The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-06-28
Mitscher In Close Call
BY JAMES A. MCLEAN


 anese suicide planes off Okinawa l on the morning of May II almost converted the U. s. s. Bunker Hill into flaming tomb for Vice Adm. Mac A. Mitscher, whose flagship she war. But the hard-hitting commander of task force 58 escaped without a scratch or blister. The Bunker Hill also survived, but after 8 six-hour ordeal Of blasting bombs, exploding ammunition and blazing gasoline, the carrier count ed 656 casualties, including 373 killed, 19 missing, and 264 wound- ed.
 Her crews heroism and daring maneuver under enemy noses en- abled the 27,5O0-ton Bunker Hill to live and join the Franklin, her Essex class sister, and the mighty Saratoga in the proud company Of U. s. carriers which refused to sink. Because she will fight again, the Bunker Hills story may now be told.
 Out of nowhere" survivors said, two suicide planes crashed with their pound bombs into the carriers decks.
 Lives were snuffed out in seconds a few feet from where the weather beaten, 58-year-old Mitscher was standing. Three officers and Il men of his staff were killed and 20 were wounded or overcome by smoke. Every man on the port side of the flag bridge outside the 'flag plot" where Mitscher stood was killed.
 Thus far in this war, Mitscher has been bombed off two flagships. The name of the other one may not not be revealed.
 The Bunker Hill. her decks and island and gun galleries a sham bles, is being repaired at the Pu- get Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Wash, where the Saratoga recent ly was made whole again.
 The two Japanese suicide planes caught 34 of the Bunker Hills craft ready to take off and transformed the mighty ship into a hell Of fire and explosions.
 Of the carriers planes, only 10 that were in the air survived. Sev- enty were reduced to motion pud- dies.
 In the six hours that followed the two hits, Mitscher and his surviv- ing staff members were removed by brooches buoy to the Destroyer Eng fish while the Bunker Hills still-liv- ing officers and men braved death to fight fires, Jettison ammunition and gasoline, and rescue the wound ed and trapped.
 The ships skipper, Capt. George A. Seitz of Coronado, Calif., na- tive of Rochester, N. Y., has recom- mended 28O of his crew for awards including three navy crosses. Of the men who died at their posts to keep the boilers going and the pressure in the fire mains, he said:
 "They died as only brave men can"
 Helping the Bunker Hill were the Cruiser Wilkes Barre and the Des- troyers English, Stembel, ana Charles s. Sperry. The Wilkes Barre pushed her bow against the carriers starboard quarter and kept her hoses aboard.
 So much water was pumped that the stricken craft began to list and settle. The tons of water pouring upon seas of flaming gasoline ana oil were forcing fire fighters back against the bulkhead. l Then came the maneuver-only 6O miles from Kikai, one of the strong est staging points for suicide planes on Okinawa = that might have meant final disaster had 1t failed. | With Seitz on the bridge were the Bunker Hills navigator, Comdr. Charles J. Odend'hal of Arlington, Va. and It. John J. Hasburgh of Kansas City, Mo-, senior watch of- ficer. Reports kept coming in:
 She's listing six degrees to star board, Captain"
 "The men in the forward fire rooms are dying, captain"
 Were on a course of zero-slx- zero, captain. We're headlng straight for Kikai."
 Seitz instructed Hasburgh to tell the Wilkes Barre to get ready for a turn and the destroyers to stand clear. He asked the navigator what course he recommended. Odend'hal said one-three-zero true" The captain said ''very well, make 1t so."
 With the Wilkes Barre clinging to her side, the big carrier turned 70 degrees. The navy described what happened:
 Gradually at first, then with a roar, tons of water, burning gaso- line and oil on the hangar deck sloshed away from the firefighters and poured over the edges of the deck into the sea.
 "In turning, she shifted the load of water across the ship from star board to port. She literally dumped the heart of the roaring inferno on her hangar deck into the sea.
 Men with lips too burned to cheer rushed forward with their hose. Fresh air whipped across the deck at their backs. forcing the heavy smoke of burning oil and gas away from them"
 While the ship was in its greatest agony no one lost his head. not even those forced to jump into the sea. One sailor, poised to leap. cal- led to those behind:
 Watch this next step-it's bast- ard"
 The fires burned from 10 a. m. to 4 p. m. When they were under control and the Bunker Hill was