The Battle of the Philippine Sea - June 19-20, 1944

June 19 2012 | me

[moonshot925]

USN losses:

• 1 BB damaged (South Dakota)
• 130 aircraft destroyed

IJN losses:

• 2 CVs sunk (Shokaku, Taiho)
• 1 CV heavily damaged (Zuikaku)
• 1 CVL sunk (Hiyo)
• 2 CVLs damaged (Junyo, Chiyoda)
• 1 BB damaged (Haruna)
• 1 CA damaged (Maya)
• 1 DD damaged (Shigure)
• 2 tankers sunk
• 750 aircraft destroyed

[moonshot925]

[Patton@Bastogne]

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"Thanks" for a GREAT post !


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[goodnesswins]

Great pictures.

[dirtboy]

My grandfather was on this ship.

[Fiji Hill]

I get a kick out of the Japanese ship names. Apparently aircraft carriers were named for birds and mythical flying critters such as the phoenix as well as dragons; battleships and cruisers were named for mountains, and destroyers for weather and atmospheric phenomena--there was even one named the Floral Fragrance.

• Shōkaku = Flying Crane
• Zuikaku = Lucky Crane
• Taihō = Phoenix (mythical bird)
• Jun'yō = Falcon
• Maya--Mountain near Kobe, Japan
• Haruna--Volcano on the coast of Honshū
• Shigure = Drizzle

[Retain Mike]

Thanks for the great post.

[PzLdr]

Taiho was well named. She went up in flames.

[PzLdr]

Not sure that battleships were all named after mountains. YAMATO was the ancient name for Japan. And MUSASHI, as far as I can tell, was named for Japan’s greatest Samurai.

[GATOR NAVY]

According to the Imperial Japanese Navy Page, Musashi was named after an old province that included Tokyo. Musashi Province.

As far as I know the Japanese did not name any ships after people.

On an aside, my oldest son is named after the samurai Musashi. His name is Takezo, an alternative reading of the same kanji as Musashi 武蔵. Musashi's name as a boy was Takezo.