The Wilmington morning star., 1945-03-21
Enemy Fails
To Sink Any
u. S. Vessels
Daring Attack lnflicts
Gripping Damage,
Nimitz Says
IT s PACIFIC FLEET HEAD

U. S. PACIFIC FLEET HEAD
QUARTERS, Guam, Wednesday,
March 21-P-American aircraft,
flying from the highest carrier
fleet ever assembled, attacked the
Japanese fleet in the empires IN
land seas Monday in one OF the
boldest exploits of the war, ana
damaged Is to II enemy Warshlps,
including one or two battleships,
and destroyed at least Ats planes.
The enemy fleet thus was hit IN
it's home waters for the first time.
but no actual engagement between
surface units was announced.
Adm. Chester W. Nimitz an
nounced the daring attack today In
a communicate which said pre-
urinary surveys of damage show
ed that two or three aircraft car
riers, four light carriers, two
cruisers, four destroyers and varl-
Gus other war vessels also were in
Guided in the bag.
Six freighters were sunk and q
number of ground installations
were destroyed.
Admiral Ninitz said the brilliant
raid inflicted "crippling damage"
on the Japanese fleet, which was
decisively whipped last October IN
the second battle Of the Philippine
seas.
Although Nipponese fliers made
rnanv attempts to bomb the Amer.
lean armada, not ship was lost.
One ship, not identified as to
class, was seriously damaged, but
is returning to port under its own
power.
"A few others sustained minor
damage, but all are fully opera
tional," Admiral Nimitz said.
The Pacific Fleet, whose planes
twice routed the Japanese fleet
last year, swung northeast after
day of destructive attacks on the
enemy air force on Kyushu, south-
ernmost of the Japanese home Is
lands. One hundred enemy planes
were destroyed there.
On Monday, Adm. r. A.
Spruance moved ships Of his Fifth
Fleet into position from where
Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher sent
his carrier planes Cor
sairs, Helldivers and Avenger tor.
| pedo-bombers-in the first sea-
borne attack on the home bases OF
the enemy in Japanese inland sea.
The report of the sinking OF six
small freighters and damaging u
other ships, the latter mostly COM
blatant vessels, was described as
only preliminary. This indicated
the likelihood of even greater dam
age or a revision of types Of ships
blasted by the Yank bombs and
torpedoes.
This is the preliminary report
from Admiral Spruance, who was
in tactical command of the fleet
forces:
Sunk: six small freighters.
Damaged: one or two battle
ships, two or three aircraft car
riers, two light aircraft carriers or
| escort carriers, two escort car
riers,, one heavy cruiser, one light
cruiser, four destroyers, one SUBJ
marine one destroyer escort seven
freighters.
American planes also destroyed
a large number of installations. In
Guiding hangers, shops, arsenals
and oil storage facilities.
The communique did not specify
which parts Of the inland sea were
the targets of the raiding aircraft.
The inland sea is bounded on three
sides by three of the Japanese
home islands-KyuShu to the west,
the southern portion of Honshu to
the north and Shikoku to the south.
1t is clogged with scores of small
islands.
Likely targets were Sasebo and
Nagasaki, naval bases on Kyushu.
Sasebo is by reputation one of the
four great naval bases of Japan.
1t has a large fleet anchorage with
extensive machine shops and re-
pair facilities as we'll as several
drydocks and n S d a b e
arsenals.
At Nagasaki, there are addi-
tional facilities for fleet anchor.
age.
The bold foray into the heart Of
Japan's dwindling sea power un-
doubtedly will mean the erasure Of
the Imperial fleet as q source OF
opposition in the future.
| Carrier planes may have hit
enemy ships undergoing repairs of
damage suffered in the Japanese
fleets grandiose but unsuccessful
three-pronged attempt to break Up