1945-Contin ued

IS Ju), and returned to Tokyo targets (17 Ju) and

naval shipping at Yokosuka (18 Ju). The attack hit

Inland Sea shipping in the Kure area and airfields on

northern Kyushu (24 Ju), swept up the Sea to the

Osaka area and to Nagoya (25 Ju), and then repeated

the sweep (25, 28 and 30 Ju). After moving southward

(I Aug) to evade a typhoon, the force moved north-

ward to clear the Hiroshima area for the atomic bomb

drop and hit the Honshu-Hokkaido area (9-10 Aug),

and Tokyo (13 Aug). On 15 August at 0635, when

UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION 1910-1995

153

Admiral Halsey sent a message to his forces announc-

ing the end of hostilities and ordering the cessation of

offensive air operations, the first carrier strike of the

day had already hit Tokyo and the second was

approaching the coastline as it was recalled.

In this final carrier action of World War II, carrier

aircraft destroyed 1,223 enemy aircraft of which over

1,000 were on the ground, and sank 23 war and 48

merchant ships totaling 285,000 tons.

13 July Captain Ralph S. Barnaby, commanding the

Johnsville Naval Aircraft Modification Unit, reported

Planes of the Third Fleet attack camouflaged camas in assault on Japanese naval base at Kure, July 1945 490162