October, 1944
Introduction |
|
If you want to look back at the last great battleship
engagement in history, you must look to the battle of Leyte Gulf in October of 1944. And
there you will find several. Two Iowa Class battleships were there the Iowa and the
New Jersey. The Japanese super-battleships Yamato and Musashi were there, too, although
the Musashi would not survive the engagement. And there were the old battleships, too. The
pride of the Japanese Navy from the First World War, as well as several old battleships
raised from the mud of Pearl Harbor, and at the perfect place and time to exact a measure
of revenge for that day nearly three years earlier.
By late 1944, it was becoming obvious to Japan that desperate
measures were required to stop the onslaught of the United States Navy. Since 1942, the
strength of Japan's enemy in the Pacific had been growing at an alarming rate, while the
Japanese Navy was not even able to replace war losses. To make matters worse, ever since
Pearl Harbor, nearly every time the Japanese Navy came to blows with the United States
Navy in a fleet action, the Japanese Navy took a terrible beating. About all that could be
counted on for any engagement would be the aggressiveness of the American commanders as
they pursued the remnants of the Japanese fleet without mercy. And this was the basis of a
brilliant plan to crush the Seventh Fleet conducting an invasion of the Philippines.
The fall of the Philippines would be a terrible blow to the
Japanese. Most of their navy had been based at Brunei on the island of Borneo, close to
the fleets oil supply. But that was all but exhausted now, and what little fuel
remained was unrefined - barely burnable in warship boilers. The Air Arm of the Imperial
Japanese Navy was all but obliterated, too. After the Battle of the Philippine Sea (dubbed
"The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" by American pilots) Japan had only a handful
of planes, and even fewer pilots to fly them. Because of this, her carriers were largely
useless for any practical duty. Except, perhaps, to serve as decoys to lure away the
American Thrid Fleet under Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey who had been itching
for a chance at a massive engagement since he missed the battle of Midway.
So plans were drawn up for a massive fleet action against the
Americans. The result would be victory, or the death of the Japanese Navy. Nothing was
held back, as there was everything to gain with a victory, and little if any possibility
of a second chance. If this mission failed, the war would be lost. So elements of the
remnants of the Japanese fleet sailed from home waters, and other ships from the island of
Borneo. The plan was actually quite simple. Admiral Ozawa was to sail in from the North
East with his "bait" of four aircraft carriers, and the two hybrid
battleship-carriers Ise and Hyuga featuring four battleship turrets forward,
and small flight decks aft. But, for this mission, they would carry no aircraft at all, as
none were available. Even the large fleet carriers were not carrying a full complement of
planes.
The American invasion was concentrated on Leyte Gulf, in the central
Philippines. Earlier plans had called for an invasion of the southern island of Mindanao
as the next stepping stone in the successful "island-hopping" campaign employed
to date by the two fleets in the Pacific the Third Fleet under Admiral Nimitz, and
the Seventh Fleet under General MacArthur. But, with the apparent collapse of the Japanese
fleet and air power, the plan to invade the central Philippines was advanced two months
from December to October of 1944. The Seventh Fleet, under MacArthur would conduct the
actual invasion. This fleet consisted of the old battleships intended to provided naval
gunfire support for the invasion forces. Also in the Seventh Fleet were several
"jeep" carriers, which were former merchantmen or tankers converted to serve as
light aircraft carriers. These ships were unarmored, and had very slow speeds, and were
therefore too slow to keep up with traditional fleet operations. However, they were
perfect as escorts to the invasion fleet, and their planes and pilots were trained for
combat air support operations against ground targets. And, of course, the Seventh Fleet
had its complement of destroyer escorts, the tincans providing the usual services of
picket duty, anti-submarine patrols, and a myriad of other roles. The Seventh Fleet was
perfectly constructed to conduct a massive invasion. However, since it was slow, and
unarmored for the most part, it would be very vulnerable to an attack by the Japanese
Navy.
But, the Third Fleet could certainly deal with that possibility.
Boasting nearly a dozen fleet aircraft carriers, and six of the fastest battleships in the
world (including the Iowa and New Jersey) and led by Bull Halsey, the Third
Fleet was not afraid of an engagement with the Japanese. In fact, it was hoping for one.
The massive third fleet was poised off the coast of Samar, ready to deal with the Japanese
swiftly if they should dare to appear on the scene.
