The most powerful aircraft carrier in the United States during World War II

The most powerful aircraft carrier in the United States during World War II

The Enterprise, nicknamed "Big E" (Enterprise in English), was the only U.S. ship to win the Presidential Collective Citation during World War II. and the Navy's collective commendation for the aircraft carrier.

An aircraft carrier formation is escorted by many cruisers and destroyers, with various aircraft circling overhead, and sometimes submarines are escorted underwater. Such a large display shows the status of the aircraft carrier in the fleet. There are thousands of officers and soldiers on the aircraft carrier to maintain the operation of this giant ship, including servicemen, clerks, cooks, air defense troops, radar troops, radios, signal troops and mechanics. There is usually a Marine Corps on the ship responsible for security. The commander of the Enterprise fleet was Admiral William "The Bull" Halsey. Halsey was strict in military management and had a resolute personality.

The USS Enterprise aircraft carrier formation belongs to the Pearl Harbor Fleet of the US military. Fortunately, the USS Enterprise formation was on a mission when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and it did not return on time because it encountered a storm on the way back. Therefore, it just happened to avoid the Japanese bombing. The Enterprise returned to Pearl Harbor about thirty-two hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In addition, although the Enterprise was not present when Pearl Harbor was attacked, the news was received and eighteen aircraft were dispatched to reinforce Pearl Harbor. However, they were helplessly outnumbered, and only twelve aircraft remained when they returned to the aircraft carrier.

On June 3, 1942, the Enterprise sailed to the Midway battlefield with two other aircraft carriers, the Hornet and Yorktown. In short, the mission of this fleet was to protect the U.S. naval base at Midway Island. , and try to consume the numerically superior Japanese fleet. On the morning of June 4, the Japanese army attacked first, and then the US aircraft on Midway Island began to counterattack, attacking the Japanese aircraft carrier fleet.

The Hornet sent 15 torpedo planes to attack the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga, but they were unsuccessful. Only one person survived. In comparison, the torpedo planes of the Enterprise were slightly luckier, and four of them returned to the Enterprise. . At this time, the Japanese Zero fighters were busy chasing the US torpedo planes, and did not notice that the Enterprise's bomber group was approaching the Japanese aircraft carrier. The Enterprise's bombers dropped heavy bombs on the Kaga and Akagi using dive bombing methods. Soon the Kaga and Akagi were severely damaged and eventually sank. The Japanese aircraft carrier Soryu on the other side was also hit by three to four hundred bombs. It was hit by a fifty kilogram heavy bomb and sank quickly.

The Japanese army was furious, and the only remaining aircraft carrier, the Hiryu, quickly launched a counterattack. Soon hundreds of Zero fighters pounced on the Enterprise like evil ghosts. The Enterprise used carrier-based artillery to attack the air. The firepower network and carrier-based Wildcat fighters provide protection, but the Yorktown next to it has been hit by three bombs. The top deck of the US aircraft carrier's runway is made of wood to reduce the weight of the aircraft carrier. However, the wooden deck burns faster after being hit. , more dangerous. Fortunately, the officers and soldiers on the aircraft carrier rescued the ship in time and spent two hours extinguishing the fire, repairing the deck and repairing the boiler room.

Unfortunately, the second wave of Japanese aircraft arrived that afternoon. The Yorktown was hit by a torpedo, suffered heavy damage, and eventually sank. The Yorktown's fighters had to land on the deck of the Enterprise. The U.S. military was not idle, and immediately sent planes to find the Hiryu and quickly sunk it. So far, all four Japanese aircraft carriers had been sunk.

In July of the same year, the Enterprise participated in a series of battles on Guadalcanal. In August, the Enterprise sank the Japanese aircraft carrier Ryusei, but it was also hit by seven bombs and was seriously damaged and almost sank. Returning to the field for repairs, in October the Enterprise and the Hornet severely damaged two Japanese aircraft carriers in the Battle of Santa Cruz in the Guadalcanal area, but the Enterprise was hit by six more bombs and the Hornet was sunk. After that, the Enterprise After holding on for nearly a year, it returned to the United States for overhaul at the end of 1943.

