ioed Midway with the first enemy ship contact report of the battle. Seven hundred miles west of Midway, EnsignJack Reid flew his PBY-5A across a largely empty ocean, nearing the end of the outward leg of his patrol. He found nothing of interest and started to turn back. Just as he did, Reid saw some specks on the horizon 30 miles ahead. At first he thought they were dirt spots on the windshield. Then he looked again and shouted to his co-pilot, Ensign Gerald Hardeman, "Do you see what I see?" "You're damned right I do," Hardeman replied (Miracle 49). At 9:25 a.m., Reid radioed, "Sighted main body," to Midway and began tracking the Japanese ships. Midway ordered Reid to amplify his report, and at 9:27 he radioed, "Bearing 262 degrees, distance 700." At 10:40 he reported, "Six large ships in column..." At 11 a.m., "Eleven ships, course 090 degrees, speed 19." At 11:30, Reid was ordered to return to Midway (Stevens 96). At 12:30, a flight of nine B-17 bombers, each armed with four 600-pound bombs and led by Lt. Col. Walter C. Sweeney, took off (Lucas 28). Three-and-a-half hours later, the B-17s found the Japanese ships 570 miles from Midway and attacked from out of the sun. Sweeney reported seeing two ships burning after the strike. In reality, Sweeney's B-17s scored no hits on the Japanese ships, and the return flight to Midway proved every bit as harrowing as the attack itself. With their fuel almost exhausted, the B-17s came within sight of Eastern Island at 8:30 p.m. The last Flying Fortress landed at 9:45 p.m. While Sweeney's B-17s returned from their attack, another strike of four PBY Catalinas, each armed with a torpedo and led by Lieutenant W.L. Richards, left Midway at 9:15 p.m. to attack the Japanese. All four PBYs returned safely, claiming three torpedo hits. One torpedo hit the bow of the tanker Akebono Maru, killing 13 sailors and wounding 11; the transport Kiosumi Maru lost a few crewmen to strafing. June 4 began for Midway's...
