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On 4 January 1945, while Ommaney Bay
transited the Sulu Sea en route to Lingayen Gulf, she was attacked by a
twin-engine Japanese suicide aircraft. The plane crashed Ommaney Bay’s
starboard side. Two bombs were released; one penetrated the flight deck and
detonated below, setting off a series of explosions among the fully-gassed
planes on the hangar deck. The second bomb passed through the hangar deck,
ruptured the fire main on the second deck, and exploded near the starboard
side. Water pressure forward was lost immediately, along with power and
bridge communications. Damage control parties had to abandon firefighting
because of the heavy black smoke from the burning planes and ricocheting .50
caliber ammunition. Escort ships could not assist because of the exploding
ammunition. By evening the stored torpedo warheads threatened to go off and
the crew was ordered to abandon ship. The carrier was sunk by a torpedo from
the destroyer Burns (DD-588). A total of 95 crewmen were lost,
including 2 killed on an assisting destroyer when torpedo warheads on the
carrier’s hangar deck exploded.
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