photo #2678369

The destroyer USS Waldron (DD-699) approaching two sailors that had been blown off the deck of USS Enterprise (CV-6).On May 14, 1945 the carrier USS Enterprise was struck by a kamikaze aircraft off of Okinawa. A bomb carried by the Kamikaze detonated in the vicinity of the forward aircraft elevator. The explosion was tremendous, causing extensive damage and blowing several crewmembers into the water. The forward elevator was thrown into the air by the force of the explosion with some witnesses claiming it reached as high as 400' in the air. After crashing back down into the sea, a section of the aircraft hangar remained afloat. Two crewmembers from the Enterprise managed to climb aboard the piece of debris. This wayward piece of the Enterprize provided a makeshift liferaft for them as they awaited rescue.