two

controllers

in

power

panel

No

were

damaged

by

shock

and

limit

switches

Almost

all

of

the

radio

and

electronic

apparatus

in

Radio

III

located

in

the

gallery

between

frames

and

was

destroyed

by

shock

and

blast

Flooding

and

Flooding

Control

Measures

Water

pouring

from

breaks

in

the

fire

and

damage

control

mains

and

risers

together

with

firefighting

water

rapidly

flooded

the

damaged

area

from

the

hangar

deck

to

the

hold

six

levels

below

between

frames

and

spreading

through

fragment

holes

ducts

and

ruptured

structure

The

breaks

in

the

mains

and

risers

were

not

isolated

for

more

than

twenty

minutes

after

the

crash

because

smoke

and

fire

around

the

elevator

pit

prevented

discovery

of

the

extensive

damage

below

the

second

deck

By

when

fire

and

damage

control

mains

were

secured

as

stated

in

paragraph

about

tons

Drafts

before

damage

of

feet

inches

forward

and

feet

inches

aft

increased

to

about

feet

forward

and

feet

aft

The

trim

had

little

effect

on

maneuverability

Stability

was

reduced

by

the

free

surface

above

the

second

deck

but

not

critically

There

was

no

list

Steps

were

taken

to

reduce

the

flooding

as

soon

as

firefighting

was

secured

Electric

submersible

pumps

were

lowered

into

the

elevator

pit

and

two

gasolinedriven

pumps

were

put

into

action

Free

surface

water

in

the

officers

country

on

the

second

deck

was

eliminated

through

deck

drains

and

commode

drains

in

the

heads

Pumping

was

severely

hampered

by

the

fouling

of

the

pump

strainers

by

small

pieces

of

rags

and

toilet

paper

It

took

hours

to

remove

the

tons

of

flood

water

Fire

and

Firefighting

As

a

night

carrier

ENTERPRISE

had

no

planes

armed

or

fueled

at

the

time

of

the

crash

and

bomb

detonation

Planes

were

parked

closely

in

the

forward

end

of

the

hangar

however

and

four

which

had

just

landed

were

not

completely

defueled

As

pieces

of

the

enemy

plane

and

the

engine

crashed

into

the

elevator

pit

flames

about

ten

feet

high

flared

up

evidently

from

the

planes

gasoline

Fragments

and

flash

from

the

detonation

of

the

bomb

set

fire

to

the

engines

and

tanks

of

the

planes

spotted

forward

on

the

hangar

deck

The

forward

bay

of

the

hangar

sprinkling

system

from

the

elevator

to

frame

was

turned

on

at

once

by

hangar

control

but

pressure

was

not

immediately

available

on

the

forward

starboard

fire

plugs

However

ample

pressure

on

the

port

plugs

enabled

repair

parties

to

attack

the

fire

promptly

Hose

streams

were

directed

from

the

flight

deck

as

well

as

from

the

hangar

Photo

Within

a

few

minutes

pressure

was

available

on

the

starboard

side

forward

Hangar

deck

plane

and

elevator

pit

fires

were

brought

under

control

in

minutes

and

were

completely

extinguished

in

No

foam

Small

stubborn

fires

developed

below

decks

in

officers

clothing

and

bedding

from

fragments

and

short

circuits

Although

not

in

themselves

dangerous

they

generated

a

great

deal

of

smoke

which

endangered

the

ship

by

marking

her

as

a

cripple

and

by

making

firefighting

and

rescue

work

difficult

Rescue

breathing

apparatus

and

gas

masks

were

used

effectively

In

one

compartment

smoke

became

so

thick

that

investigation

was

impossible

The

fixed

fog

system

in

this

compartment

was

connected

to

the

firemain

and

turned

on

for

five

minutes

extinguishing

most

of

the

fires

in

that

space

and

permitting

personnel

to

enter

Fragments

caused

a

severe

electric

and

powder

fire

in

Group

I

guns

on

the

starboard

side

of

the

gallery

deck

flanking

the

elevator

and

a

small

fire

in

Group

II

guns

opposite

The

fire

in

the

port

group

was

quickly

extinguished

by

installed

sprinklers

and

hose

streams

