Fleet Air Wing 18 Established

FRI 4 MAY 1945
Pacific
Japanese planes attack Yontan airfield, Okinawa, and U.S. and British ships supporting Okinawa operation. Kamikazes sink destroyers Luce (DD-522), 26°35'N,127°10'E, and Morrison (DD-560), 27°10'N, 127°58'E, and medium landing craft LSM-190 and LSM-194; and damage light cruiser Birmingham (CL-62), 26°19'N, 127°43'E; escort carrier Sangamon (CVE-26), 26°01'N, 237°26'E [destroyer Hudson (DD-475) collides with Sangamon as the destroyer lies alongside, 26°01'N, 127°26'E]; destroyers Ingraham (DD-694), 27°10'N, 127°58'E; Cowell (DD-547), 26°11'N, 126°35'E; and Lowry (DD-770), 27°12'N, 128°17'E; light minelayer Gwin (DM-33), 26°13'N, 126°22'E; high speed minesweeper Hopkins (DMS-13), 26°32'N, 126°58'E; motor minesweeper YMS-331, 26°32'N, 126°58'E; British carrier HMS Formidable [carrier HMS Indomitable is also crashed by a suicider, but her armored deck deflects the attacker into the sea]. In addition, light minelayer Shea (DM-30) is damaged by a Baka, 27°26'N, 126°59'E; minesweeper Gayety (AM-239) is damaged by near-misses of kamikaze and Baka, 26°32'N, 126°58'E; motor minesweeper YMS-327 is damaged by kamikaze and by friendly fire, 26°32'N, 126°58'E; motor minesweeper YMS-311 is damaged by friendly fire, 26°00'N, 128°00'E; motor gunboat PGM-17 is damaged by grounding, 26°42'N, 128°01'E; large support landing craft LCS-31 and LCS-57 are damaged by air attack. Coordinated with the air strike, a minor Japanese counterlanding is attempted and repulsed.

Fleet Air Wing 18 (Rear Admiral Marshall R. Greer) is established at Guam for operations in the forward areas.

Submarine Cero (SS-225) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Shinpen Maru off Yamada Bay, 39°28'N, 142°04'E.

Submarine Trepang (SS-412) sinks Japanese minesweeper W.20 in Yellow Sea 140 nautical miles southeast of Mokpo, Korea, 34°16'N, 123°37'E, as W.20 proceeds to the scene of the sinking of escort vessel Oga, sunk by Springer (SS-414) on 2 May 1945 (see 2 and 3 May).

USN land-based planes sink Japanese merchant tankers Koan Maru and No.15 Takasago Maru off Pusan, Korea, 34°40'N, 127°30'E. Navy PBMs damage cargo vessel Harukawa Maru while she is en route from Jinsen to Moji, 34°50'N, 128°30'E.

Japanese tanker No.2 Yaei Maru is sunk by USAAF B-29 (20th Bomber Command)-laid mine off Singapore, 02°00'S, 105°00'E; stores ship Hayasaki is damaged by mine [laid by submarine Guitarro (SS-363) on 20 April 1945] while en route from Batavia to Singapore, 01°00'S, 104°30'E.

USAAF B-24 (13th Air Force) attacks Japanese shipping off Cape Camau, French Indochina, sinking auxiliary netlayer Tokachi Maru 08°36'N, 104°43'E.

Tank landing craft LCT-1358 sinks after running aground off California coast.