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Joyriding in a captured "Shin'yō" suicide motorboat, Okinawa, 1 May 1945.
The Shin'yō ("Sea Quake") was a wooden craft designed in 1944 and deployed as a last-ditch defensive measure to Japanese-held island late in the year. It mounted a pair of anti-ship rockets, but the primary weapon was a 600-pound warhead carried in the bow, which would detonate on impact with its target. Several hundred of these boats were sent to Okinawa, where many were captured by American ground forces.
In this series, Marine intelligence personnel take Boat 222 for a spin. Officially, they were performing tests on "speed, load, and handling" but clearly figured it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun in the process.
All photos by Corporals Albert J. Giossi and Annunzio "Arthur" Sarno, III Amphibious Corps.