No

ammunition

detonated

Water

to

fight

the

starboard

fire

was

not

available

until

extra

hose

lines

were

run

from

the

port

side

and

from

the

starboard

fire

plug

at

frame

Some

readyservice

powder

burned

without

injury

to

personnel

This

fire

was

extinguished

at

about

the

same

time

as

Japanese

Planes

and

Bombs

Photograph

permits

accurate

identification

of

the

plane

which

dived

on

ENTERPRISE

as

a

The

bomb

can

also

be

seen

in

the

photograph

and

its

rounded

shape

strongly

supports

the

belief

that

it

was

a

Kg

streamlined

Ordinary

bomb

which

was

in

common

use

The

extent

of

damage

was

consistent

with

this

type

Fragments

of

the

bomb

were

recovered

but

the

bomb

disposal

officer

was

killed

so

the

fragments

were

not

positively

identified

Conclusion

ENTERPRISE

repair

parties

performed

excellently

and

prevented

serious

fires

from

developing

into

a

general

conflagration

Everyone

had

been

at

General

Quarters

for

three

hours

before

the

crash

and

was

ready

for

any

eventuality

The

damage

sustained

during

the

previous

two

months

combined

with

realistic

battle

drills

which

were

conducted

regularly

even

in

forward

areas

had

trained

the

crew

to

a

point

where

each

man

knew

exactly

what

to

do

The

clue

to

successful

firefighting

was

found

to

be

immediate

action

ENTERPRISE

was

a

night

carrier

and

as

such

all

her

planes

were

normally

secured

in

the

daytime

and

the

ship

was

then

in

the

best

material

condition

for

receiving

damage

Gasoline

lines

were

drained

and

the

bomb

magazines

securely

closed

The

aircraft

which

had

been

out

at

dawn

had

been

landed

and

all

but

four

drained

of

gasoline

Only

two

planes

remained

on

the

flight

deck

In

addition

the

Japanese

plane

was

almost

out

of

fuel

when

it

crashed

Rescue

breathing

apparatus

type

proved

of

great

value

in

firefighting

and

rescue

work

and

gas

masks

were

satisfactory

against

smoke

for

short

periods

where

the

oxygen

supply

was

sufficient

The

ship

reported

that

sealed

beam

lights

and

battle

lanterns

were

invaluable

for

penetrating

smokefilled

compartments

Flashproof

clothing

provided

excellent

and

complete

protection

from

severe

flash

Rigid

stretchers

were

found

to

be

impractical

for

transporting

wounded

through

tortuous

passages

Some

of

the

flooding

and

probably

the

drowning

of

men

might

have

been

prevented

had

the

ventilation

duct

closure

in

withstood

the

blast

of

the

detonation

Flooding

from

broken

fire

and

damage

control

mains

could

have

been

reduced

if

knowledge

of

the

breaks

had

been

ascertained

sooner

Thirtysix

hours

were

required

to

pump

out

water

which

was

pumped

aboard

in

onehalf

hour

Strainers

of

portable

electric

submersible

pumps

were

constantly

clogged

by

debris

scuppers

through

which

the

water

should

have

drained

off

the

third

deck

became

blocked

in

the

same

way

and

the

secondary

drainage

pump

in

could

not

be

used

The

experience

of

ENTERPRISE

in

this

case

illustrates

the

ineffectiveness

of

venting

the

detonation

of

a

medium

or

large

bomb

The

forward

elevator

was

blown

clear

of

the

ship

opening

an

area

of

about

square

feet

the

large

volume

of

the

hangar

space

was

available

and

the

two

hangar

curtains

just

abaft

the

elevator

hatch

provided

square

feet

more

of

opening

Yet

a

large

section

of

the

flight

deck

was

forced

upward

and

rendered

useless

At

the

time

of

this

hit

ENTERPRISE

was

Vice

Admiral

Mitschers

flagship

His

comment

was

The

performance

of

duty

of

the

officers

and

men

on

the

ENTERPRISE

under

fire

and

their

effective

damage

control

measures

were

outstanding

of

the

highest

order

and

the

most

effective

that

I

have

seen

during

one

years

