The Soryu damage sequence shows why a carrier is most dangerous to itself while preparing a strike. Thirteen SBD Dauntless dive bombers from Yorktown's Bombing Squadron Three attacked, and three bombs hit the carrier. One penetrated into the hangar amidships while the other hits reached the upper hangar area, where aircraft were fueled and armed for another launch. Burning aviation fuel and munitions produced secondary explosions that ruptured steam pipes and drove the fire beyond control in roughly fifteen minutes. Japanese destroyers later torpedoed Soryu so that the abandoned carrier could not be recovered. Normal sortie preparation had magnified the damage.
Notable Point · 1:05:52-1:07:30
Soryu's fueled hangars turn bomb hits into a ship-killing fire
Three Dauntless bomb hits reached Soryu while fueled and armed aircraft filled her hangars, producing secondary explosions and uncontrollable fires within minutes.