Of course, this can't happen

[JeffroK]

I've read that mid-ocean intercept don't, or very very rarely work.

A well recce'd japanese TF discovered it is possible

Night Time Surface Combat at 74,97 (SW of Nauru)

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero-Sen: 4 destroyed
D4Y2 Suisei: 16 destroyed
B6N2 Tenzan: 11 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CV IJNS Shokaku, Shell hits 50, and is sunk
DD Matsukaze, Shell hits 20, and is sunk

Allied Ships
BB USS South Dakota
BB HMS Warspite
CA USS Northampton
CA USS Salt Lake City
CA USS New Orleans
CA USS Astoria
CL KN De Ruyter
CL USS Honolulu
DD Buchanan
DD O'Brien
DD Walke
DD Morris
DD Bagley
DD Blue
DD Helm
DD Henley
DD Jarvis
DD Craven
DD McCall

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: JeffK

I've read that mid-ocean intercept don't, or very very rarely work.

A well recce'd japanese TF discovered it is possible

Night Time Surface Combat at 74,97 (SW of Nauru)

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero-Sen: 4 destroyed
D4Y2 Suisei: 16 destroyed
B6N2 Tenzan: 11 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CV IJNS Shokaku, Shell hits 50, and is sunk
DD Matsukaze, Shell hits 20, and is sunk

Allied Ships
BB USS South Dakota
BB HMS Warspite
CA USS Northampton
CA USS Salt Lake City
CA USS New Orleans
CA USS Astoria
CL KN De Ruyter
CL USS Honolulu
DD Buchanan
DD O'Brien
DD Walke
DD Morris
DD Bagley
DD Blue
DD Helm
DD Henley
DD Jarvis
DD Craven
DD McCall

They do occur... they are as rare as hen's teeth... this is (sort of) proof of that in that very few examples like this ever get posted... i've had a couple of examples where i've managed to intercept a CV TF at night, but i did not have such good results (one hit scored on a CVL, iirc.)

[JeffroK]

It might have helped that Shokaku had been badly smashed up by LBA, plus at least 4 PBY sightings and a lot of Walrus & Kingfisher? sightings.

[bobogoboom]

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

ORIGINAL: JeffK

I've read that mid-ocean intercept don't, or very very rarely work.

A well recce'd japanese TF discovered it is possible

Night Time Surface Combat at 74,97 (SW of Nauru)

Japanese aircraft
no flights

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero-Sen: 4 destroyed
D4Y2 Suisei: 16 destroyed
B6N2 Tenzan: 11 destroyed

Japanese Ships
CV IJNS Shokaku, Shell hits 50, and is sunk
DD Matsukaze, Shell hits 20, and is sunk

Allied Ships
BB USS South Dakota
BB HMS Warspite
CA USS Northampton
CA USS Salt Lake City
CA USS New Orleans
CA USS Astoria
CL KN De Ruyter
CL USS Honolulu
DD Buchanan
DD O'Brien
DD Walke
DD Morris
DD Bagley
DD Blue
DD Helm
DD Henley
DD Jarvis
DD Craven
DD McCall

They do occur... they are as rare as hen's teeth... this is (sort of) proof of that in that very few examples like this ever get posted... i've had a couple of examples where i've managed to intercept a CV TF at night, but i did not have such good results (one hit scored on a CVL, iirc.)

i got a magazine explosion from a damaged kongo class bb on saratoga one time.

[Dili]

Was it trying to intercept a damaged carrier? The best one i have made was that way. After a carrier battle where both sides came with carriers damaged but the americans in much worse shape and i sent a cruiser+DD force at max speed(with auto return setting since the zone had allied air superiority) to try to night intercept the damaged American carriers. Sunk 2.