He (Cdr Richardson aka Clark Gable) wants to kill the Akakazi, Bungo Pete, the merchants don't really count. The destroyer is running at high speed and constantly changing course so the surface attack is the lure to set up the "down the throat" shot. Otherwise it would be next to impossible to hit and since he credited Bungo Pete with the destruction of his previous boat, the ambush makes sense in the fictional context of the story.
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