360 | Battle

He dived. The world turned into a blur of grey sea and black flak. Tracers from the Enterprise's 20mm and 40mm guns stitched the sky, creating a literal wall of lead. He watched a Japanese "Judith" bomber explode just yards from the ship's hull, the fireball reflected in the carrier’s windows.

Lieutenant Jack Taylor tightened his flight mask as his Hellcat was catapulted into the glare of the morning sun. From his cockpit, the view was a chaotic panorama. Below, the Enterprise began its defensive dance, carving massive white arcs in the blue water to dodge incoming torpedoes. Battle 360

Hours felt like seconds. By the time Taylor’s tires chirped back onto the wooden deck, the "Grey Ghost" was scorched and battered but still floating. To the north and south, the Japanese fleet was in retreat, their "pincer" shattered by the sheer resilience of a ship they had claimed to sink half a dozen times before. He dived