The Ship That Shot Down More Planes Than Any Other

On May 11, 1945, two American destroyers found themselves alone 40 miles ahead of the fleet off Okinawa, deliberately positioned as radar pickets to absorb the first blow of an enormous Japanese kamikaze attack. When radar detected 156 incoming aircraft, USS Hugh W. Hadley and USS Evans became the only things standing between the attackers and the vulnerable carriers and transports behind them. American fighters destroyed dozens in the air, but scores broke through and descended on the isolated destroyers from every direction. Evans shot down 15 aircraft before four devastating strikes left her dead in the water, while Hadley fought an even more extraordinary battle, at one point destroying ten attacking aircraft coming from three directions in a matter of seconds. Then the punishment finally caught up with her. Explosions bent Hadley’s keel more than 50 inches, flooded her engineering spaces, destroyed her guns, and left the ship burning and sinking by the stern. Ordered to prepare to abandon ship, most of the crew evacuated, but roughly 50 sailors deliberately remained aboard to fight the flooding and fires until help arrived. Against every expectation, Hadley refused to sink. Thirty of her sailors were killed and 68 wounded, but her guns had achieved something no other vessel in U.S. Navy history has matched: more enemy aircraft shot down in a single engagement than any other American ship, before or since. This is the incredible story of USS Hugh W. Hadley, the destroyer sent to become Japan’s first target and the crew that survived one of the most overwhelming kamikaze attacks of World War II. -- As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Seas sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Seas is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.