In 1944, when the US military landed on Leite Island, the USS Enterprise attacked again. On October 24, aircraft from the USS Enterprise and USS Franklin sank one of the two largest Japanese battleships, the USS Musashi.

The next day, in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Enterprise fighter jets destroyed the Japanese light aircraft carrier Zuiho. After the battle, the Japanese navy almost ceased to exist and suffered heavy losses. Since almost the entire aircraft carrier force Overturned.

The Japanese fighter planes had to take off from land, so the amount of fuel was sometimes not guaranteed. In this context, the Japanese Kamikaze was born. On March 18, 1945, during the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of aircraft suspected of being American fighter jets approached the USS Enterprise. One of them flew towards the USS Enterprise alone. It looked like a plane returning home. The officers and soldiers on the USS Enterprise did not pay attention.

However, when the plane was only fifty or sixty meters away from the Enterprise, the Americans realized something was wrong and hurriedly opened fire, but it was too late. The enemy plane dropped a 250 kilogram bomb on the flight deck of the Enterprise.

Perhaps the plane was too close to the Enterprise when it dropped the bomb. The bomb bounced several times on the deck and landed near the main gun without exploding. The soldiers on the Enterprise were frightened and stared at the bomb. Finally, a soldier couldn't bear it any longer, and he and his comrades carefully rolled the bomb to the stern of the ship and threw it into the water. However, the Franklin next to him was not so lucky, with one shot on each bow and stern.

On March 20, Japanese aircraft attacked the USS Enterprise again. During the melee, the USS Enterprise was hit by its own naval guns, and the hull caught fire. The fire was extinguished after more than half an hour, and the USS Enterprise continued to They fought back until 5:10 in the afternoon when they shot down the last Japanese bomber.

April 11, 1945, coincided with the Battle of Okinawa. At 1:30 in the afternoon, the first kamikaze team appeared. At 2:05, the first plane rushed towards the Enterprise. All the Enterprise's machine guns opened fire and the plane was shot down. Soon, another plane rushed over, and the angle was very tricky. The Enterprise failed to shoot it down. The plane hit the side of the ship, causing a fire. Fortunately, there were no casualties. After that, several more kamikaze planes flew over. Except for one that crashed into the sea, the incendiary material produced by the explosion of its own bomb splashed onto a fighter plane on the deck of the Enterprise and ignited it. The other planes did not cause any damage to the Enterprise. Major damage. The Enterprise then went back for repairs.

In May, the Enterprise returned to the waters of Okinawa. On May 12, the Enterprise sent planes to attack the Japanese airport. On the 14th, the kamikaze came again. Within half an hour, the Enterprise shot down five However, a Zero fighter plane rushed towards the stern of the ship and crashed into the ship elevator of the Enterprise. The Zero fighter plane and the bomb it carried caused the largest explosion in the history of the Enterprise. Crews from other ships in the distance captured the outrageous scene.

The Enterprise suffered unprecedented heavy damage. Although it did not sink, it lost the ability to let fighter jets take off. In four years, because of a suicide fighter with relatively high piloting skills, the Enterprise was destroyed for the first time. Withdrew from the battlefield, for the officers and soldiers of the Enterprise, the war was over (until the day Japan surrendered, the Enterprise was still undergoing repairs).

However, after the war, as the times progressed, the performance of fighter aircraft became better and better, and the USS Enterprise was outdated as an aircraft carrier. Former Fleet Commander Admiral Halsey tried to raise funds to build a USS Enterprise museum, but he failed. This super battleship that had won countless honors was finally sold as scrap metal. Pedro Sandoval, the former Enterprise damage controller, still shed tears when recalling this scene many years later. Who could have imagined the last time the Enterprise The destination of the voyage is the scrap shipyard? The Enterprise eventually disappeared, and its former crew members also passed away one by one, but this still cannot change the fact that it was once the most powerful aircraft carrier in the United States. It and its deeds in the Pacific Theater will forever be remembered by history!