Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, 1942: Death of USS Hornet

Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, 1942: Death of USS Hornet - Animated

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House of History

Күн бұрын

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@HoH 3 ай бұрын

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@danielsantiagourtado3430 3 ай бұрын

You're the Best! Never miss a video 😊😊😊❤❤

@QuizmasterLaw 3 ай бұрын

You are a most excellent narrator and it is a real pleasure to hear your voice and listen to what you say. Video is also really good. liked & commented.

@HoH 3 ай бұрын

@@QuizmasterLaw Thanks!

@ItzSevEditz 3 ай бұрын

@@HoH,can you make english channel dash?

@Lina_Antoniou 2 ай бұрын

AI doesn't sound like a good idea for content creation, I think.

@CristinaMarshal 3 ай бұрын

Marvelously done, I had not realized how much punishment the Hornet took, and what it took for her to finally turn asunder. I look forward to your continuing series on this section of the War.

@bkjeong4302 3 ай бұрын

The last of the massive Shokakus vs. Yorktowns battles, and the one that broke them; the Shokakus ran out of pilots after this and no longer posed the massive threat they did throughout 1942, and the Yorktowns were now down to just a badly damaged Enterprise and the time of the Essex-class would soon be upon them.

@recoil53 3 ай бұрын

By the end of 1942, the Japanese lost half of the original pilots from Pearl Harbor, 55% IIRC. All these tactical losses for the USN had gutted the IJN.

@bkjeong4302 3 ай бұрын

@@recoil53 Most of that was after Midway, even, so the decline was even steeper than that.

@matthewhecht9257 3 ай бұрын

The Enterprise and both SHokakus did battle again at Phillippine Sea (but this time with 8 more powerful newer carriers there) and the last of each battled at Cape Engano in very uneven fight.

@bkjeong4302 3 ай бұрын

@@matthewhecht9257 By Philippine Sea the Shokakus were no longer a viable threat with their pilot corps having been replaced by rookies, and on the American side Enterprise was no longer the dominant force she’d been in 1942 as now the Essex-class had taken over. So while the Yorktowns and Shokakus fought each other even in 1944 (twice), it was Santa Cruz that really marked the climax of that rivalryz

@traviscaudle3205 3 ай бұрын

If this series is going to become regular on the pacific I'd love for you to create a pacific naval playlist!

@BP-1988 2 ай бұрын

My father was an SBD pilot from the USS Hornet in VS-8. During the battle of Santa Cruz he was credited with hitting the Shokaku with his 1000 lb. bomb. As the video points out, Gus Widhelm lead a mixed VS-8/VB-8 15-plane attack with a fighter escort of only 4 VFs. The VFs did not launch with them. The SBD pilot's apprehension was off the scale because the VF and VTs were new to the Hornet and they had never coordinated with them - let alone having only 4 fighters with them! Gus Widhelm was the one who figured out where the IJN carriers would be, passing up the chance to attack a formation of possible IJN battleships and cruisers. His group was then jumped by Zeros which attacked Gus's plane first and shot him down. After that they didn't see any of their 4 fighters escorting them and figured they must have been shot down as well. (They weren't and all got back OK as their squadron leader dove immediately and then bugged out. This was told to my dad by one of the pilots later in the war.) A Zero then flew through the rest of the SBDs firing to breakup their formation. In desperation and not wanting to get pick off, my father push over on the Shokaku. At this point he felt he didn't have a chance to get back to the Hornet because he felt they had exceeded their maximum range and momentarily considered crashing the carrier's deck. Fortunately, his dive went well and he got a hit. He pulled out at 500' looking for cloud cover for his escape. Suddenly a Zero swished by his SDB. He pulled up slightly and fired his .50 calibers. At first he wasn't sure he had hit the Zero until he saw the pilot bailout. Unfortunately, my father's gunner was badly wounded in this exchange from a 20mm exploding shell and its shrapnel from the Zero. When he sighted the Hornet it was dead in the water, listing, and unable to land planes. Fortunately he was able to find the USS Enterprise. After an initial wave off and with almost empty fuel tanks he was able to land catching #2 wire. His rear gunner had lost so much blood that as his plane was being pushed aside, an Enterprise plane handler pointed at his SBD and said "Look that plane is bleeding!" His rear gunner spent 6 months in the hospital but survived and lived until 2007. In addition to the Battle of Santa Cruz, he also saw action at the Battle of Midway, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, as well as attacks on Japanese installations at Truk Lagoon, Hollandia, Palau, Wake Island, Wolei, the Marshall Islands, and the Caroline Islands. He was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and 2 Air Medals.

