April 7 in U.S. Military History

1945: Carrier-based bombers and torpedo bombers from Adm. Marc Mitscher’s Task Force 58 engage and sink the Japanese battleship Yamato, the largest battleship ever constructed. Only 280 of the 2,778 crew are rescued, making the attack the largest loss of life at sea of a single ship during World War II. In addition to Yamato, a Japanese cruiser and four destroyers were also sunk at a cost of only 10 U.S. aircraft.

1979: The nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine USS Ohio (SSBN-726), the largest submarine built by the U.S. Navy, is launched at the Groton, Conn. shipyard.