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RADM Shigeru Ishigawa went on a rampage escorting the Kido Butai before an epic, epic carrier battle in my PBEM game near the Santa Cruz Islands:

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Day Time Surface Combat, near Duff Islands at 128,141, Range 26,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Kongo
BB Haruna
BB Nagato
BB Hyuga
CA Maya
CA Chokai
CA Nachi
CL Sendai
CL Naka
CL Jintsu
DD Hagikaze
DD Yugao
DD Hasu

Allied Ships
CV Yorktown
CA Portland
CA Louisville
CL Phoenix
DD Gwin
DD Grayson
DD Monssen
DD O'Brien
DD Morris
DD Isaac Sweers
DD Tjerk Hiddes
DD Napier
DD Panther



Maximum visibility in Overcast Conditions: 20,000 yards
Range closes to 21,000 yards...
CONTACT: Allies radar detects Japanese task force at 21,000 yards
Allied TF attempts to evade combat
Range increases to 26,000 yards...
Range increases to 30,000 yards...
Allied Air Combat TF evades combat


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Day Time Surface Combat, near Duff Islands at 128,141, Range 18,000 Yards

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
Walrus II: 2 destroyed

Japanese Ships
BB Kongo, Shell hits 1
BB Haruna, Shell hits 1
BB Nagato, Shell hits 2
BB Hyuga, Shell hits 3
CA Maya
CA Chokai
CA Nachi, Shell hits 1, heavy fires
CL Sendai, Shell hits 1
CL Naka, Shell hits 1
CL Jintsu, Shell hits 2
DD Hagikaze, Shell hits 3, on fire
DD Yugao, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Hasu, Shell hits 1

Allied Ships
CV Formidable, Shell hits 1
CA Dorsetshire, Shell hits 17, and is sunk
CA Cornwall, Shell hits 19, Torpedo hits 1, and is sunk
CL Hobart, Shell hits 11, on fire, heavy damage
DD Stronghold
DD Decoy, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Fortune, Shell hits 2
DD Griffin, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Hotspur
DD Jupiter
DD Nestor, Shell hits 1, on fire
DD Norman, Shell hits 2

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This was not enough for him:

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Day Time Surface Combat, near Duff Islands at 128,141, Range 16,000 Yards

Japanese Ships
BB Kongo, Shell hits 1
BB Haruna, Shell hits 2
BB Nagato
BB Hyuga, Shell hits 1
CA Maya
CA Chokai, Shell hits 2
CA Nachi, Shell hits 2, heavy fires
CL Sendai, on fire
CL Naka
CL Jintsu, Shell hits 1
DD Hagikaze, on fire
DD Yugao, Shell hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Hasu, Shell hits 1, heavy fires

Allied Ships
CV Enterprise, Shell hits 3, heavy fires
CA Astoria, Shell hits 19, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Laffey
DD Sims
DD Hughes, Shell hits 2
DD Anderson
DD Walke, Shell hits 2
DD Helm
DD Phelps
DD Stuart

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the Enterprise tried to escape, in vain...

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Day Time Surface Combat, near Duff Islands at 128,141, Range 20,000 Yards

Allied aircraft
no flights

Allied aircraft losses
SB2U-3 Vindicator: 5 destroyed
F4F-3A Wildcat: 13 destroyed
SBD-3 Dauntless: 19 destroyed
TBD-1 Devastator: 9 destroyed

Japanese Ships
BB Kongo
BB Haruna, Shell hits 2
BB Nagato, Shell hits 4
BB Hyuga
CA Maya
CL Sendai, on fire
CL Naka
CL Jintsu

Allied Ships
CV Enterprise, Shell hits 13, and is sunk
CA Astoria, Shell hits 8, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Laffey, Shell hits 3, and is sunk
DD Sims
DD Hughes, Shell hits 3, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Anderson, Shell hits 1
DD Walke, Shell hits 2, on fire
DD Helm
DD Phelps
DD Stuart

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In addition:

DD Nestor, Bomb hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
CV Formidable, Bomb hits 9, on fire
CL Hobart, on fire, heavy damage
BB Revenge, Bomb hits 7, Torpedo hits 7, and is sunk
BB Ramillies, Bomb hits 2
CL Achilles, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CVL Hermes, Torpedo hits 2, on fire, heavy damage
CA Exeter
BB Resolution, Bomb hits 4
BB Royal Sovereign, Bomb hits 6, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
DD Stronghold
CV Formidable, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage
DD Decoy, Torpedo hits 2, and is sunk
CA Portland
CV Yorktown, Bomb hits 2, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
CV Lexington
CA Louisville, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CL Phoenix, Torpedo hits 1
CV Formidable, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Hotspur
CL Hobart, Bomb hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

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Enemy bombers managed to get through only twice, this one only doing damage:

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Allied aircraft
SBC-4 Helldiver x 6
SBD-2 Dauntless x 18
SBD-3 Dauntless x 53
TBD-1 Devastator x 28


No Japanese losses

Allied aircraft losses
SBC-4 Helldiver: 1 damaged
SBD-2 Dauntless: 2 destroyed, 5 damaged
SBD-3 Dauntless: 6 destroyed, 15 damaged
TBD-1 Devastator: 4 destroyed, 6 damaged

Japanese Ships
CV Akagi, Bomb hits 2, on fire
CV Zuikaku, Bomb hits 3, on fire
CV Shokaku, Bomb hits 4, Torpedo hits 1, heavy fires, heavy damage
CV Hiryu, Bomb hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
CL Kiso, Bomb hits 1, on fire
CS Chitose
CV Soryu

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The CV Yorktown and the CVL Hermes were allegedly also sunk. The CV Shokaku was the only Japanese sunk ship for now from this accidental battle.

Admiral Kurita has nothing on you! [&o]

This is not really a Japanese win if you lost one CV, may lose another (fire is the enemy of IJN carriers), and have long yard time regardless of any more losses. He doens't need those carriers now; you need yours more.

I'd call this a draw because of Zuikaku.

I know . But the whole battle came as a complete surprise to me, so I'm pleased with the result. It could have gone so much worse.

I also hope the formidable does not live up to her name...

CV Formidable, Shell hits 1 from a 36cm naval gun
CV Formidable, Bomb hits 9, on fire
CV Formidable, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CV Formidable, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

Looks like a hell of a load of punishment to me not to be sunk..

ORIGINAL: Sieppo

I also hope the formidable does not live up to her name...

CV Formidable, Shell hits 1 from a 36cm naval gun
CV Formidable, Bomb hits 9, on fire
CV Formidable, Bomb hits 3, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
CV Formidable, Torpedo hits 2, heavy fires, heavy damage

Looks like a hell of a load of punishment to me not to be sunk..

Some (all?) of the RN carriers have armored flight decks, so bombs aren't the killers they are to the USN. Still, that's a pasting. A read of "heavy fires, heavy damage" almost always means the ship is toast unless it's right next to a major base with a shipyard and fire-fighting.