@HoH 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing.

@RandalSaint 2 ай бұрын

My grandfather was serving on the USS Enterprise when your father was able to land on her and catch that #2 wire! Thanks for telling one of his stories.

@tompage6421 Ай бұрын

Incredible. 🇬🇧

@TheSnowMan-cy9tu Ай бұрын

What was his name if you don't mind me asking? I'd love to look him up and read about his accomplishments. I can't imagine the stories you've heard from his time in the military.

@BP-1988 Ай бұрын

@@TheSnowMan-cy9tu Donald Kirkpatrick. Fortunately before he passed, our family got him to write down his WWII experiences which hopefully will be made into a book someday. He and his bombing Squadron 16 are profiled in the book "Mission Beyond Darkness" by Lt. Commander Joseph Bryan. The book is about the battle of the Philippine Sea in June of 1944 where the US launched their planes in late afternoon to attack the Japanese fleet. Because of the late launch and the distance they had to fly, the US squadrons had to return and find their carriers well after dark. He is also mentioned in "Clear The Bridge" by Lt. Commander Richard O'Kane in the chapter about the USS Tang's mission (Life Guard Duty) to rescue pilots, including my father, who were shot down near Truk Lagoon in May of 1944. He also got brief mentions in "Carrier Strike" by Eric Hammel, "Hooked" by Commander Clayton Fisher, "No Right to Win" by Ronald Russell, "Pacific Air" by David Sears, "Pacific Payback" by Stephen Moore, "The Bravest Man" by William Tuohy, "The Dauntless Dive Bomber of World War Two" by Barrett Tillman, "The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign" by John Lundstrom, 'The Ship that Held the Line" by Lisle Rose, and the "War Below" by James Scott. For his efforts to help defeat the Japanese, he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and 2 Air Medals as well as ten Battle Stars for actions at Midway, Santa Cruz, Guadalcanal, Gilbert Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau, Wolei, Truk, Philippine Sea, Caroline Islands, and Wake Island. And yes, I am very proud of my father to this day.

@marvinm8343 3 ай бұрын

You forgot to include the carrier Junyo in Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo's Advance Force. This was actually a 5 vs 2 carrier battle in favor of the IJN, before Junyo's sister carrier, Hiyo's withdrawal on the eve of the battle due to a generator room fire. Again, the Enterprise survives with incredible luck.

@oleksandr2234 2 ай бұрын

That was the same luck from both sides named Tropical Rain, that saved American and Japanese carriers. Don't forget, that man american Planes also didn't find Japanese carriers and attacked Heavy Cruisers instead. Anyway...Japan lost much more (x3,5) of its best Pilots in this battle than the USA.

@adriancamano777 3 ай бұрын

People have know idea about how these young pilots on both sides were professional aviation and fought with honor and courage hats off too all and the spirit of the worker's who made the equipment for both sides 😢

@danielsantiagourtado3430 3 ай бұрын

Another Great video! Love your premiers😊😊😊😊

@nonbigbrain9662 3 ай бұрын

Enterprise again manages to survive the swarms of enemy aircraft. There’s a reason why she survived the war it’s because she’s got plot armor

@kkupsky6321 3 ай бұрын

Captain Kirk and Picard are great plot armour. Plenty of episodes.

@mimodesu7689 3 ай бұрын

They have named characters on board

@nonbigbrain9662 3 ай бұрын

@@mimodesu7689 that’s another reason

@nonbigbrain9662 3 ай бұрын

@@kkupsky6321 idk Admiral Halsey himself would’ve provided enough armor

@cjthebeesknees 3 ай бұрын

It’s in the name, this time round.

@clmk28 3 ай бұрын

WW2 carrier battles were insane, both the IJN and USN fought legendarily.

@KHK001 3 ай бұрын

Amazing video as always HOH!

@rossbabcock3790 3 ай бұрын

Great video! I've studied WW2 for years and I learn something new with every one of the videos you produce.

@Seag_Plays 3 ай бұрын

Once more, another wonderful animated video! Well done! Love your videos! You should make a video about the USS Maine explosion!

@TheIndianalain 3 ай бұрын

Didn't know the Japanese carriers were equipped with BF109s ;-)

@darkfox2076 3 ай бұрын

Amazing visuals and quality commentaries must be a History House video. Great stuff buddy, really appreciate your hard work and dedication to amazing content.

