RE: Small Ship, Big War
Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2007 6:08 pm
February 17, 1943, Part 1 - night
Location: 90 miles north of Koepang
Course: South
Attached to: TF 72
Mission: Air Combat
System Damage: 4
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 191
Orders: Destroy enemy forces approaching Timor.
---
Lieutenant Miharu gazes out at the dark waters of the Savu Sea. Straight ahead of Hibiki is Koepang, now only about 90 miles to the south. The Japanese ships have nearly reached to the position from which the carriers are to launch their planes in the morning.
The night has been quiet so far. There have been no cries of alarm from the lookouts, no explosions as torpedoes find ships. As if to underscore the danger, however, the lieutenant orders a course change to port as the entire task force continues to zig zag southwards.
It is quiet on the bridge, and Miharu almost jumps when the voice of the radioman issues from the speaking tube directly over his head.
“Lieutenant Miharu!”
“Yes?” the executive officer manages to say calmly.
“Sir, we have a report from a ship south of us. Enemy battleships are seventeen miles south of our position and closing. They’re coming right at us, sir!”
---
Admiral Ozawa is still buttoning his jacket as he stumbles onto Shokaku's bridge. He is quickly briefed on the situation. The report cannot be doubted; enemy battleships are closing on his position as if they know exactly where the Japanese carriers are. And perhaps they do know, Ozawa thinks. There are reports that American and British radar development has outpaced Japan’s since the start of the war.
If that is true he is in a bad position. There is little room to run directly behind him. The only escape for his ships lies to the west or east, courses that would allow the enemy to cut the angle and narrow the distance quickly. He has no doubt the enemy warships can outrun him.
If it comes to a fight he is low on escorts. The loss of a heavy cruiser and three destroyers in recent days has cut his escort force to four heavy cruisers, a light cruiser, and nine destroyers, and these are split among two task forces. If the enemy force is as large as reports indicate he will be outnumbered and outgunned.
Still, he is thankful he has any warning at all. It is sheer luck that a Japanese force was out there to spot the oncoming ships. If not for this piece of fortune he might have found out about them when shells began falling among his carriers. He issues orders for his ships to turn to the east and run for it, with most of the escorts falling back to screen the carriers against the oncoming enemy.
---
Captain Ishii is on the bridge now. Hibiki is not running at full speed; they can go no faster than the slowest carrier, in this case Akagi. Ishii is suddenly very glad that Junyo and Hiyo were sent back east some days ago. Still, they are making a respectable 26 knots. There is nothing else to do at the moment but wait and see what happens.
---
The ships that have provided Ozawa’s carriers with the warning belong to a destroyer division commanded by Hibiki’s old friend Admiral Goto, who has finally been released from shore duty. Commanding a destroyer division is a bit of a come down for the Admiral, but he figures it beats conning a desk in some backwater. Goto’s orders are to take his flagship, light cruiser Nagara, and six destroyers into the waters off western Timor and conduct a torpedo attack against enemy ships there. At the moment, however, he has been shadowing the enemy ships ever since his lookouts spotted them moving north.
When the Japanese carriers begin to move east and the enemy column changes course to intercept them Goto knows he has to act. Though he has no illusions about whether or not the enemy radar has spotted him, he orders his small task force to turn and attack.
And attack they do, with persistence and ferocity. They are fearsomely outgunned and coming straight at an opponent who can bring all his guns to bear without altering course. Shells, some of them 16” projectiles, begin to find his ships before they even reach torpedo range.
But Goto’s ships launch torpedoes, fall back, then attack again. And again. Each time there are fewer of them, but the crews fight their ships with bravery and dedication. In the end five of the six destroyers are lost, but they have sunk two enemy destroyers and scored torpedo hits on a cruiser and a battleship. Shattered Japanese destroyers continue to fire their remaining guns until the last, doing a surprising amount of damage to the enemy ships. At the end only Nagara and destroyer Shiokaze are left. Both are damaged and limp away into the darkness.
But they have won an important victory. The enemy fleet, weakened by losses and slowed by damage, is compelled to turn around in order to try and get out of range of the Japanese carrier planes before daylight. The carriers have been saved.
---
When the report comes in that the enemy ships have turned around there is scattered cheering on Hibiki’s bridge. Captain Ishii permits this small display, then sends the bridge crew back to work with a stern glance. Yet he too is relieved. He intends to thank Admiral Goto in person for this night’s work the next time opportunity permits.
Soon orders come from Shokaku. The Japanese ships stop fleeing eastward and begin to slowly return to the position from which Admiral Ozawa intends to launch his planes when morning comes. Captain Ishii accordingly orders Hibiki to come about. As the task force resumes its regular formation Ishii reflects that they have been saved from disaster only by sheer luck and the heroism of a handful of destroyers. They cannot afford such carelessness in the future, not against an enemy as resilient and determined as the one they are facing.
