Hancock (CV 19) - Naval Cruise Book

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H ellolivers on the Wing strikes were launched between air raids which had commenced at 0400 and continued intermittently until about noon when an unusually large force of enemy planes attacked the formation. ' Shortly after noon one of the high-flying Zeke dive bombers picked out the Hannah as his particular choice for initiation into the reckless Japanese fraternal order. Peeling out of the sun the Kamikaze set his course straight for the Hannah in spite of the blistering fire of every gun she Couldtbrmg to bear. Incredibly he came-through the fire of twelve five-inch and nu- merous 40mm and 20mm batteries until a direct hit exploded the plane in mid-air about l000 feet directly overhead. Souvenir hunters had plenty of material as a ten-foot section of the fuselage and the left wing fell to the flight deck while smaller debris fluttered to different sections of the ship. Fire from the wing section was quickly extinguished 'and the Hannah con- tinued to fight off invading airmen. Flyers returning from strikes were pre- vented from landing by the twisting and turning Hannah's evasive action. Two Jap planes swooping below flight deck height in a frantic effort to get at the big ships, were pursued by fighter planes and finally knocked down

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T-Ti by fire from all sides. However, they did succeed in diverting attention from dive bombers overhead and within seconds one had suicided into the Cabot while another had hit the unlucky lntrepid. The Cabot's damage was not so severe for the enemy plane pilot released his bomb before striking. From each of the flaming ships, trapped men escaped. the flames and smoke by jumping over the 'side to be picked up by destroyers that pulled up along- side to aid in fighting the fires and to rescue men from exposed gun tubs. The lntrepid's planes returned from strikes to find their carrier deck aflame and cluttered with burning, wrecked planes. Low on fuel, many landed aboard the Hannah in the gathering dusk while others were forced to make water landings. Destroyers and lig-ht cruisers were hard-put to pick up pilots and carrier personnel when the Independence flight deck broke out in bright flames and more personnel were forced over the side by heat and explosions. By l92O the destroyers were forced to turn on running lights aided by the occasional quick stab of a searchlight to pick up missing personnel. Naval regulations required all hands to wear life jackets topside at all times and each man is provided with a tiny flashlight to signal his presence in such emergencies. Risking destruction themselves the tin cans continued the search through the night. Returning to Ulithi in the Western Carolines, the Hannah found time to sum up the box score for Operation Three. Heavy weather had allowed only two strike days which netted ,a total of eight enemy aircraft and one mer- chant ship destroyed. Typhoon Weather November 8 1944