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Mural of Intrepid Ablaze
After Kamikaze Attack on
November 25, 1944
(Click to Enlarge)
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Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
The carrier Intrepid survived five hits by kamikaze planes, more than
any other single ship in the U.S. Navy [1]. Although the Intrepid had the
nickname of "Fighting I," she was also called the "Ghost
Ship," since the carrier returned to battle each time the Japanese thought
she had been put out of commission. The ship had to return to the U.S. for
repairs three times during World War II after suffering damage from torpedoes and
kamikaze attacks.
After the end of World War II, the Intrepid was decommissioned, but she was
recommissioned in 1954. The ship served as NASA's prime recovery vessel for
Mercury and Gemini astronauts in the early 1960s, and she did three tours off
Vietnam during the late 1960s. The Intrepid was decommissioned in 1974, and the
historic carrier avoided the scrap yard in 1982 when she opened as the Intrepid
Sea, Air & Space Museum, berthed on the Hudson River at 46th Street in
Manhattan.
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Intrepid Flight Deck
and Manhattan Skyline
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The hangar deck and the flight deck of the Intrepid Museum display over 30
vintage and modern aircraft and have a wide variety of exhibits on aviation,
ships, military technology, space exploration, and the Intrepid's
history. The museum complex also has the submarine USS Growler and a
British Airways Concorde jet, both available for visitors to tour. Other museum
highlights include a virtual flight thrill ride, the original mold of the Iwo
Jima Memorial statue, and a 9/11 exhibit. Visitors also can explore many areas
of this vast aircraft carrier.
The Intrepid was commissioned in August 1943, and her first crew of
3,500 men soon entered the war by
participating in the invasion of the Marshall Islands, the air strikes against
Truk, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history. The Intrepid
suffered its first kamikaze attack on October 29, 1944,
when 10 men in one of the gun tubs were killed [2]. November 25, 1944, turned out to
be the worst day in Intrepid's history, when two kamikaze planes hit
the ship within five minutes of one another, killing 69 and seriously wounding
85 [3]. After repairs in the U.S., the Intrepid returned to battle. Another
kamikaze approached on March 18, 1945, but the carrier escaped serious damage when
the plane crashed fifty feet away. However, the plane sprayed burning fuel onto
the hangar deck, killing 2 men and wounding 43 [4]. On April 16, 1945, the fifth and
last kamikaze plane hit the Intrepid, killing 20 men and forcing the ship
to return to the U.S. again for repairs [5].
A vivid mural painting of a kamikaze attack on the Intrepid is one of
the features on the hangar deck. The mural measures about 20 feet high and 30
feet wide, and many tourists have their photos taken in front of it. Next to the
mural is a small sign displaying three historical photos and briefly explaining the
history of the kamikaze attacks that occurred on November 25, 1944. Near the
mural is displayed a Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat carrier based fighter, which
downed many kamikaze planes during the war before they could reach their
targets. A big sign
next to the kamikaze attack painting says that coming soon will be:
"KAMIKAZE"
Day of Darkness, Day of Light
The Immersive Experience
That Puts You Here
November 25th 1944
The two people at the information desk only knew that this "immersive
experience" would be loud and should open by September 2004.
"The Men of Intrepid" exhibit displays several mementos and
photos. These include four fragments of bomb shrapnel and a shard of aluminum
skin from a Japanese kamikaze plane. The continuously running film shown in this
exhibit room has a seven-minute segment on the five kamikaze attacks experienced
by the Intrepid. Ten veterans give their recollections of these attacks
that killed over 100 of their shipmates.
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Blazing Kamikaze Plane
Crashes Into Intrepid Flight Deck
on November 25, 1945
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Entrance to the museum costs $14.50 for adults. The
two-floor museum store has a wide selection of clothing, models, books,
souvenirs, and videos. The store sells items on the history of the carrier, such
as the
video U.S.S. Intrepid: The Story of the "Fighting I" and the
book USS Intrepid (CV 11). Also, the store sells two kamikaze-related
documentaries (Kamikaze in Color
and Kamikaze: Death
From the Sky) and one book (The
Kamikazes, Hoyt). The museum has a large well-designed web site
on the exhibits and activities at the museum.
Date of Visit: August 15, 2004
Link
Notes
1. The museum web site and the film shown at
the museum indicate that there were five kamikaze attacks in total. However, the
plaque for the museum exhibit showing four fragments of bomb shrapnel from a
Japanese kamikaze states there were only four attacks in total. On March 18,
1945, a kamikaze crashed fifty feet from the ship, which started fires when
flaming gasoline and plane parts went onto the hangar deck (Sumrall 1989, 44).
This attack appears to be the reason for the difference in the count.
This note and the other notes demonstrate the difficulties in obtaining an
accurate facts related to kamikaze attacks. Even sources available
at the museum have inconsistent information.
2. The museum brochure provided by U.S.S. Intrepid
Association is the source of number killed. Sumrall (1989, 43) states the attack
took place on October 30, 1945.
3. Sources displayed at the museum consistently
indicate that the number was 69 killed. However, the book and the video
sold at the museum store indicate 65 and 73, respectively (Sumrall 1989, 43; U.S.S.
Intrepid 1995).
4. Hoyt 1983, 228. Other sources do not mention
casualties from this attack.
5. The museum brochure provided by U.S.S. Intrepid
Association is the source of number killed. Sumrall (1989, 44) states the total
killed was 8.
Sources Cited
Hoyt, Edwin P. 1983. The Kamikazes: Suicide Squadrons of
World War II. New York: Arbor House.
Sumrall, Robert F. 1989. USS Intrepid (CV 11).
Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing.
U.S.S. Intrepid: The Story of the "Fighting I".
1995. Produced and written by Deirdre O'Hearn. 50 min. A&E Home Video.
Videocassette.
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