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EMILY - Kawanishi H8K Navy Type 2 Flying-Boat Called the “Fly- gasoline drums on February 17, 1944. A pair of atacking aircraft
ing Porcupine” because she was armed with five 20mm cannons from the USS Yorktown CV10 hit her with bombs at the bow and
and four machine guns, plus she could carry two torpedoes midships, igniting her fuel drums into an immense explosion,
and either eight 250 kilo bombs or sixteen 60 kilo bombs. This ripping her apart, with the bow of the ship being cast 200 meters
formidable opponent could also cruise at 334 kph (207 mph) for away from what remained of the aft half of the ship. Four crew
4,500 nautical miles (8350 km). She had self-sealing fuel tanks members died.
and a fire extinguisher system. This plane was heading east from
Palau to the Dublon Island Sea Plane Base with several high rank- UNKAI MARU NO. 6 331’ (101m), 3,220-ton Cargo Ship was
ing Japanese officers on board. Mid-flight she was ambushed originally a “Venus” class vessel built in Great Britain in 1905.
by American fighters, who shot her up, killing many of those on The Japanese bought six such ships in 1911. No. 6 did not get
board, including the co-pilot, but she lost the Americans in the drafted into war use until just a few weeks before Operation Hail-
clouds and managed to limp back to Truk Lagoon. After crash stone. She was bombed by aircraft from both the USS Yorktown
landing she sank, but the rest of the crew was saved. and the USS Bunker Hill, but it wasn’t until an attack the next
day when USS Essex planes sank the fire-gutted ship. Three crew
HOYO MARU 475’ (145m), 8,691-ton Naval Tanker built in 1936 members perished.
as a commercial oiler and requisitioned by the Japanese Navy
in 1941. The ship was struck by a torpedo and a fire erupted YUBAE MARU 344’ (105m), 3,217-ton Army Cargo Ship built in
on November 6th, 1943. The ship made it back to Truk where it 1919, arrived in Truk with as escorted convoy just one week be-
was undergoing repairs when it was bombed again on Febru- fore Operation Hailstone. She was used by the Japanese Navy to
ary 17, 1944 by planes from the carriers USS Enterprise and USS transport troops and cargo, although she had only a few men on
Yorktown CV10. The ship capsized and sank with the loss of six board when a pair of of planes from the Carrier Bunker Hill CV17
crewmen. attacked with a 1000-lb bomb and a torpedo hit, which sank her
in one hour. One troop died, and two were wounded.
TAIHO MARU 321’ (98m), 2,827-ton Cargo Ship was used for aux-
iliary assignments and was in Truk Lagoon with a load of aviation
