Talk:USS Purdy

Okinawa action
My father was the radar officer for Desron 63, Capt. Charles A. Buchanan, Commodore. The Purdy became the flagship after the USS Hyman was hit by kamikaze on Apr. 6, 1945. He was in the CIC when she was hit and his memoir states:"I was told later that the plane had hit the water and bounced into the side of the ship. Most of the plane fell back on the water, but the 14" naval projectile it was carrying penetrated and exploded underneath the wardroom. A piece of the projectile's copper rotating band was found." Apparently it was a Japanese practice to arm a kamikaze with a battleship gun shell and instruct the pilot to aim for the water just shy of the ship with the expectation that the shell would detonate against the hull below the waterline. Dad also said they would come in upside down so if they were killed they wouldn't slump over the stick and dive the plane short. The only provenance I have is his memoirs of the Hyman, Purdy, and the next flagship for Desron 63, the USS Compton. 2600:100B:B13D:94D3:0:19:B309:5D01 (talk) 06:41, 2 January 2024 (UTC)