service

in

Task

Force

I

was

particularly

impressed

with

the

attitude

of

the

ships

company

in

combatting

fire

when

under

fire

your

ship

is

indicative

of

the

high

order

of

efficiency

that

is

rapidly

winning

the

war

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

FRANKLIN

Photo

Japanese

suicide

plane

just

before

striking

deck

Photo

Picture

taken

from

BATAAN

showing

large

section

of

elevator

platform

at

top

of

explosion

plume

Photo

Hole

in

flight

deck

at

frame

made

by

crashing

suicide

plane

Photo

View

of

destruction

in

where

bomb

carried

by

suicide

plane

detonated

Photo

View

looking

down

and

aft

into

No

elevator

trunk

from

forward

edge

of

flight

deck

level

Note

elevator

beams

upside

down

in

bottom

of

pit

holes

blown

in

second

and

third

decks

by

detonation

of

bomb

Photo

View

looking

to

port

and

forward

in

No

elevator

trunk

after

debris

cleared

up

Note

dishing

of

bulkheads

and

fragment

holes

Photo

Frame

of

quickacting

watertight

door

between

and

No

elevator

trunk

Door

was

blown

out

of

frame

Photo

View

of

flight

deck

looking

forward

from

frame

showing

deformation

of

deck

Photo

Overhead

of

hangar

deck

looking

forward

and

to

port

showing

bulge

in

flight

deck

frames

to

Note

buckling

of

girder

struts

in

bents

at

frames

and

Photo

Flight

deck

damage

looking

to

starboard

at

frame

Note

large

deflection

upward

of

deck

to

starboard

of

inboard

port

bulkhead

of

gallery

caused

by

complete

failure

of

end

connections

of

light

girder

at

frame

Photo

Stanchion

in

wardroom

mess

frame

buckled

by

reflection

of

blast

wave

downward

on

hangar

deck

at

frame

Photo

Damaged

firemain

riser

cutout

at

main

deck

frame

looking

inboard

and

aft

in

compartment

Photo

View

of

damaged

firemain

riser

Second

deck

frame

starboard

side

Photo

Looking

to

starboard

at

bulkhead

second

deck

Note

damaged

ventilation

power

panels

Photo

Looking

aft

and

to

starboard

port

gun

platform

showing

damaged

flight

deck

elevator

trunk

stanchion

motor

Photo

General

view

of

firefighting

activities

on

flight

deck

Photo

View

of

ready

powder

locker

on

inboard

bulkhead

of

Group

I

gun

gallery

frame

gallery

deck

starboard

scene

of

powder

and

electric

fire

Photo

View

of

fire

damage

on

Group

I

gun

gallery

looking

forward

and

to

port

at

frame

SECTION

K

EXIT

ENTERPRISE

Repairs

On

May

the

night

carrier

task

group

off

Okinawa

somewhat

battered

by

the

Japanese

air

attacks

of

the

day

before

retired

to

the

south

to

fuel

In

view

of

the

serious

reduction

in

her

operating

efficiency

ENTERPRISE

was

sent

to

Puget

Sound

via

Ulithi

and

Pearl

Harbor

for

repairs

She

arrived

in

Bremerton

for

a

two

months

overhaul

on

June

Despite

furious

attacks

by

fanatical

suicide

pilots

which

sank

or

rendered

inoperative

many

ships

including

ENTERPRISE

the

Japanese

high

command

failed

to

prevent

the

defeat

of

the

Imperial

Forces

Surrender

of

the

enemy

occurred

on

August

while

ENTERPRISE

was

still

under

repair

in

Puget

Sound

She

was

therefore

denied

the

pleasure

of

entering

Tokyo

Bay

and

witnessing

the

signing

of

the

final

surrender

documents

The

Magic

Carpet

Repairs

and

alterations

including

removal

of

sponsons

to

permit

passage

through

the

Panama

Canal

were

completed

on

September

ENTERPRISE

then

proceeded

south

to

Alameda

California

where

she

picked

up

enlisted

men

and

officers

for

transport

to

Pearl

Harbor

She

arrived

at

Pearl

Harbor

on

September

In

order

to

assist

the

speedy

return

of

our

citizen

army

to

civilian

life

the

Navy

made

available

a

number

of

its

combatant

ships

with

their

superior

speeds

as

a

magic

carpet

between

the

advanced

bases

and

home

On

ENTERPRISEs

first

