Prof. Greg Jackson

He watches as they lower themselves down 60 feet to the water on knotted ropes.

Wanting to be the last one on the Yorktown, Elliot waits until he's confident everyone is in the water.

He then climbs hand over hand on the 30 degree pitched deck of his ship before finally stepping off the stern into the sea.

Elliott has done well by his men.

And it's even, dare I say, a positive affair for seaman E.R.

Budd Quong, who, upon stripping off his heavy, water-soaked anti-flash overalls, is pulled out of the water by none other than his high school classmate from Willmar, Minnesota, Peter Newberg.

Many Yorktown survivors do their best to make light of the situation while waiting for a rescue ship to pull them out of the water.

Men bob in life vests, holding out a thumb as if they're trying to hitch a ride.

Others call out, taxi, taxi.

A group begins singing the beer barrel polka.

Most of the Yorktown men are rescued.

Meanwhile, the battle rages on, and the Americans have their next target in mind.

The Kidobu ties fourth and only remaining aircraft carrier, the Hiryu.

Pilots on the Americans' two remaining carriers, the Hornet and the Enterprise, are now fueled by vengeance as well.

They want to get payback for the Yorktown's demise.

And this time, there will be no guesswork.

While the Hiryu wasn't grouped as closely as the other three Japanese carriers that have now met their end, Admiral Blackjack Fletcher sent 10 planes out to find it before the attack on the Yorktown occurred.

Physically and emotionally exhausted from hours of flying and the loss of far too many friends in a matter of hours, they nonetheless managed to spy the elusive last carrier as they flew back to the American fleet.

Armed with that intelligence as the sun draws toward the horizon, the Americans are more than ready to attack the Hiryu.

It's now just before 5 p.m., June 4th, 1942.