World War II Navy pilot Herbert Houck, who led the final assault that sank Japan’s behemoth battleship Yamato in the struggle for Okinawa, has died. He was 86.
Mr. Houck, who shot down six planes and earned three Navy crosses, died Feb. 24 in Cape Coral, Fla.
The Yamato was one of only two 72,000-ton battleships and carried the largest guns ever sent to sea–nine of them, each of which could hurl 3,200-pound armor-piercing shells.
Once American troops began landing on Okinawa in April 1945, the Yamato, along with an accompanying cruiser and eight destroyers, was sent to thwart the invasion.
But Mr. Houck, then a lieutenant commander and head of 43 fighter, dive-bomber and torpedo planes flying off the aircraft carrier Yorktown the afternoon of April 7, 1945, turned the glory to the American side.
Mr. Houck later wrote that his group’s primary target was the escort ships. But, seeing the Yamato listing heavily after attacks by other planes, he gave the order to send some of his torpedo bombers at the Yamato.
