Leyte Gulf, October '44

Robin Paul writes:

@:) 'lo, folks, I finally remembered to look this up (in "Battleship
@:) at War").  Sorry for the off-topicality.

  I looked it up also (in Sea Power).  I also am sorry for the topic
erroneity.

@:) [ stuff about the battle off Samar deleted ]

  @:) 21 BBs and BCs involved.	
@:) 4 Japanese groups, 3 including BBs:

@:) 1) Adm. Kurita: Yamato, Musashi, Nagato (BBs), Kongo & Haruna
@:) (BCs)

@:) Nishimura advanced through the Surigao Straits, blocked by the 7th
@:) Fleet.

  More specifically, the "entire Seventh Fleet Bombardment and Fire
Support Group, consisting of six old battleships, four heavy and four
light cruisers, and 21 destroyers".

  Nishimurawas coming in with battleships Yamashiro and Fuso, heavy
cruiser Mogami and four destroyers.  Shima, with two heavy cruisers,
one light cruiser and four destroyers, was 40 miles behind.  He
apparently didn't want to tell Nishimura he was there because he
outranked Nishimura but was less acquainted with the tactical
situation.  Had he announced his presence Nishimura would have had to
give up command.  Instead Shima basically never entered the battle.

@:) Fuso was sunk by torpedoes from USN DDs (acting without immediate
@:) support).

 Looks like this is correct.  Five picket destroyers opened the battle
at 0230 (10/25/44) by firing 47 torpedoes from both sides (east and
west) and managed to get away without damage.  One destroyer was sunk,
two more were put out of action and both battleships were hit.	Fuso
turned out of line and eventually blew apart into two pieces.

@:) Yamashiro and some of her accompanying cruisers and DDs were sunk
@:) by the old BBs.

Yamashiro continued on but was shortly struck (before 0351) by three
torpedoes from another destroyer attack but not sunk.  Once the
cruisers and moments later the battleships opened up at 23000 yards
she began to sink and the Mogami went up in flames.

-joachim