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William Web Patterson
| William Web Patterson (deceased) Bill Patterson was born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1924. While growing up there he was active in both the Boy Scouts and Sea Scouts. World War 11 began while Bill was still in High - School, and he remembers reading about the epic battles in the Pacific. Upon graduation in 1942, he immediately joined the Navy as an aviation cadet. After extensive training he was awarded his wings, and commissioned in Pensacola, Florida as an Ensign in the Naval Reserve at the age of nineteen. Bill received operation training in the Grumman TBF torpedo aircraft. Later he would pick up a brand new TBM (General Motors produced version) at the factory in New Jersey, and would fly the aircraft to the West Coast. Here, Bill was assigned to VT-9 as a pilot, and commenced combat training with the unit, including carrier qualification. At this point in the War a typical carrier based torpedo squadron consisted of twenty-two pilots, who were generally between the ages of 20 and 22. The typical squadron commander was in his mid to late twenties, and the officers in the squadron were about 24 years old. VT-9 served on the carriers Essex, Lexington, and Yorktown in the Mariannas, Marshalls, Gilberts, Saipan, lwo jima, Okinawa, and Japan. Bill Patterson and his squadron also participated in the naval battle in the East China Sea on April 7, 1945 when the huge Japanese battleship Yamato, the cruiser Yahagi, and several destroyers were all destroyed. Bill put a torpedo into the Yahagi, and watched the Yamato explode in a giant mushroom cloud. Bill was awarded the Navy Cross for his action on this mission. When the War ended, Bill entered college on the G.I. Bill and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering. He spent his career in this field, while marrying and raising five children. Bill continued to serve as a 'weekend warrior' with the Navy Reserves. He flew with reserve attack and anti-submarine squadrons. Now retired and residing in Virginia, Bill enjoys visiting his children, walking, canoeing, gardening, and reading. |
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Last Voyage of the Yamato by Stan Stokes. The 74,000 ton Yamato and the Musashi were the two largest battleships ever built, and typified the Imperial Japanese Navys attitude that their ships should be superior to anything the United States had. As a comparison the German Battleship Deutschland displaced a mere 15,500 tons. Each of these ships carried nine 18.1 inch guns, the most powerful armament available on any ship at that point in time. The Yamato participated in the attack on Midway, serving as Admiral Yamamotos flag ship, and many of the other significant sea battles in the Pacific. By the time the Allies were preparing to invade Okinawa, the Japanese had been forced to utilize Kikusui tactics which would involve mass suicide attacks and individual suicide missions. The army had made numerous sacrifices, and senior Japanese naval officers realized that the Yamato would need to be sacrificed in the defense of Okinawa, as a matter of pride. The Yamatos 350-mile trip to Okinawa without any meaningful air cover would be a suicide mission, and the ship and its escort vessels were equipped with only enough fuel for a one-way trip. On April 6, 1945 the huge vessel departed and was immediately sighted by two American submarines, the USS Threadfin and the USS Hackleback. The information was passed on to the USN task force, and on April 7 an F6F from the USS Essex spotted the Yamato and relayed its position back to the USS Indianapolis, the flag ship of Admiral Spruance. An initial attack force of 280 USN aircraft were launched from nine American carriers, followed by a second wave of aircraft from four other carriers. Knowing that the Japanese had no air cover, the F6F Hellcats carried 500 pound bombs, and were joined by Avenger torpedo bombers and Curtis SB2C dive bombers. The Americans had learned from their earlier attack on the Musashi to concentrate torpedo attacks on one side of the giant ship. The Yamato was hit with numerous torpedoes and bombs. By 13:00 the giant battleship was listing 20 degrees to port and her antiaircraft guns were inoperative. At 14:10 another torpedo hit jammed the ships rudder, and the Yamato began to circle at about 8 knots. At 14:23 the Yamato rolled over and exploded in a giant mushroom cloud and sank with the loss of nearly 2,500 men. The Grumman TBF Avenger was the first torpedo bomber produced by that company. It bore a resemblance to the F4F Wildcat, and incorporated a unique internal bomb bay capable of carrying a 2,000 lb torpedo or four 500 lb bombs. The TBF was a big aircraft with a wingspan of 54 feet, and an empty weight of 10,080 lbs. It was capable of 271-MPH with a range of 1,215 miles. The Avenger incorporated a light weight electrically driven rear ball turret. The Avenger was so successful that General Motors was also pressed into service producing the aircraft with their version designated as a TBM. |
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