A towering column of black smoke marks the escort carrier USS Suwannee after being struck by a Japanese kamikaze aircraft on October 26, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Photographed from a sister escort carrier, USS Petrof Bay, this image captures one of the many close calls suffered by the U.S. Navy's 'baby flattops' as Japan turned to suicide attacks in a desperate bid to halt the American advance in the Philippines. Project: 218483