trip

as

a

part

of

the

carpet

she

carried

officers

and

men

from

Pearl

Harbor

to

New

York

via

the

Panama

Canal

After

a

refit

at

Boston

to

provide

additional

berthing

space

she

made

two

magic

carpet

trips

to

Southampton

and

then

one

last

trip

to

the

Azores

to

pick

up

passengers

rescued

from

the

ATHOS

II

and

the

HOOD

In

January

she

tied

up

at

Bayonne

New

Jersey

awaiting

decision

as

to

her

permanent

berth

A

National

Memorial

As

a

tribute

to

her

unsurpassed

war

record

ENTERPRISE

was

chosen

for

retention

as

a

National

Memorial

in

the

company

of

such

ships

as

CONSTITUTION

On

November

the

President

of

the

United

States

approved

the

recommendation

made

by

the

Secretary

of

the

Navy

that

ENTERPRISE

should

be

retained

permanently

at

some

proper

place

as

a

visible

symbol

of

American

valor

and

tenacity

in

war

and

of

our

will

to

fight

all

enemies

who

assail

us

SECTION

L

SUMMARY

AND

CONCLUSION

Summary

ENTERPRISE

was

damaged

in

six

different

engagements

by

a

total

of

six

bomb

hits

six

damaging

nearmisses

one

dud

bomb

hit

and

two

friendly

shell

hits

Her

experience

is

indicative

of

the

importance

of

the

bomb

as

a

weapon

against

aircraft

carriers

and

is

confirmed

by

the

record

of

US

carriers

damaged

or

sunk

in

World

War

II

Out

of

a

total

of

sixtyseven

cases

of

carrier

damage

or

loss

fiftytwo

were

caused

by

bombs

or

Kamikaze

suicide

planes

The

balance

of

the

damage

or

loss

was

caused

by

submarine

and

aircraft

torpedoes

except

for

damage

to

three

escort

Although

extensive

structural

damage

was

incurred

on

August

October

and

May

the

strength

of

the

ship

girder

was

never

seriously

affected

Nos

and

elevators

were

rendered

inoperative

by

bomb

damage

on

August

and

October

but

were

locked

in

the

up

position

at

the

time

damage

was

incurred

This

permitted

continuation

of

flight

operations

with

only

slightly

reduced

efficiency

after

completion

of

temporary

repairs

to

the

flight

deck

The

bomb

explosion

of

May

however

demolished

No

elevator

and

damaged

the

flight

deck

forward

so

extensively

that

ENTERPRISE

As

previously

noted

the

only

carriers

to

be

attacked

by

shell

fire

during

the

war

were

unarmored

CVEs

The

side

belt

armor

of

ENTERPRISE

was

not

attacked

at

any

time

Engineering

casualties

were

numerous

but

fortunately

of

a

relatively

minor

nature

Shock

damage

from

nearmisses

on

October

and

April

resulted

in

the

most

serious

derangements

incurred

by

the

machinery

Cast

iron

parts

of

No

main

engine

were

fractured

on

October

and

cast

iron

parts

of

steady

bearings

for

Nos

and

propeller

shafts

parts

of

No

main

engine

and

Nos

and

main

generators

were

fractured

on

April

Elimination

of

cast

iron

from

machine

parts

aboard

ship

will

preclude

the

recurrence

of

similar

casualties

Nos

and

propeller

HOUSTON

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

BuShips

War

Damage

Report

No

Numerous

instances

of

shock

damage

to

electric

switchboards

motor

controller

panels

and

electronic

equipment

illustrated

the

need

for

continued

efforts

to

improve

the

ability

of

equipment

to

withstand

shock

The

desirability

of

segregating

duplicate

systems

was

demonstrated

by

the

loss

of

steering

control

after

firefighting

water

stopped

the

starboard

steering

motor

on

August

Personnel

on

watch

were

overcome

by

heat

exhaustion

before

they

could

start

the

port

steering

motor

which

was

located

in

the

same

compartment

and

steering

control

was

lost

for

minutes

Similarly

all

potable

water

pumping

capacity

was

lost

when

duplicate

fresh

water

pumps

both

located

in

elevator

machinery

and

pump

room

were

stopped

by

flooding

of

the

pump

room

on

