Fighting Squadron Eighty Seven - CAG-87 Attack on IJN Battleship Hyuga

Japanese Battleship "HYUGA" destroyed by Air Group's Planes

     Beginning on 1 March 1945, Hyuga was anchored in Hiroshima Bay without fuel or aircraft. More than 240 American carrier-based aircraft from the Task Force attacked Kure on 19 March and the ship was hit by three bombs, killing 37 and wounding 52 crewmen. Her anti-aircraft guns claimed to have shot down a single Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bomber during the attack.
     Re-designated as a fourth-class reserve ship on 20 April, Hyuga was towed to a new position within Hiroshima Bay and heavily camouflaged. She was later attacked again during the bombing of Kure on 24 July and was struck by 10 bombs that blew off part of her sterm, destroyed her bridge, and started major fires. Over 200 sailors were killed, including Captain Kusagawa, and 600 wounded by the attack. Progressive flooding caused the ship to sink in shallow water over the next several days and her crew was ordered to remove all easily accessible weapons. On approximately 1 August 1945, Hyuga was abandoned by the remainder of her crew.
     Her wreck was raised and broken up by the Kure Dockyard of the Harima Zosen Corporation from 2 July 1946 to 4 July 1947