@harryshriver6223 3 ай бұрын

Very well done my friend, I enjoyed learning about this battle and the devastating effects on both countries.

@firebassgames7744 3 ай бұрын

dude, thank you so much for posting something about santa cruz :) i am beyond happy right now edit: i theorize that hes making a video on leyte gulf (9/3/2024)

@hazchemel 2 ай бұрын

Yeah, I'm hanging out for his whole Guadalcanal playlist

@daniellucas1494 3 ай бұрын

Another excellent post - nicely done sir!

@matmazan3355 3 ай бұрын

Fantastic video!

@CelxD 3 ай бұрын

Another great video!

@syukrir.robert8994 Ай бұрын

Just playing this exact battle in Battlestation Pacific. I kind of appreciate Kincaid's approach and tactical moves during this battle.

@williamjenkins9 2 ай бұрын

My father fought in this area, but never talked about it to me, and now that I have an interest in this history, I’m wondering how to learn about his experience in the navy

@DarkwaveAudio 3 ай бұрын

Love your videos and presentation. Keep up the good work. Cheers.

@HoH 3 ай бұрын

Thanks, will do!

@davidgaine4697 Ай бұрын

Amazing! I literally did not know this. I knew about 5 minutes deciding the battle of Midway but this stand off and the bravery of Hornet’s pilots drew a line under the efficacy of the Japanese to maintain or even surpass the United States. These three key battles of Guadalcanal and the continuing efforts of the marines on Henderson Field enabled the Commonwealth troops to defend Darwin and prevent invasion. I never realised how close the the islands were to Northern Australia. Talk about a close encounter. Japanese troops invading forces did not have a good reputation after Nanking and Singapore. The resulting atrocities would have been brutal. I take my hat off to Nimitz and Naval Intelligence knowing what Japan would do. It was probably inevitable that Japan would lose but the cost could have been so much greater and some historians say that Hirohito was only interested in an empire over the Coral Sea and did not favour invasion of European strongholds but that military strategists in Tokyo pushed him into being overly ambitious. With troops tied down in China an invasion of Australia would have been very difficult. Alarmists were adamant that white Christian lives were in harms way. Some even speculate a massive rescue operation would have been undertaken to relocate Australians to North America and that an ensuing peace treaty would have left South Africa as the next target. New Zealand would have survived because of its mixed population but that the geopolitical system would have been redrawn in favour of the Axis Powers. It just brings home to me how much of a World War it was. India could have succumbed and the Middle East would have become the Axis engine for oil while the Soviet Union would be a rump state stripped of its assets and raw materials.

@eskimo05w 3 ай бұрын

My Great Uncle, Lieutenant Peter A. Duffy, was Chief Machinist aboard the USS Hornet during this battle. He survived the sinking and was awarded a Purple Heart.

@iamrichrocker 3 ай бұрын

thx for bringing all of these heroes to our attention , events from 80 years ago..to say this is the best generation is a true and righteous statement..incredble uncommon valor..

@seanmccann8368 3 ай бұрын

Every generation is the best generation, every generation is the worst generation, every generation is as wonderful or useless as those before it or after it. No difference because human beings never change.

@robbabcock_ 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for a great video!

@tbd-1 Ай бұрын

And now, the rest of the story. After the battle died down and USN aircraft were returning it was on USS Enterprise to bring them all in. With an elevator out. And still repairing damage. Those who had the fuel (mostly Hornet's TBFs) were instructed to make for Henderson Field or Espiritu Santo. In the first round she brought in 47 aircraft with Swede Vejtasa being the last one to catch #1 wire, having his plane chocked in place on the spot. After dumping the cripples and striking the survivors below (again, with an elevator out) Enterprise started bringing in Hornet's aircraft. When the day was done she brought in 73 aircraft and those who ran out of fuel ditched and the crews picked up. Eric Hammel goes into this in detail in his book *Carrier Strike* , a worthy read on the Battle of Santa Cruz. And as I mentioned in another video, those Yorktown class carriers died hard. Hornet took up to 450 5" shells in her hull along with the torpedo strikes and she still wouldn't go down until the Japanese showed up.

@hazchemel 2 ай бұрын

Wonderful production, thank you and for adding the Japanese aircrew losses over 4 carrier battles totalling 400+, a powerful statistic.

