Japanese flag signed by WWII kamikaze pilots 

This WWII era aircraft carrier was struck by a Japanese kamikaze pilot during the war, killing 52 men and injuring over 100. What the U.S. Navy did not know was that at the time the Japanese had no other choice in weapons or tactics.  Air battles had resulted in heavy pilot casualties and American submarines had sunk so many of their carriers that training flights were severely curtailed.  Many student pilots had no time to learn conventional bombing and torpedo tactics.  We saw diagrams of suggested angles of attack for kamikaze pilots, who were sent on their mission without enough fuel to return. They either hit their target, crashed or drowned.

USS Lexington 1942-1991, now decommissioned
Japanese flag on the bridge shows
 location of the WWII strike