When the Japanese planned the major offensive plan, they were supported by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's Combined Fleet, which would maneuver to the east with the goal of bringing the remaining American carriers into battle and sinking them, according to abouteducation.com. Advancing and moving forward, on October 23, the …show more content…
The Enterprise task group had sailed into a slight rain squall, in consequence of that, they did not see the Japanese air groups.¨ All the anger was concentrated in the Hornet. At 10:12 am, the ¨Val¨ dive bombers opened up the assault. ¨ (USS HORNET) The Captain, Captain Manson kept her sailing at a high speed. Twisting, turning, to try and avoid and dodge all the bombs raining from the sky. One scored a hit and hit at the end the Hornet’s flight deck.
The flight leader of the Shokaku, which had been by an anti-aircraft fire recently, purposely crashed his aircraft into the Hornet's island superstructure. "By doing this, the signal bridge and rained live ordnance and flaming debris onto, and through, the flight deck below." "As the last group of the bombers dove down, the torpedo aircraft closed in from multiple directions." Two torpedoes had struck the hull on the starboard side. Three more bombs exploded at various levels within the ship, and a burning torpedo aircraft made a suicide crash into the forward hull on the port