@Napoleon1815-l8c 3 ай бұрын

This is one of my favorite carrier battles even though it is often overlooked by Coral Sea, Midway, Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf. Also, your videos touch on aspects of these battles that even the renowned series Battle 360 failed to mention.

@MarcusAgrippa390 3 ай бұрын

Admiral Halsey... Some loved him, others not so much.

@recoil53 3 ай бұрын

I mean, TWO hurricanes that records showed were forecast and that he had a lot of warning about? He was a glory hound at Leyte, being saved only because of luck and fatigue on the Japanese end. At that point getting the Japanese carriers would only be for show.

@TallDude73 3 ай бұрын

Excellent video, thank you

@krishnendukuila4383 3 ай бұрын

bro make more videos on naval battles of world war 2

@jonathanpurba2374 3 ай бұрын

The animation for the aircraft carrier looks good if it's sleeker like this

@stephendedalus6369 3 ай бұрын

Excellent Video of less covered battle ❤

@seanrice224 2 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@codyandrex152 2 ай бұрын

Nice to see a breakdown of the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands. The music is a little bit distracting though.

@melvinjohnson2074 3 ай бұрын

Looks like the carrier Junyo has been written out of history.

@MrEd-qg8td 3 ай бұрын

Yeah considering one of her Dive Bombers hit Enterprise.

@ATownDown32 3 ай бұрын

The junyou was there too.

@xwrn 3 ай бұрын

It's odd to me that the Japanese didn't try to board Hornet to examine the ship and search for intelligence. I feel if the situation was reversed, the US would have had volunteers lining up to snoop around a sinking Japanese carrier.

@lukewalken1316 3 ай бұрын

Hornet was in flames from stem to stern...it would be crazy to try to board her then

@bkjeong4302 3 ай бұрын

Because she was already sinking and on fire.

@Will-b7g 2 ай бұрын

Weak USN. Worst and weakest military in the world

@signalrapter7348 3 ай бұрын

Admiral Nimitz please I would like to know more about him

@caniconcananas7687 3 ай бұрын

In WW2 he was the supreme commander of the Navy in the Pacific. So no sailing, but planning and organising the war. Yes, behind a desk. Someone had to do it and Nimitz was the one.

@Feathermason 3 ай бұрын

Most excellant ! TY! (observation not criticism> audio narration seems off-distorted)

@HoH 3 ай бұрын

What do you mean?

@lukewalken1316 3 ай бұрын

South Dakota guarded Enterprise not Hornet

@muhammads.a.m4727 3 ай бұрын

Please make a video on USS DIABLO

@brookeshenfield7156 Ай бұрын

Excellent content. All Hail the Algorithm, and Aloha!

@smartaroy9514 3 ай бұрын

wonderfulllll..........................................

@scarletcrusade77 3 ай бұрын

Battle of rennel island soon?

@petrstindl2703 3 ай бұрын

South Dakota escorted TF of Enterprise - 1 reason why CV-6 took no torpedo hits thanks to Dakota flak

@DMac8674 3 ай бұрын

USS Smith was also with Enterprise's TF 16

@austinblack7991 3 ай бұрын

They need to raise her wreck and turn her into a museum

@andrewwaller5913 3 ай бұрын

It's a war grave.

@tbd-1 Ай бұрын

How are "they" going to pay for that?

@pvb3562 3 ай бұрын

12:50 well no, not over a hundred. 99 is fewer than a hundred... Are you guys ok?

@alexanderleach3365 3 ай бұрын

Bloody Santa Cruz, that is what this battle was called.

@WW...conquest 3 ай бұрын

Hi, I have a video suggestion. You could do the evacuation of odessa by the soviet navy.(great video by the way).

@HoH 3 ай бұрын

Great suggestion - can you point me in the direction of some good sources? A quick search online hasn't really resulted in anything detailed.

@WW...conquest 3 ай бұрын

I found a really good Russian website what documented all actions of the fleet (in English)from 1941 to 1944, but I cannot spell the name of it.

@WW...conquest 3 ай бұрын

I also found ww2db and weapons and warfare to have pages about it.

@WW...conquest 3 ай бұрын

It's not just the evacuation,there were naval actions as the siege was ongoing

@MinhNguyen-cn8kx 2 ай бұрын

Fantastico hornet.... Respect from Vietnam.... Allahu akhbar

@mohammedsaysrashid3587 3 ай бұрын

Extremely wonderful historical coverage video about Santa cruise islands between Japanese fleets and the US fleets during WW2 on the Pacific Ocean...thank you (house of history) channel for sharing

@WilliamMurphy-b6v Ай бұрын

Knowing that Americans boarded a key Japanese vessel might have later made the Japanese wonder about the security of their messages. The Americans did not want that. The Americans had already cracked the Japanese codes and did not want the Japanese to make ANY changes.

