Battle of Cape Eqano - RSRDC

[I'm goin' down]

Enemy TF force sited on 10/24/44 at 0624 hrs, 18:25:30 N 124:23 E, Heading 215 degrees, speed 14 kts. DD - 7, CA - 4, CV - 5, BB - 2

The Barbarinna found 'em. Where is Halsay xxx the world wonders?

Post script: God d#%n TMO dds. They found me below the thermal layer, and are pounding me as the TF steams past.

[Daniel Prates]

Looks like it's target paradise.

[I'm goin' down]

I may have intercepted another task force, as the battle did not start until the 25th per Wikipeidia. So, I will hang around and see if another TF steams into view tomorrow morning.

Wikipedia:

The Battle of Cape Engaño (25–26 October)
The Japanese aircraft carriers Zuikaku, left, and (probably) Zuih---333; come under attack by dive bombers early in the battle off Cape Engaño.

Ozawa's "Northern Force" comprised four aircraft carriers (Zuikaku—the last survivor of the six carriers that had attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the light carriers Zuih---333;, Chitose, and Chiyoda), two World War I battleships partially converted to carriers (Hy---363;ga and Ise—the two after turrets had been replaced by a hangar, aircraft handling deck and catapult, but neither battleship carried any aircraft in this battle), three light cruisers (---332;yodo, Tama, and Isuzu), and nine destroyers. His force had only 108 aircraft.[4]

Ozawa's force was not located until 16:40 on 24 October, largely because Sherman's TG 38.3—which as the northernmost of Halsey's groups—was responsible for searches in this sector. The force which Halsey was taking north with him—three groups of Mitscher's TF 38—was overwhelmingly stronger than the Japanese Northern Force. Between them, these groups had five large fleet carriers (Intrepid, Franklin, Lexington, Enterprise, and Essex), five light fleet carriers (Independence, Belleau Wood, Langley, Cabot, and San Jacinto), six battleships (Alabama, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Dakota, and Washington), eight cruisers (two heavy and six light), and more than 40 destroyers. The air groups of the 10 U.S. carriers present contained a total of more than 600-1,000 aircraft.[4]

At 02:40 on 25 October, Halsey detached TF 34, built around the 3rd Fleet's six battleships and commanded by Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee. As dawn approached, the ships of Task Force 34 drew ahead of the carrier groups. Halsey intended Mitscher to make air strikes followed by the heavy gunfire of Lee's battleships.[4]
The crew of Zuikaku salute as the flag is lowered, and she ceases to be the flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Around dawn on 25 October, Ozawa launched 75 aircraft to attack the 3rd Fleet. Most were shot down by American combat air patrols, and no damage was done to the U.S. ships. A few Japanese planes survived and made their way to land bases on Luzon.

During the night, Halsey had passed tactical command of TF 38 to Admiral Mitscher, who ordered the American carrier groups to launch their first strike wave, of 180 aircraft, at dawn—before the Northern Force had been located. When the search aircraft made contact at 07:10 this strike wave was orbiting ahead of the task force. At 08:00, as the attack went in, its escorting fighters destroyed Ozawa's combat air patrol of about 30 planes. The US air strikes continued until the evening, by which time TF 38 had flown 527 sorties against the Northern Force, sinking Zuikaku, the light carriers Chitose and Zuih---333;, and the destroyer Akitsuki. The light carrier Chiyoda and the cruiser Tama were crippled. Ozawa transferred his flag to the light cruiser ---332;yodo.
[edit] The crisis – US 7th Fleet's calls for help