USS Bismarck Sea: The last U.S. Navy aircraft carrier sunk in battle

What you need to know: The USS Bismarck Sea was the last American aircraft carrier lost in battle, sunk by a double Japanese kamikaze attack during the Battle of Iwo Jima on February 21, 1945. The attacks caused extensive fires, fueled by damaged torpedoes and explosives, which spread out of control spread across the ship.

– When ordered to abandon ship, the surviving crew jumped into the cold, rough water, where they suffered further losses from Japanese shelling.

-Of the 923 sailors on board, 318 died. Survivors witnessed the historic raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi, a symbolic event amid the tragic loss.

USS Bismarck Sea: The last aircraft carrier lost by the US Navy

The USS Bismarck Sea was the last American airline ever lost in battle. The year was 1945. Now, eighty years later, losing an aircraft carrier would be difficult for most Americans to comprehend. Such a drastic military loss would surpass anything that has happened in the lives of the vast majority of the population. Granted, airlines today are larger and more populous than they were during World War II; the loss would be greater.

But the idea still lingers: the life of a carrier today is incomprehensible and unacceptable, while the loss during World War II was not particularly remarkable.

Limited political will

The American public’s tolerance for military losses has decreased significantly in the years since the USS Bismarck Sea sank during the Battle of Iwo Jima. That’s a good thing, I’d say. Americans are less willing to risk the lives of their citizens. However, the results of that reduction in tolerance of US foreign policy have been damaging; America seems to have developed a tendency to take half measures in foreign conflicts as a method of saving lives, a noble intention, but still a nation should or should not commit itself to foreign conflicts.

In the case of America, the tact of half-measures has not produced desirable results. To be clear, in most cases it would not have been likely to make a wise choice.

Today, an American supercarrier carries more than five thousand sailors. Thus, the sinking of a single aircraft carrier would potentially result in a precise casualty event on par with the entire Iraq War (4,431 KIA). The American public does not have the political will for such a loss.

The Bismarck Sea sank into a different time when the American public’s tolerance for loss was near its peak. The Bismarck Sea sailed with 923 sailors. When she sank, after that suffering A double Japanese kamikaze attack resulted in the loss of 318 sailors. This is what happened.

Losing the Bismarck Sea

On the night of February 21, 1945, while the Bismarck Sea took part in the Battle of Iwo Jimaa Japanese aircraft, “struck the ship at the bottom of the aft elevator.” The impact was significant. “The crash caused four torpedoes to strike the hangar deck, severing the elevator cables and damaging the main line after the fire.

The first fire would probably have been manageable. But the glow of the fire, in the dark of night, attracted more Japanese kamikaze fighters. A second plane crashed in the Bismarck Sea “just before the lift well, where the entire fire crew was killed or fatally injured.” The second kamikaze plane caused another explosion, which “bended bulkheads and collapsed the decks in the ammunition storage areas, further fueling the fire.”

The fire spread. Aircraft, their fuel and their ammunition were consumed, which only made the fire worse. The ammunition started to explode. The captain ordered the sailors to abandon ship. The entire surviving crew jumped into the water and watched as the Bismarck Sea exploded and burned for two hours before finally sinking.

“Rough seas, cold waters and Japanese shelling cost the lives of many members of the (Bismarck Sea) crew.” Three hundred and eighteen sailors were lost. The survivors were plucked from the water and transported just off the coast of Iwo Jima, where they could see the American flag. increased on Mount Suribachi.

About the author:

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with a total of more than 1,000 articles on issues relating to global affairs. Harrison, a lawyer, pilot, guitarist and minor professional hockey player, joined the United States Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

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