Editing Battle of Midway (section)

===American counterattack===
[[File:Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu adrift and burning on 5 June 1942 (NH 73065).jpg|thumb|''Hiryū'', shortly before sinking, photo taken by a [[Yokosuka B4Y]] off the carrier ''Hōshō''<ref>{{Harvnb|Parshall|Tully|2005|p=356}}</ref>]]

Late in the afternoon, a ''Yorktown'' scout aircraft located ''Hiryū'', prompting ''Enterprise'' to launch a final strike of 24 dive bombers (six SBDs from [[VS-6]], four SBDs from [[VB-6]], and 14 SBDs from ''Yorktown''{{'}}s [[VB-3]]). Despite ''Hiryū'' being defended by more than a dozen Zero fighters, the attack by ''Enterprise'' and orphaned ''Yorktown'' aircraft launched from ''Enterprise'' was successful: four bombs (possibly five) hit ''Hiryū'', leaving her ablaze and unable to operate aircraft. ''Hornet''{{'}}s strike, launched late because of a communications error, concentrated on the remaining escort ships but failed to score any hits.<ref name="Parshall 2005 328–329, 354–359">{{Harvnb|Parshall|Tully|2005|pp=328–329, 354–359}}</ref> A bomb from the ''Enterprise'' dive bomber piloted by [[Norman Kleiss|Dusty Kleiss]] struck ''Hiryū'' on the bow, essentially crippling her.<ref name="Battle 360">{{citation |title=Battle 360 - Vengeance at Midway |publisher=The History Channel}}</ref><ref name="Ultimate Warfare">{{citation |title=Ultimate Warfare - Courage at Sea |publisher=American Heroes Channel}}</ref>

After futile attempts at controlling the blaze, most of the crew on ''Hiryū'' were evacuated, and the remainder of the fleet continued sailing northeast in an attempt to intercept the American carriers. Despite a scuttling attempt by a Japanese destroyer that hit her with a torpedo and then departed quickly, ''Hiryū'' stayed afloat for several more hours. She was discovered early the next morning by an aircraft from the escort carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hōshō||2}}, prompting hopes she could be saved or towed back to Japan. Soon after being spotted, ''Hiryū'' sank. Yamaguchi, along with ship's captain, {{ill|Tomeo Kaku|ja|加来止男}}, chose to [[the captain goes down with the ship|go down with the ship]], costing Japan perhaps its best carrier officer. One young sailor reportedly tried to stay with the officers but was denied.<ref name="Parshall 2005 328–329, 354–359"/>

As darkness fell, both sides made tentative plans for continuing the action. Fletcher, obliged to abandon the derelict ''Yorktown'' and feeling he could not adequately command from a cruiser, ceded operational command to Spruance. Spruance knew the U.S. had won a great victory, but he was unsure of what Japanese forces remained and was determined to safeguard both Midway and his carriers. To aid his aviators, who had launched at extreme range, he had continued to close with Nagumo during the day and persisted as night fell.<ref name="Potter & Nimitz 1960 p.682">{{Harvnb|Potter|Nimitz|1960|p=682}}</ref>

Finally, fearing a possible night encounter with Japanese surface forces<ref name="Potter & Nimitz 1960 p.682"/> and believing Yamamoto still intended to invade (based in part on a misleading contact report from the submarine {{USS|Tambor|SS-198|2}})<ref name="Blair 1975 246–247">{{Harvnb|Blair|1975|pp=246–247}}</ref> Spruance changed course and withdrew to the east, turning back west towards the Japanese at midnight.<ref>{{Harvnb|Parshall|Tully|2005|p=344}}</ref> For his part, Yamamoto initially decided to continue the engagement and sent his remaining surface forces searching eastward for the American carriers. Simultaneously, he detached a cruiser raiding force to bombard the island. The Japanese surface forces failed to make contact with the Americans because Spruance had briefly withdrawn eastward, and Yamamoto ordered a general withdrawal to the west.<ref>{{Harvnb|Parshall|Tully|2005|pp=382–383}}</ref> It was fortunate for the U.S. that Spruance did not pursue: had he come in contact with Yamamoto's [[Capital ship|heavy ships]], including {{ship|Japanese battleship|Yamato||2}}, in the dark, considering the Japanese Navy's superiority in night-attack tactics at the time, there is a very high probability his cruisers would have been overwhelmed and his carriers sunk.<ref>{{Harvnb|Blair|1975|pp=246–247}}; {{Harvnb|Willmott|1983|pp=381–382}}</ref>

Spruance failed to reestablish contact with Yamamoto's forces on 5 June, despite extensive searches. Towards the end of the day, he launched a search-and-destroy mission to seek out any remnants of Nagumo's carrier force. This late afternoon strike narrowly missed detecting Yamamoto's main body and failed to score hits on a straggling Japanese destroyer. The strike planes returned to the carriers after nightfall, prompting Spruance to order ''Enterprise'' and ''Hornet'' to turn on their lights to aid the landings.<ref>{{Harvnb|Parshall|Tully|2005|pp=364–365}}</ref>

