Kiyoshi Ogawa

Kiyoshi Ogawa (Japanese: 小川 清 Ogawa Kiyoshi, 23 October 1922 – 11 May 1945) was a Japanese Naval Aviator Ensign (少尉) of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. As a Kamikaze pilot, Ensign Ogawa's final action took place on May 11, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa. Piloting a bomb-laden Mitsubishi Zero fighter during Operation Kikusui No. 6, Ogawa at the age of 22 went through antiaircraft fire and attacked the US aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17). He dropped a 550-lb bomb, never pulled out of the dive, and crashed deliberately into the flight deck near the control tower of the US aircraft carrier. The bomb penetrated Bunker Hill's flight deck and exploded, gasoline fires flamed up and several explosions took place, when re-armed and re-fueled planes on deck exploded and caught fire. Nearly 400 US crewmen died with Ensign Ogawa and the ship was knocked out of the war.