@kennethwilson8633 3 ай бұрын

History like this needs to be taught in schools…least we forget.

@nigellawson8610 2 ай бұрын

I wish you had not used a silhouette of Bf 109G6 to represent the Japanese strike force. But apart from that blooper, it was a great video.

@ag7898 2 ай бұрын

The fact we don't have CV-6 as a floating musuem and memorial is a crime!

@MinhNguyen-cn8kx 2 ай бұрын

Fantastico hornet... Respect from Vietnam.... Allahu akhbar

@MarkJoseph81 3 ай бұрын

I don't understand the strategy to scuttle a ship. Is it to prevent enemy capture of technology? It seems like a waste of ammo and attention.

@Lumi.MP3 2 ай бұрын

And that is why u don't touch the boats.

@Jeremiah344 2 ай бұрын

My great grandfather was on the USS Hornet when it sunk

@kristelvidhi5038 21 күн бұрын

Where was Saratoga when Hornet was sunk?

@janlindtner305 3 ай бұрын

👍👍👍

@kevinballenger1211 3 ай бұрын

Kincaid Hated To Leave Hornet, But Had He Didn't, The Saratoga Would've Been The Only Operating Carrier For The US. Unfortunately, She Wound Up Getting Sunk, And Enterprise Was Our Only Operating Carrier In The Pacific Theater, Until The Escort & Essex Class Carriers Came Later On! ⚓

@brianlanning836 Ай бұрын

Can someone who speaks Japanese please explain to me why Yamamoto's first name was "56"?

@MrTTuguldur 3 ай бұрын

Pyrrhic victory.

@jackymarcel4108 2 ай бұрын

Smith Eric Allen Jason Martin Thomas

@takitsan79 Ай бұрын

Japan lost valuable experienced pilots and never replenished them. If they had trained more of them and equip their carriers with radars the course of the war might be different. US would prevail at the end thanks to their superior industrial capability

@brokenbridge6316 3 ай бұрын

These battles ultimately doomed Japan to defeat. Nicely done video.

@Mike193Inf 2 ай бұрын

Nice animation as usual, but also lazy research- also as usual. At least 4 major errors in this presentation of the battle.

@geoffburrill9850 3 ай бұрын

Wonder whether the U.S. carriers would have suffered so much damage if they had had armoured decks like those in the R.N.?

@andrewwaller5913 3 ай бұрын

No, of course not. The kamikaze attacks later proved that.

@ATownDown32 2 ай бұрын

They would have less aircraft though , which couldve of saved some japanese carriers. Its a trade off

@burtonbinger5158 Ай бұрын

people inchaaaarge of aaair defence of our carierw needed ro wens 10 minutes to underwtnd what their job was and how to do it insstead of screwing out piolets

@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe 3 ай бұрын

Thought Midway sealed the fate of those Little Japanese Navy Bastards? We broke All Codes forever!

@joeblowe3180 3 ай бұрын

Why do you only show NEGATIVE videos about the USA? It's something I've noticed from you... it's kinda odd if I'm being honest. Especially because you're a European and you guys like to claim to be "fair" (lmao)

@doozledorf7036 3 ай бұрын

Europeans are very fake--friends to the US. Don't pretend

@joeblowe3180 3 ай бұрын

@@doozledorf7036 I know they are but at least try to look unbiased hahaha

@HoH 3 ай бұрын

I'm creating a chronological documentary about the Guadalcanal Campaign. Literally the video inbetween Savo & Santa Cruz you and your buddy commented on is a US victory. Not to mention the sinking of the Yamato and the Battle of the Bismarck Sea (some of my most-watched videos). You aren't just wrong, but you're lazy as well.

@matthewkreis317 3 ай бұрын

Given how difficult is proved to scuttle the Hornet, why didn't they tow her? Knowing what we know now, the IJN didn't have the planes and/or pilots to pursue the entire task group.

@tbd-1 Ай бұрын

Because they knew the vanguard of the Japanese fleet was just over the horizon and itching for a night battle. There's no way they could have towed Hornet out of the area fast enough to escape.