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On April 3, 1945, the escort carrier was
operating southeast of Okinawa. Near sunset, after completing landings for
the day, a violent wave hit the ship as planes were being moved on the
flight deck. Two aircraft were thrown off the flight deck and six other
aircraft were damaged. In the midst of these accidents, a Japanese
single-engine plane plunged at the ship and missed the port forward corner
of the flight deck, exploding in the water abreast the forecastle. Seconds
later, a second plane narrowly missed the bridge structure and plunged into
the water close to the hull. This plane exploded after impact, ripping a
hole in the ship's side below the waterline. Various compartments were
flooded and the main condensers were flooded with salt water, contaminating
fresh water and fuel oil. Salting made it necessary to secure the forward
engine, and the ship proceeded on one propeller. Remarkably, there were no
injuries; corrective measures were taken, and, by late evening, the ship was
again steaming on both engines. The next day, Wake Island steamed to
Kerama Retto for inspection by the fleet salvage officer. The escort carrier
set course for Guam on April 6 1945, and, four days later, arrived for
repairs in drydock.
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