Instinctive behavior occurs when an animal has a particular internal state while it is in the presence of a specific external stimulation called a releaser or a sign stimulus.
47 Ships Sunk by Kamikaze Aircraft. by Bill Gordon. Sources differ regarding the number of ships sunk by kamikaze aircraft during World War II. Inoguchi (1958, 211-34) lists the names of 34 ships sunk by kamikaze attacks, and Warner (1982, 323-34) gives the names of 57 ships sunk by special attack aircraft. However, an examination of other historical records indicates that both of these two lists do not have the correct number of ships sunk by kamikaze.
PT-109 sinks; Lieutenant Kennedy is instrumental in saving crew. On this day in 1943, a Japanese destroyer rams an American PT (patrol torpedo) boat, No. 109, slicing it in two. The destruction is so massive other American PT boats in the area assume the crew is dead. Two crewmen were, in fact, killed, but 11 survived, including Lt. John F. Kennedy. Japanese aircraft had been on a PT boat hunt in the Solomon Islands, bombing the PT base at Rendova Island.