October

and

again

on

May

Piping

ventilation

and

electrical

systems

were

ruptured

or

destroyed

in

many

places

in

way

of

bomb

detonations

Prompt

segregation

of

firemains

however

maintained

firefighting

efficiency

emergency

ventilation

equipment

restored

essential

ventilation

and

casualty

power

lines

supplied

vital

power

requirements

Flooding

for

the

most

part

was

confined

to

tanks

and

nonessential

compartments

and

control

of

flooding

was

prompt

so

that

reserve

buoyancy

and

stability

were

never

seriously

reduced

The

cofferdam

built

in

storerooms

and

on

August

was

a

major

undertaking

and

proved

very

effective

On

October

when

elevator

machinery

and

pump

room

was

flooded

through

ruptured

piping

and

overflow

pipes

from

flooded

fresh

water

pipes

and

again

on

May

when

was

flooded

by

firefighting

water

pouring

through

a

faulty

ventilation

duct

cover

the

use

of

No

Diesel

fire

pump

Although

fires

resulted

from

bomb

detonations

in

each

of

the

six

actions

the

ships

preparedness

and

the

prompt

and

intelligent

attacks

made

upon

the

conflagrations

prevented

any

from

getting

out

of

control

The

vigorous

program

of

scraping

paint

from

all

interior

surfaces

and

substituting

one

thin

coat

of

fire

retardant

paint

the

removal

of

overstuffed

furniture

and

nonessential

papers

files

etc

and

the

stowage

of

all

but

a

weeks

supply

of

inflammable

stores

in

compartments

below

the

waterline

together

with

the

fact

that

planes

for

the

most

part

were

degassed

and

munitions

were

stowed

in

the

magazines

at

the

Conclusion

ENTERPRISE

was

fortunate

in

that

no

bombs

penetrated

to

her

magazines

gasoline

tanks

main

machinery

or

other

vital

spaces

Her

planes

were

secured

and

defueled

with

bombs

torpedoes

and

plane

ammunition

stowed

in

magazines

at

the

time

bomb

hits

were

scored

A

policy

of

keeping

personnel

at

General

Quarters

when

there

was

danger

of

enemy

attack

was

maintained

so

that

they

were

not

caught

unprepared

As

many

fire

hazards

as

possible

were

eliminated

and

Material

Condition

ABLE

was

maintained

when

in

dangerous

areas

assuring

that

the

ship

would

be

in

the

best

possible

condition

to

resist

damage

Finally

constant

Failure

of

cast

iron

machinery

parts

when

subjected

to

shock

clearly

illustrates

the

grave

potential

danger

of

substituting

cast

iron

for

cast

steel

or

steel

weldments

in

machinery

components

Deviations

from

machinery

specifications

which

require

cast

steel

or

steel

weldments

for

machinery

components

therefore

should

be

undertaken

only

in

the

event

of

severe

procurement

difficulties

Flooding

of

the

duplicate

steering

motors

and

duplicate

fresh

water

pumps

indicates

the

undesirability

of

locating

duplicate

units

in

the

same

compartment

Although

such

an

arrangement

provides

adequate

protection

against

the

failure

of

one

unit

during

peacetime

operations

war

inflicted

casualties

will

generally

affect

both

units

unless

they

are

separated

at

least

by

a

watertight

bulkhead

Plate

I

Bomb

Damage

Click

here

for

a

larger

version

of

this

plate

Plate

II

Bomb

Damage

Click

here

for

a

larger

version

of

this

plate

Plate

III

Bomb

Damage

Click

here

for

a

larger

version

of

this

plate

Plate

IV

Bomb

Damage

Click

here

for

a

larger

version

of

this

plate

Plate

V

Bomb

Damage

Click

here

for

a

larger

version

of

this

plate

Plate

VI

Dud

Bomb

Friendly

Shell

Hits

Click

here

for

a

larger

version

of

this

plate

Plate

VII

Bomb

and

Suicide

Plane

Damage

Click

here

for

a

larger

version

of

this

plate

Map

Indian

and

Western

Pacific

Oceans

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here

for

a

larger

version

of

this

plate

END

Published

Thu

Oct

EDT