Location: 90 miles north of Koepang
Course: South
Attached to: TF 72
Mission: Air Combat
System Damage: 4
Float Damage: 0
Fires: 0
Fuel: 191
Orders: Destroy enemy forces approaching Timor.
---
Lieutenant Miharu gazes out at the dark waters of the Savu Sea. Straight ahead of Hibiki is Koepang, now only about 90 miles to the south. The Japanese ships have nearly reached to the position from which the carriers are to launch their planes in the morning.
The night has been quiet so far. There have been no cries of alarm from the lookouts, no explosions as torpedoes find ships. As if to underscore the danger, however, the lieutenant orders a course change to port as the entire task force continues to zig zag southwards.
It is quiet on the bridge, and Miharu almost jumps when the voice of the radioman issues from the speaking tube directly over his head.
“Lieutenant Miharu!”
“Yes?” the executive officer manages to say calmly.
“Sir, we have a report from a ship south of us. Enemy battleships are seventeen miles south of our position and closing. They’re coming right at us, sir!”
---
Admiral Ozawa is still buttoning his jacket as he stumbles onto Shokaku's bridge. He is quickly briefed on the situation. The report cannot be doubted; enemy battleships are closing on his position as if they know exactly where the Japanese carriers are. And perhaps they do know, Ozawa thinks. There are reports that American and British radar development has outpaced Japan’s since the start of the war.
If that is true he is in a bad position. There is little room to run directly behind him. The only escape for his ships lies to the west or east, courses that would allow the enemy to cut the angle and narrow the distance quickly. He has no doubt the enemy warships can outrun him.
If it comes to a fight he is low on escorts. The loss of a heavy cruiser and three destroyers in recent days has cut his escort force to four heavy cruisers, a light cruiser, and nine destroyers, and these are split among two task forces. If the enemy force is as large as reports indicate he will be outnumbered and outgunned.
Still, he is thankful he has any warning at all. It is sheer luck that a Japanese force was out there to spot the oncoming ships. If not for this piece of fortune he might have found out about them when shells began falling among his carriers. He issues orders for his ships to turn to the east and run for it, with most of the escorts falling back to screen the carriers against the oncoming enemy.
---
Captain Ishii is on the bridge now. Hibiki is not running at full speed; they can go no faster than the slowest carrier, in this case Akagi. Ishii is suddenly very glad that Junyo and Hiyo were sent back east some days ago. Still, they are making a respectable 26 knots. There is nothing else to do at the moment but wait and see what happens.
---
The ships that have provided Ozawa’s carriers with the warning belong to a destroyer division commanded by Hibiki’s old friend Admiral Goto, who has finally been released from shore duty. Commanding a destroyer division is a bit of a come down for the Admiral, but he figures it beats conning a desk in some backwater. Goto’s orders are to take his flagship, light cruiser Nagara, and six destroyers into the waters off western Timor and conduct a torpedo attack against enemy ships there. At the moment, however, he has been shadowing the enemy ships ever since his lookouts spotted them moving north.
When the Japanese carriers begin to move east and the enemy column changes course to intercept them Goto knows he has to act. Though he has no illusions about whether or not the enemy radar has spotted him, he orders his small task force to turn and attack.
And attack they do, with persistence and ferocity. They are fearsomely outgunned and coming straight at an opponent who can bring all his guns to bear without altering course. Shells, some of them 16” projectiles, begin to find his ships before they even reach torpedo range.
But Goto’s ships launch torpedoes, fall back, then attack again. And again. Each time there are fewer of them, but the crews fight their ships with bravery and dedication. In the end five of the six destroyers are lost, but they have sunk two enemy destroyers and scored torpedo hits on a cruiser and a battleship. Shattered Japanese destroyers continue to fire their remaining guns until the last, doing a surprising amount of damage to the enemy ships. At the end only Nagara and destroyer Shiokaze are left. Both are damaged and limp away into the darkness.
But they have won an important victory. The enemy fleet, weakened by losses and slowed by damage, is compelled to turn around in order to try and get out of range of the Japanese carrier planes before daylight. The carriers have been saved.
---
When the report comes in that the enemy ships have turned around there is scattered cheering on Hibiki’s bridge. Captain Ishii permits this small display, then sends the bridge crew back to work with a stern glance. Yet he too is relieved. He intends to thank Admiral Goto in person for this night’s work the next time opportunity permits.
Soon orders come from Shokaku. The Japanese ships stop fleeing eastward and begin to slowly return to the position from which Admiral Ozawa intends to launch his planes when morning comes. Captain Ishii accordingly orders Hibiki to come about. As the task force resumes its regular formation Ishii reflects that they have been saved from disaster only by sheer luck and the heroism of a handful of destroyers. They cannot afford such carelessness in the future, not against an enemy as resilient and determined as the one they are facing.
