Evening star., 1942-06-12
Planes
Continued From First Pagel

cruiser off each bow of the carrier
and about 4 miles in advance of it.
Very possibly there were other
Ships-destroyer and cruisers-in
the enemy force, but If SO I didn't
see them.
We get lined up on the carrier
and head straight for it. When we
are still about 10 miles away, the
nearest cruiser opens on us. We
see the reddish-orange fash Of its
guns and quickly change course. MY
heart does half-loop and seems to
hang suspended and my breathing
stops as l wait for the burst of the
shells Then there are black puf1s
mile ahead of us and my heart
f1ips back into normal flight position
and l begin to breathe again.
The cruisers second salvo is so
close that We hear the ''WhapS" of
the shells. We swing out away from
his range.
MY tail gunner shouts over the
radio that two "97" fighters are after
us. They square away and dive on
us from our quarter, coming within
$50 yards and then looming away.
To shake them we dodge back to-
ward the cruiser. which again cuts
loose We are rid Of them.
Four Miles From Carrier.
We are now about miles from
the carrier. Both cruisers open at
us, firing their shells into the sea
to throw columns Of water up ahead
of us.
Meanwhile. the carrier has started
a fast circle to its left, running for
its life. 1t has completed about a
quarter turn when our bombers sud-
denly dive on it, We don't see the
bombers. but we do see their bombs
able. One instant the carrier is
intact: the next it is a shambles
as bomb after bomb rips ir.o its
deck. Our bombers weren't aiming
to miss.
A bomb smashes the carrier
squarely just astern of midships.
What must have been a heavy anti
aircraft gun mounting lobs lazily
into the air and plops oversize into
the sea. Smoke streams out astern
from this huge wound.
The carrier is still swinging to the
left. We duck into the trailing
smoke and I give the signal for our
attack. We poke our noses through
the smoke and go in for the kill. A
single anti-aircraft gun somewhere
near the stern is still firing, but the
carrier is already badly wrecked,
with smoke and flames everywhere.
I sight on the ship and think:
What a terrible mess 1t never
occurs to me that there is anybody
aboard the carrier. In fact, / would
be extremely surprised if any one
suggested there were people on
board. 1t is just a target. I have
the sensation of sitting way off in
one corner of the sky and watching,
myself and the other planes twisting
and maneuvering down near the
Sul ioNC vi lliC "oeSA. - AAy AAAAAAA -
eye see the whole scene as from
great distance.
Meanwhile, I release my fish and
pull out. My plane jumps little
ahead as it is freed of the weight
of the torpedo. My No. 2 plane re-
leases, then scars out over the stern.
We bank sharply and watch for the
explosions.
Square Hits Amidships.
They come almost simultaneously
square hits amidships. The tor
pedoes throw up spouts OF water
like a fountain. The water reaches
its maximum height in a column
then seems to spill over little. A
puff of smoke comes up from the
center of the water column. The
splashes are different from near
misses with bombs, where the water
spatters in huge, wide splashes with
heavy smoke and exploding gas
shooting high into the air.
Ny other planes push home the
attack. As we pull away the car
rier already Is beginning to settle
even though It is still turning. It