How The USS Bunker Hill Survived 2 Kamikaze Attacks

A Story of Survival

On May 11, 1945, the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill was 70 miles off the coast of Okinawa. At 10 am, although its flight deck was full of planes, a Japanese kamikaze emerged from the clouds and crashed into the Bunker Hills flight deck. Seconds later, a second kamikaze appeared, plunging itself into the aircraft carrier.

The second plane also dropped a bomb on the ship before flying into the aircraft carrier. The combination of these two kamikaze attacks caused explosions and fires on the flight deck. Some sailors were blown off the ship, never to be seen again.

The men of the Bunker Hill spent the day fighting fires and defending themselves against additional kamikaze attacks. By evening, the fire was finally under control. Despite the heavy damage, the ship managed to stay afloat, slowly making its way to Pearl Harbor and safety. 396 men on the Bunker Hill died on that fateful day, while 264 were wounded.