And this was the problem for the Japanese. If they sailed their
surface navy into the teeth of the Third Fleet, what little remained could be lost. But,
if you believe the old saying that every problem also presents an opportunity, the
Japanese had a terrific opportunity. If the Third Fleet could be lured away to chase the
empty aircraft carriers coming in from the north, the extremely vulnerable Seventh Fleet
would be totally exposed and subject to annihilation.
And so Admiral Ozawa steamed down from the north, presenting what
were hoped to be the irresistible targets of Japanese flat tops (including the Zuikaku
the last remaining veteran of the Pearl Harbor raid.) Meanwhile, the surface units
of the Japanese Navy would sneak in from the west under the command of Admiral Kurita, and
attempt to spring a deadly trap on the Seventh Fleet. A small force consisting of the
battleships Fuso and Yamashiro and supported by the heavy cruiser Mogami
and four destroyers would sneak through the Surigao Strait, followed by three more
cruisers and four destroyers sailing in from Japanese home waters. But the main force of
the attack was to come in another way. Sailing from Brunei, five battleships (including
the aforementioned Yamato and Musashi) twelve cruisers and fifteen
destroyers were to sneak through San Bernardino Strait, loop around the island of Samar,
and smash the Americans. With attacks from the North and South, the Seventh Fleet would
have nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. The unarmored transports, tankers, jeep carriers
and destroyers would be helpless against the mighty Japanese Navy.
This invasion force of the Seventh Fleet, the greatest of the war in
the Pacific, would consist of 151 LSTs (landing ships, tank), 58 transports, 221 LCTs
(landing craft, tank) and 79 LCIs (landing craft, infantry), and hundreds of other
vessels. The combatants assembled in the combined Third and Seventh Fleets to protect and
support the invasion were awesome. Ship based aircraft would number nearly 1500, flying
from thirty-two fleet carriers, light carriers, and escort carriers. In support would be
twelve battleships, twenty-three cruisers, and over a hundred destroyers. Against this
formidable force, the Japanese committed to action virtually all that was left of the
operational forces, afloat and in the air, of Japans once proud navy. Putting to sea
would be four aircraft carriers, two hybrid battleship/carriers, seven battleships,
nineteen cruisers, and thirty-three destroyers. The Japanese can match no more than one
tenth of the number of carrier-based aircraft deployed by the Americans.
The resulting engagement would occur over an area roughly the size
of Texas, and would involve more ships, planes, and men than any naval battle ever fought.
And, amazingly, there were operations by virtually all types of naval forces, doing
exactly what they had been designed to do. The aircraft carriers and invasion forces that
had already fought so many battles in the Pacific campaign were present once again at
Leyte Gulf. But so were submarines scouting and attacking the Japanese fleet on the
way to battle. The Patrol Torpedo (PT) Boats were there, operating between the islands and
swarming about the Japanese battleships like so many flies harassing elephants. Destroyers
and destroyer escorts performed heroically, launching torpedoes, firing their guns and
laying smoke against impossible odds. And even heavy cruisers and battleships engaged in
classic fleet surface actions fought in the same battle line actions of centuries
ago, and probably for the last time ever.
The Battle of Leyte Gulf consisted of two preliminary strikes
against the Japanese forces on the way to battle, and three massive engagements once the
fleets tangled. On the map that accompanies this article, these five actions are numbered
1 5, and are summarized below. (Follow the links to each phase of the
battle.)
Index |
Description |
Introduction |
Introduction to the Battle of Leyte
Gulf. |
1 |
US Submarines Darter and Dace engage the Japanese Navy in
the Palawan Passage. |
2 |
The US Third Fleet launches concentrated air attacks against the heavy
surface units of the Japanese Navy in the Battle of the Sibuyan
Sea. |
3 |
The PT boats, destroyers, cruisers and old battleships of the US Seventh
Fleet engage two veteran battleships and supporting elements of the Japanese Navy in the Battle of Surigao Strait. |
4 |
Admiral Halsey races north with the Third Fleet to destroy the Japanese Decoy
Force in the Battle off Cape Engaņo. |
5 |
And, in the ultimate objective of the Japanese plan, the heaviest elements of
the Japanese surface fleet throw themselves against the woefully unprotected invasion
forces in the Battle off Samar. |
Conclusion |
Conclusion of the Story - Turkey Trots to Water. |
Together,
these five engagements constitute the Battle of Leyte Gulf the largest naval
engagement of all time, and the last time that battleships slugged it out against enemy
fleets and against each other.