Strana 11
Seki, the unit took off to engage the enemy
on October 25, 1944, from Mabalacat Airfield
in the Philippines. Its members are credited
with sinking the escort carrier USS St. Lo
(CVE-63). Several other escort carriers were
also damaged that day, including USS Santee
(CVE-20), USS Suwanee (CVE-27), USS Kitkun
Bay (CVE-71), USS White Plains (CVE-66), and
USS Kalinin Bay (CVE-68). Most of the attacking
aircraft were Zeros, as nearly all available
aircraft assigned to special attack missions that
day were of this type — except for two Suisei
bombers. In total, 17 aircraft (15 Zeros and
2 Suisei), carrying 19 pilots, participated in the
attack. On the American side, 182 sailors were
killed, with at least 168 wounded. However,
the number of additional casualties on the USS
St. Lo remains unknown, meaning the true
number of wounded was likely much higher.
Despite its reputation, Shikishima Tai was
not actually the first unit of this kind. Earlier,
on October 21 and 23, 1944, two Zero pilots
launched special attacks from Cebu Airfield.
The first was Lieutenant Tōfu Kunō, and the
HISTORY
Lt. Shunsuke Tomiyasu of Kōkūtai 721 with his Zero in the final phase of the attack on USS Enterprise
on May 14, 1945. Photo: US Naval Heritage Command
The damaged area in front of the USS Enterprise's forward elevator after Lt. Tomiyasu’s attack. Photo: US Naval Heritage Command
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April 2025