The One Ship Fleet by Phillip T. Parkerson

Author:Phillip T. Parkerson [Parkerson, Phillip T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Published: 2023-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Naval Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944. (U.S. Army Center for Military History. Reports of General MacArthur: The campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific, Vol. I, p. 204)

Battle of Leyte Gulf, Sibuyan Sea, 24 October 1944. Japanese battleship Mushashi under intense attack by carrier-based aircraft from Task Force 38. Note the enemy destroyer also being bombed, in the background. (USNARA 80-G-281764)

At 0755 on the morning of 24 October, a large group of Japanese aircraft swooped down on Leyte Gulf from all directions, aiming primarily for the warships in an attempt to distract the Americans’ attention from the approach of their surface forces. Most of the attacking planes were blocked by the CAP, but a few dive bombers managed to slip through. Boise, Phoenix, and Louisville took evasive action by steaming in a circle while fighting off the hostile aircraft. None of the warships in the transport area were hit, but an LCI was sunk, and a cargo ship was struck by bombs. Yet another air alert sounded at around 1112, interrupting the Boise’s refueling operation, but this time no enemy planes got through the air defenses.

By noon on 24 October, Admiral Kinkaid was convinced that a Japanese incursion into Leyte Gulf was imminent, and set in motion a plan to intercept it. Admiral Berkey’s cruisers were ordered to deploy with a large combined task group (TG-77.2 and 77.3) under the command of Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf, USN, to defend the southern approaches to Leyte Gulf against enemy warships that were expected to attempt to penetrate through the Surigao Strait during the night. Since General MacArthur was aboard the Nashville with a large number of senior officers in his entourage, she was not allowed to deploy with her sister ships, much to disappointment of her skipper and the general. MacArthur had never witnessed a major naval battle and so wanted to be on hand for this one, but Kinkaid would not hear of it. It was unthinkable to permit the supreme commander to put himself at risk by participating in what promised to be a major shootout with some of the IJN’s largest and most powerful warships. Nashville therefore remained behind in San Pedro Bay with the three amphibious force flagships and the liberty ships, enclosed within a tight screen of destroyer escorts. Phoenix, Boise, and HMAS Shropshire began making ready for a nighttime gun battle with a major Japanese surface force.

“A Rugged Night” in the Surigao Strait, 24–25 October 1944

By 1600 on 24 October, Boise was refueled and headed out to sea. Racing along at 27 knots, she joined other Allied warships that were sent to intercept a large Japanese task force that according to intelligence reports consisted of two battleships, eight cruisers, and 14 destroyers. The Japanese were reported to be about 200 miles away and headed for a foray into Leyte Gulf via the Surigao Strait.

The Japanese naval forces were actually two separate groups, one commanded by Vice Admiral Shoji Nishimura and the other by Vice Admiral Kiyohide Shima.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.