Toward the end of World War II, Japanese suicide planes, also known as kamikazes,
presented a significant threat to the U.S. Navy. As soon as it was clear that a plane
was diving toward a particular ship, the ship could attempt to avoid being hit with a
violent maneuver—in addition to continuing to fire at the plane with its anti-aircraft
guns. Although a violent maneuver might move the ship out of the aim of the kamikaze, it also might spoil the aim of the anti-aircraft guns.