At 02:15 on 5 June Commander John Murphy's ''Tambor'', lying {{cvt|90|nmi}} west of Midway, made the second of the submarine force's two major contributions to the battle's outcome, although its impact was heavily blunted by Murphy.<ref name="Blair, 250">{{Harvnb|Blair|1975|p=250}}</ref> Sighting several ships, neither Murphy nor his executive officer, Edward Spruance (son of Admiral Spruance), could identify them. Uncertain of whether they were friendly and unwilling to approach any closer to verify their heading or type, Murphy decided to send a vague report of "four large ships" to Admiral [[Robert Henry English|Robert English]], [[Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet|Commander, Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet]]. This report was passed on by English to Nimitz, who then sent it to Spruance. Spruance, a former submarine commander, was "understandably furious" at the vagueness of Murphy's report, as it provided him with little more than suspicion and no concrete information on which to make his preparations.<ref name="Parshall & Tully, 359">{{Harvnb|Parshall|Tully|2005|p=359}}</ref> Unaware of the exact location of Yamamoto's "Main Body" (a persistent problem since the time PBYs had first sighted the Japanese), Spruance was forced to assume the "four large ships" reported by ''Tambor'' represented the main invasion force and so he moved to block it, while staying {{cvt|100|nmi}} northeast of Midway.<ref name="prange_320">{{Harvnb|Prange|Goldstein|Dillon|1982|p=320}}; {{Harvnb|Parshall|Tully|2005|p=345}}</ref>

In reality, the ships sighted by ''Tambor'' were the detachment of four cruisers and two destroyers Yamamoto had sent to bombard Midway. At 02:55 these ships received Yamamoto's order to retire and changed course to comply.<ref name="prange_320" /> At about the same time as this change of course, ''Tambor'' was sighted and during maneuvers designed to avoid a submarine attack, the heavy cruisers {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Mogami|1934|2}} and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Mikuma||2}} collided, inflicting serious damage on ''Mogami''{{'}}s bow. The less severely damaged ''Mikuma'' slowed to {{cvt|12|kn}} to keep pace.<ref>{{Harvnb|Parshall|Tully|2005|pp=345–346, diagram 347, 348}}</ref> Only at 04:12 did the sky brighten enough for Murphy to be certain the ships were Japanese, by which time staying surfaced was hazardous and he dived<!--This is the correct Sub Force usage; do not change it.--> to approach for an attack. The attack was unsuccessful, and around 06:00 he finally reported two westbound {{sclass|Mogami|cruiser|1}}s before diving again and playing no further role in the battle.<ref name="Blair 1975 246–247"/> Limping along on a straight course at 12&nbsp;knots—roughly one-third their top speed—''Mogami'' and ''Mikuma'' had been almost perfect targets for a submarine attack. As soon as ''Tambor'' returned to port, Spruance had Murphy relieved of duty and reassigned to a shore station, citing his confusing contact report, poor torpedo shooting during his attack run, and general lack of aggression, especially as compared to ''Nautilus'', the oldest of the 12 boats at Midway and the only one which had successfully placed a torpedo on target (albeit a dud).<ref name="Blair, 250"/><ref name="Parshall & Tully, 359"/><!--Because of some misleading reports Spruance thought there may have been a fifth carrier lurking to the north-west of Midway—the sighting of the cruisers did not influence Spruance's decision making: instead, he sent his carrier bombers to attack the non-existent carrier: it was these aircraft that later attacked the cruisers.--><!--Can you source it?-->

[[File:Navy fighters during the attack on the Japanese fleet off Midway, June 4th to 6th 1942. In the center is visible a... - NARA - 520591.tif|thumb|[[Douglas SBD Dauntless|SBD Dauntless]] dive bombers from Scouting Squadron 8 (VS-8) aboard {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|6}} approach the burning heavy cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Mikuma||2}} on 6 June]]
Over the next two days, several strikes were launched against the stragglers, first from Midway, then from Spruance's carriers. ''Mikuma'' was eventually sunk by Dauntlesses,<ref name="NatlGeo1999">{{Cite journal |last=Allen |first=Thomas B. |title=Return to the Battle of Midway |publisher=National Geographic |journal=Journal of the National Geographic Society |location=Washington, D.C. |volume=195 |issue=4 |pages=80–103 (p. 89) |date=April 1999 |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/midway |issn=0027-9358 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011120347/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/midway/ |archive-date=11 October 2009}}</ref> while ''Mogami'' survived further severe damage to return home for repairs. The destroyers {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Arashio||2}} and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Asashio|1936|2}} were also bombed and strafed during the last of these attacks.<ref>{{Harvnb|Parshall|Tully|2005|p=377}}</ref> Captain [[Richard E. Fleming]], a U.S. Marine Corps aviator, was killed while executing a glide bomb run on ''Mikuma'' and was posthumously awarded the [[Medal of Honor]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Parshall|Tully|2005|p=362}}</ref>

Meanwhile, salvage efforts on ''Yorktown'' were encouraging, and she was taken in tow by fleet tug {{USS|Vireo|AM-52|6}}. In the late afternoon of 6 June the {{Ship|Japanese submarine|I-168||6}}, which had managed to slip through the cordon of destroyers (possibly because of the large amount of debris in the water), fired a salvo of torpedoes, two of which struck ''Yorktown''. There were few casualties aboard since most of the crew had already been evacuated, but a third torpedo from this salvo struck the destroyer {{USS|Hammann|DD-412|6}}, which had been providing auxiliary power to ''Yorktown''. ''Hammann'' broke in two and sank with the loss of 80 lives, mostly because her own depth charges exploded. With further salvage efforts deemed hopeless, the remaining repair crews were evacuated from ''Yorktown''. Throughout the night of 6 June and into the morning of 7 June, ''Yorktown'' remained afloat, but by 05:30 on 7 June, her list rapidly increased to port. Shortly afterward, the ship turned onto her port side.<ref>{{Harvnb|Lord|1967|p=280}}</ref> At 07:01, ''Yorktown'' capsized and sank.