 Alaska remained with TG 58 @.@ 4 for the Battle of Okinawa . She was assigned to screen the carriers Yorktown and Intrepid ; the fleet left Ulithi on 14 March and reached its operational area southeast of Kyushu four days later . The first air strikes on Okinawa began that day , and claimed 17 Japanese aircraft destroyed on the ground . Here , Alaska finally saw combat , as the Japanese launched a major air strike on the American fleet . Her anti @-@ aircraft gunners destroyed a Yokosuka <unk> bomber attempting to crash into Intrepid . Shortly thereafter , Alaska was warned that American aircraft were in the vicinity . About ten minutes later , her gunners spotted an unidentified aircraft , approaching in what they thought was a threatening manner ; they shot down what turned out to be an F6F Hellcat fighter , though the pilot was uninjured . Later that afternoon , Alaska shot down a second Japanese bomber , a Yokosuka D4Y . 
