Surface engagement at Jolo Allied vs AI

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On December 18 in reaction to reported Japanese landing on Jolo, Allied Naval Command decided to send a surface strike force at flank speed to investigate and engage the landing force. What happened was a series of sharp engagements that took place at night in low visibility due to rain and 0% moonlight.

The Allied surface strike force was composed of:

CL Marblehead
DD Alden
DD Barker
DD Edsall
DD John D. Edwards
DD Paul Jones
DD Parrott
DD Pope
DD Whipple
DD Stewart

The first encounter was with what appeared to be an Imperial Navy screening force composed of:

CL Isuzu
CL Tama
CL Oi
DD Sawakaze
DD Yukaze
DD Tawakaze

Lead by KI Riker the Allied Task force crossed the T at 1000 yards and inflicted 2 shell hits on the CL Isuzu. Action was then broken off shortly thereafter.

A short time later the Allied Task Force encountered what appeared to be a main invasion force composed of the following ships:

PB Kiso Maru
PB Nanpo Maru
xAK Lima Maru
xAK Taketoyo Maru
xAK Toyoma Maru
xAK Tazima Maru
xAK Tuyama Maru
xAK Bordeaux Maru
xAK Syoan Maru



Commander Riker ordered an immediate attack. In a sharp night engagement in poor visibility conditions the Allied Surface Fleet ravaged the invasion fleet:

PB Kiso Maru took 15 shell hits and was sunk
PB Nanpo Maru took 22 shell hits and was sunk
xAK Lima Maru took 3 shell hit-escaped
xAK Taketoyo Maru took 7 shell hits and escaped
xAK Toyoma Maru took 6 shell hits and escaped
xAK Tazima Maru took 1 shell hit and escaped
xAK Tuyama Maru took 16 shell hits-escaped but suffering heavy fires
xAK Bordeaux Maru took 2 shell hit and 2 torpedo hit and was sunk
xAK Syoan Maru took 6 shell hits 1 torpedo hit and was sunk

Seeing the invasion fleet being ravaged the Japanese screening force re-engaged in a short but sharp engagement resulting in the following:

CL Isuzu 20 shell hits - disengaged
CL Tama 14 shell hits – disengaged on fire
CL Oi
DD Sawakaze
DD Yukaze
DD Tawakaze


CL Marblehead
DD Alden
DD Barker
DD Edsall
DD John D. Edwards 1 shell hit on fire
DD Paul Jones
DD Parrott
DD Pope
DD Whipple
DD Stewart

The CL Oi was also hit by a torpedo that failed to explode. Had the torpedo detonated the Oi would have certainly been heavily damaged or sunk.

The Allied naval commander on the scene was greatly encouraged by the timid reaction of the Japanese screening force. It looked to be a productive night and a return to base, before daylight and possible detection and attack from Japanese land based airpower operating from captured air bases in the Northern Philippines.

That optimism was to be proved short lived however as shortly thereafter the Allied task force was then engaged by a much superior Japanese task force composed of the following:

BB Kongo
BB Haruna
CA Takao
CA Atago
CL Jitsu
DD Asahio
DD Oshio
DD Michishio
DD Arashio
DD Akatuki
DD Hibiki

The result of the lengthy night engagement in poor visibility conditions was:

BB Kongo 3 shell hits
BB Haruna 1 shell hit
CA Takao
CA Atago
CL Jitsu
DD Asahio 5 shell hits
DD Oshio 1 shell hit
DD Michishio
DD Arashio 2 shell hits
DD Akatuki
DD Hibiki

CL Marblehead 46 shell hits and was sunk
DD Alden
DD Barker
DD Edsall 1 torpedo hit and is sunk
DD John D. Edwards 8 shell hits, 1 torpedo hit and is sunk
DD Paul Jones
DD Parrott 1 torpedo hit and is sunk
DD Pope 8 shell hits, 1 torpedo hit and is sunk
DD Whipple
DD Stewart

It was then decided by Commander Riker to completely withdrawal and return to base. The results of the engagement is being evaluated by Allied High Command. It looks like the Japanese will continue operations in Jolo and may soon be operating LBA from Jolo.

[AttuWatcher]

Quite a busy night! Those lurking BBs give me shivers [:@]

[John Lansford]

Basically the same thing happened to me, only the ships were Mutsu and Yamashiro.  My ABDA surface force was about half cruisers and half DD's, and went through the CL covering force like corn through a goose and then tore up the merchant TF.  Then the BB's showed up and everything went to hell in a handbasket.  I didn't lose any ships but had a lot of damaged ones, and Houston and the three Dutch DD's were later sunk by air attack.