One of the most remarkable and well-known "one-shot" events in the history of naval warfare, aside from the fatal hit on HMS Hood, was the single-shot kill of the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga during the Battle of Midway in 1942. While it wasn't a single shot that completely sank the carrier, the shot in question set off a series of events that led to Kaga's destruction.
The Battle of Midway and the Shot that Changed the Tide
During the Battle of Midway, one of the most pivotal naval battles of World War II, American dive bombers launched from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and the USS Yorktown attacked the Japanese fleet. The Japanese carriers were caught off guard, as their planes were already launched in a strike against the American forces at Midway Island, leaving the carriers vulnerable to attack.
The most famous moment involves Lieutenant Colonel James R. “Jimmy” Doolittle, who led one of the squadrons. However, a key shot was made by Ensign George H. Gay. As part of the American dive-bombing attack, his bomber group targeted the Japanese carrier Kaga, and a lucky and perfectly placed bomb hit the carrier's deck, igniting a massive explosion in the hangars. This bomb hit caused the Kaga to eventually sink after several hours of burning, which was a huge blow to the Japanese fleet.
While George Gay’s bomb wasn’t technically the only one to sink Kaga, it was the single, decisive strike that began the series of explosions and fires that doomed the ship. The Japanese aircraft carriers were particularly vulnerable to bomb hits because of the large amount of ordnance stored in their hangars, and the attack on Kaga significantly weakened Japan's naval power, contributing to the eventual American victory at Midway.
Why It’s Significant
The strike against Kaga was significant because it demonstrated how a single, well-placed bomb could cause catastrophic damage to a well-defended target, particularly when targeting vulnerable spots like the flight deck or hangar bays.
The loss of Kaga, along with the other carriers at Midway, marked a turning point in the Pacific War. Japan lost four of its most advanced carriers in a single battle, while the United States lost only one, the USS Yorktown.
It showed the effectiveness of dive-bombing tactics and how naval aviation had become a dominant force in naval warfare, rendering battleships and even heavy cruisers less relevant in the face of air superiority.
Why It’s Considered a "One-Shot" Kill
While the destruction of Kaga involved multiple bombs, the key shot that started the chain reaction was a single, well-placed bomb that ignited the carrier’s stores of aircraft fuel and bombs. This moment is often described as one of the most significant "one-shot" kills in naval warfare history due to its far-reaching consequences in terms of naval tactics and the outcome of the Battle of Midway.