page_title: Richard Halsey Best
section_title: Sinking of Akagi
hierarchical_section_title: Richard Halsey Best / War in the Pacific (1941–1944) / Battle of Midway / Sinking of Akagi
caption_attribution_description: The flight deck of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) on 15 May 1942. Visible are 15 Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat fighters of fighting squadron VF-6 and six Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers of bombing squadron VB-6 and/or scouting squadron VS-6.
context_page_description: Richard Halsey Best was a dive bomber pilot and squadron commander in the United States Navy during World War II. Stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, Best led his dive bomber squadron at the 1942 Battle of Midway, sinking two Japanese aircraft carriers in one day, before being medically retired that same year due to damaging his lungs breathing bad oxygen during the battle.
context_section_description: At this point, the attack became confused, as all 31 remaining Dauntlesses moved to attack Kaga. Best expected to attack according to U.S. dive bomber doctrine, which stated that the trailing squadron (VB-6) would attack the nearer target (in this case Kaga), while the leading  squadron (VS-6) would take the further (here Akagi). However, McClusky, who had been a fighter pilot before becoming CEAG, was apparently unaware of this, and decided to lead VS-6 against Kaga. As the leading squadron dove past him, Best realised what was happening and broke off to attack Akagi. However, most of VB-6 missed his signal to abort and continued their dives on Kaga. Left with only his two wingmen, Best now had just three planes to attack Akagi.
  Best's three SBDs launched their attack at 10.26am. The first bomb, dropped by Lieutenant(jg) Edwin John Kroeger, hit the water opposite the carrier's bridge. The second bomb, dropped by Best, punched through the flight deck and exploded in the upper hangar, in the middle of 18 Nakajima B5N2 planes parked there. The third bomb, dropped by Ensign Frederick Thomas Weber, exploded in the water, near the stern, jamming Akagi's rudder. Although only Best's bomb struck home, that hit, which touched off fuel and ordnance in the confined hangar deck, was enough to doom the Japanese flagship.
caption: The flight deck of USS Enterprise on May 15, 1942: The first SBD is either Best's ("B-1") or that of the CO of VS-6 ("S-1").
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