The four hits flooded an aviation-fuel space, engineering compartments, boiler rooms, magazines, and a damage-control station while killing personnel needed for the response. Counterflooding thousands of tons briefly reduced the list, but spreading water soon put trim-tank valves out of reach and eliminated propulsion. Two destroyers lacked the power to tow the increasingly heavy carrier. Once Shinano heeled far enough for water to pour through an open flight-deck elevator well, the inward rush and suction through an exhaust vent pulled escaping sailors back into the hull. Four hits would strain any ship, but the worsening list shows how damaged engineering, inaccessible valves, lost propulsion, and inadequate towing capacity combined.
Chapter · 1:29:49-1:35:15
Shinano's unfinished systems cannot contain progressive flooding
Four torpedo hits overwhelm engineering and damage-control spaces, while incomplete testing, lost propulsion, and failed towing prevent Shinano's crew from arresting the list.