A question about a movie

[Clone155]

In class my history teacher was telling some of the kids about a movie and I really wasn't paying attention, until I heard the word Kamikaze. He said this guy died on a destroyer by a kamikaze plane that went through the bulk head of the ship and killed him.

That is when I piped in, and said "How would a kamikaze plane go through the bulk head? And why did they target a destroyer and not a higher value ship?"

I was told not to ruin the story, but I am curious, did they target destroyers? And could a kamikaze plane go through the bulk head of a destroyer?

[gyrene81]

I was told not to ruin the story, but I am curious, did they target destroyers? And could a kamikaze plane go through the bulk head of a destroyer?

Yes and yes...the bulk head isn't so thick it can't be penetrated by something ramming it at 300+ mph.

[Blooz]

Any history of the battle of Okinawa would have your answer. Many destroyers were hit by kamikaze during that operation. Destroyers are "picket" ships. They are "lookouts". They screen the fleet and are on the outer edges of the fleet looking with their radars for enemy and ready to warn the fleet of an incoming attack. These ships needed to be knocked out to knock out this early warning service they provided.

Here's the episode of Dogfights that covered this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUL3rS9utnc

[AWwrgwy]

Pay attention in school, bonehead.


wrongway

[Clone155]

Pay attention in school, bonehead.


wrongway

Yeah right like they would teach us anything interesting.

[gyrene81]

Yeah right like they would teach us anything interesting.

So you're saying the story about the destroyer wasn't interesting? Not interesting enough to pursue the subject further, after school?

[Clone155]

So you're saying the story about the destroyer wasn't interesting? Not interesting enough to pursue the subject further, after school?

What is this, a witch hunt? He was shooting the breeze after class.

[Shuffler]

What is this, a witch hunt? He was shooting the breeze after class.

The confusion is self inflicted..... you said "...in class my history teacher....".

[Guppy35]

Go to the library and find a copy of "The Ship that would not die" by Julian Bectan.

It's the story of the picket destroyer USS Laffey.  It was hit by five Kamikaze and three bombs.  The picket destroyers were stationed out a way from the main fleet to prevent the Kamikaze from getting too close via their radar.  Many of them were hit.

Kamikaze's most definately went through bulkheads of ships.

The USS Laffey still exists btw as a Museum

http://www.patriotspoint.org/exhibits/fleet/laffey.html

[LYNX]

In History class you will learn how our forefathers have brought society into what it is today.

In Physics class you will learn about kinetic energy.

In Hollywood class you will learn that fantasy dulls the mind.

[Plawranc]

In History class you will learn how our forefathers have brought society into what it is today.

LYNX, we already know it is a complete and total fudge up. I love history and pursue it with a fury. But for my comrades I will say this, we already know history hit the chitty tree at 500 MPH. Why do we need to know how?

[Maverick]

Clone, what is the Navy term for a "wall" in a ship or boat?

[cpxxx]

In fact the picket destroyers probably took a lot of hits because the average Kamikaze was a young kid barely out of high school, poorly trained and ingrained with the notion of dying for the Emperor. So they went after the first American ship they saw. His notion of a valuable target was the first one they saw. Flying past a target in the hope of finding something bigger would be beyond most of them. The picket destroyers served as a valuable buffer for the main fleet.

A similar thing happened in the Falklands. The Argentine pilots, while not Kamikaze would tend to attack the first thing they saw and the outlying ships like HMS Coventry and HMS Sheffield took the brunt of the air attacks. Both were lost.

[Cthulhu]

Go to the library and find a copy of "The Ship that would not die" by Julian Bectan.

It's the story of the picket destroyer USS Laffey.  It was hit by five Kamikaze and three bombs.  The picket destroyers were stationed out a way from the main fleet to prevent the Kamikaze from getting too close via their radar.  Many of them were hit.

Kamikaze's most definately went through bulkheads of ships.

The USS Laffey still exists btw as a Museum

http://www.patriotspoint.org/exhibits/fleet/laffey.html

Thanks for the info Guppy.   I had no idea that the Laffey was still around. I'm actually surprised the Navy didn't scrap it after the pounding it took.