My Head of the Huaxia Expeditionary Force

Another ship, the Kashima, also developed a hull leak under the siege of US bombers. The bow of the ship was raised high, and the stern of the ship had sunk into the sea. The crew members put on life jackets and prepared to abandon the ship and escape.

Then the destroyer Isoka quickly came up to provide cover, and also tried to rescue the Kashima crew members who fell into the water.

However, as a result, the Isoka became the target of many bombers. It was hit by an aerial bomb before it got close to the Yaqiu. A fire broke out on the ship, and it instantly became a mud Buddha and it was difficult to save itself when crossing the river.

Other destroyers were not much better. The Lingyue was hit by a 500-pound general-purpose bomb in the ammunition depot, and a horrific explosion occurred. Japanese soldiers were killed and injured numerous times.

Because the Hyuga blocked a torpedo from the Yamato, the hull tilted, and the crew jumped into the water to escape in a panic. They were also fired upon by enemy planes wildly, making the situation even more critical.

……

At 2:10 pm, the second wave of attacks ended, and some US military aircraft began to return one after another. The scarred Yamato got some breathing space, but there were still fighter planes hovering over the fleet.

At present, the entire Yamato fleet is devastated. Two light cruisers were sunk and one was damaged. Four of the twelve destroyers were sunk. The remaining ships were all injured, and there were countless casualties.

Only twenty minutes later, a large black group of fighter jets appeared in the southern sky, and the Japanese sailors who were still busy cleaning the deck showed desperate expressions.

The air defense capabilities of each ship have been destroyed to pieces by the enemy, and there are very few weapons left that can be used.

At 2:35, the third wave of US military attacks arrived as promised. The Japanese army was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. The Yamato, which had no air support and lacked power, became a real living target.

The fighter planes dived back and forth carrying bombs and cannons, and the gunners were blown to pieces. In just a few minutes, there were not many Japanese troops left on the deck.

Yamato's port side was severely damaged. Although the main gun was usable, the reflection gap was too long. The US military aircraft discovered this weakness and concentrated firepower to attack from the port side.

There were only a few people left on the deck, including Kamio and a dozen Japanese soldiers. Most of the anti-aircraft guns had been blown up, and only two 25mm anti-aircraft guns were still making desperate resistance.

The plaster flag band on his forehead had long been soaked with blood. Perhaps seeing his comrades fall one after another, Kamio became almost crazy, roaring and shouting like a wild beast while loading ammunition into the barrel.

A supply soldier pulling a cart was shot by an aircraft, and high-explosive tracer rounds ignited the ammunition on the cart.

With a loud noise, the supply soldier almost evaporated on the spot. The shock wave generated by the explosion swept across more than ten meters nearby. A 25mm anti-aircraft gun nearby that was still firing was also blown away on the spot.

Not far away, Kamio and the others were also thrown to the ground by the air wave, and his eyes were filled with stars, and his ears were blinded by the shock. When he regained consciousness and took a closer look, he saw the wreckage on the ground, and his comrades who were not dead were still struggling. Scream.

His hands were shaking uncontrollably, and his legs were as if they were filled with lead and it was difficult to move at all. There were few people on the deck who could move. Panic and powerlessness occupied Kamio's mind. It seemed that they had really run out of gas. .

whoosh…

A sharp whistling sound came, and Kamio looked up. A huge aerial bomb was falling from the sky at a speed visible to the naked eye...

"boom!!"

A huge mushroom cloud rose on the port side deck, and the flames instantly swallowed Kamio.

The Yamato seemed to have been bitten by a giant beast. When the smoke dissipated, the terrifying power directly opened a five- to six-meter gap on the deck.

This was not over yet. Three more torpedoes followed and successfully hit the port side. The Yamato's hull began to take in a lot of water and tilted seven degrees.

In the combat command room, Ito, who was forced to panic, chose to ask the soldiers to fill the starboard boiler room and engine room with water to maintain balance, in order to curb the tilt angle.

But the price was very heavy. Seawater poured into the isolation cabin and sealed it shut. All the soldiers inside the cabin were drowned alive. This trick of cutting off one's tail to survive is very cruel, and only a crazy little Japanese can do it.

The attack continued, and two US Hellcats were shot down, but four torpedoes struck again on Yamato's port side.

The Americans learned lessons from previous attacks on the Yamato's sister ship Musashi. Concentrating all their efforts on one side of the attack was the best way to sink a giant steel ship like it.

……

"All the damage controllers were killed, the main cabin was flooded by sea water, the engines stopped running, all radio antennas were damaged, the number of soldiers was reduced by more than 80%, and all anti-aircraft weapons on the deck except nine main guns were destroyed..."

"The Yaqiu was hit by six torpedoes, and a large area of ​​the cabin was flooded. Captain Mishima has ordered all personnel to abandon the ship..."

Ito listened quietly to the report of his men, with no expression on his exhausted face. Only his slightly trembling fingers could highlight his restless heart.

"Raise the blue signal flag..."

He knew very well that he had no trump card in his hand and could only send a signal to the fleet to stop action through the flag raising machine.

This fleet has already laid the foundation for trouble ever since it set sail. Any resistance is so feeble under the crushing force of the enemy's absolute strength.

"Your Majesty Commander! Are we really going to..."

The captain of the Yamato looked at Ito in disbelief. The blue signal flag meant giving up. The commander was telling others to retreat.

If they do, all their efforts will be in vain.

"Go, execute the order, you all...let's go..."

After saying the last sentence, Ito seemed to feel a lot more relaxed.

He straightened his clothes, walked into a cabin alone, and locked the door firmly.

The others looked at each other at a loss, and even the highest officer had given up. What could they do?

The captain closed his eyes in pain. In the end, he carried out Ito's last order, raised a blue signal flag on the mast of the ship tower, and ordered other ships in the fleet to flee the battlefield.

At around 3 p.m., the Yamato, which had lost its ability to move and fight back, was hit by three bombs again. The huge hole in the deck further expanded, and the red light and thick smoke completely engulfed the Yamato.

Five minutes later, another torpedo hit the middle of the hull, and the Yamato listed increasingly to the left.

The captain ordered the entire crew to abandon the ship, while he stayed in the command room and chose to fight the Yamato until the last moment.

By this time, the Yamato's outer and starboard boiler rooms, hydraulic machinery room, remaining engine room, and most of the fire rooms were not submerged. The hull tilted completely to the left, and one-third of it sank to the bottom of the sea.

The few survivors also fell into the water as the ship capsized. They struggled to escape and kept flopping in the water, but this was doomed to be in vain.

The growing fire reached the ammunition depot, causing a series of horrific chain explosion reactions. The entire hull of the Yamato was blown apart in half, and the loud noise could be heard dozens of miles away.

Once the pride of the Japanese, this so-called unsinkable sea beast has finally come to an end, and the era of big cannon ships has also completely ended...