USS Gilligan (DE-508) - Struck By A Kamikaze

Struck By A Kamikaze

Gilligan came under kamikaze attack 12 January. A sailor under fire from the attacking plane leaped from his post onto the main battery director and threw it off target, a mistake which prevented the 5-inch guns from getting off more than 1 round although it was able to fire an additional 13 rounds thirty minutes later at a second plane that dived into the USS Suesens (DE-342). The kamikaze crashed directly into the muzzles of Gilligan's No. 2 40 mm gun, killing 12 men (10 missing in action, 1 killed in action, and 1 who died of his injuries shortly after the attack) and wounding 13, and started raging fires. Outstanding damage control kept the ship seaworthy; she put in at Leyte 17 January for repairs, subsequently reaching Pearl Harbor 21 February for overhaul.