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In the annals of naval warfare, there are some stories that seem almost too incredible to believe. One such story involves the USS Pasadena (CL-65), a Cleveland-class light cruiser that survived a terrifying attack during World War II—a collision with a 450-knot human missile.
The year was 1944, and the Pacific War was raging on. The Allies had already suffered significant casualties, but the Japanese, with their fierce commitment to the defense of their empire, had developed a terrifying new weapon—one that was as deadly as it was unpredictable. This weapon wasn't a torpedo or bomb, but rather something much more unconventional: a kamikaze pilot.
The Japanese, desperate and determined to turn the tide of the war, began launching suicide attacks using their aircraft in the hope of inflicting maximum damage on Allied ships. These pilots, in a final act of sacrifice, would dive their planes directly into the sides of enemy vessels, often at high speeds. But there was one particular kamikaze attack in 1944 that would go down in history as one of the most unbelievable, and it involved an aircraft that hit the USS Pasadena.
On January 6, 1945, the Pasadena was part of a fleet of Allied ships involved in a bombardment of Japanese positions in Iwo Jima. As the ships steamed through the open sea, a Japanese Zero fighter, loaded with explosives, locked onto the Pasadena. The pilot, determined to carry out his mission, accelerated his aircraft toward the cruiser at full speed, and within moments, he was a human missile, aiming for the heart of the ship.
What happened next was sheer chaos. The Zero, flying at an astonishing 450 knots, slammed into the port side of the Pasadena. The impact was catastrophic. The pilot and the plane were both destroyed upon contact, but the explosion caused by the crash sent shockwaves through the ship. The force was immense, and the ship shuddered under the violent attack. Yet, despite the ferocity of the assault, the USS Pasadena survived.
Incredibly, the ship didn’t sink. The kamikaze strike had caused severe damage, but the crew’s training, preparation, and sheer determination helped them keep the vessel afloat. The ship was riddled with holes, fires raged across the deck, and there was significant structural damage, but the crew of the Pasadena managed to extinguish the flames and contain the flooding. Thanks to their swift actions, the cruiser remained operational, though it would take months to repair the damage.
This particular kamikaze attack was one of the most intense and surreal moments of the Pacific campaign. The speed at which the Japanese pilot struck the ship was almost incomprehensible, as kamikaze attacks were already terrifying due to the sheer suicidal nature of the tactic. But to survive a 450-knot human missile—a plane traveling at an incredible speed—was a feat of resilience that few could have predicted. The Pasadena’s ability to stay afloat in the face of such an attack became a symbol of the fighting spirit of the U.S. Navy, showing that even in the most desperate of situations, survival was possible.
In the aftermath, the Pasadena was taken to drydock for repairs, but the damage was so severe that it would never return to active duty in combat. Despite this, it continued to serve in various roles for the remainder of the war. The attack on the USS Pasadena serves as a stark reminder of the savagery and ingenuity of kamikaze tactics, and how one ship, despite all odds, survived a strike from a human missile traveling at nearly half the speed of sound.