Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
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Chapter 35- Multi Strike
On the bridge of the Yamato, Admiral Yamamoto continues to monitor the progress of the fleet. They have had to temporary slow down so that ships of the fleet could pick up survivors from the sunken ships from the strike by Halsey's aircraft.
At the same time, the remaining carriers, now under the command of Vice Admiral Yamaguchi, are beginning to prepare to launch their aircraft against the Allies, as floatplanes have located both the Third Fleet and the British Pacific Fleet's carrier force.
"Status of our aircraft," Yamamoto demands.
A communications officer responds, "Sir, Admiral Yamaguchi reports aircraft will be ready to launch in 15 minutes."
"Good. Tell Admiral Yamaguchi to begin launching as soon as all his aircraft are ready," Yamamoto orders.
Across the fleet, ships begin returning to their previous spots in the formation as the crews aboard the carriers race to get the aircraft ready to attack.
As Yamamoto walks out onto the outside of the bridge, he uses his binoculars to look over to the Zuikaku, watching as the deck crew moves a few planes around on the deck.
As he's watching, Yamamoto suddenly becomes aware of the shrill screaming roar of diving aircraft. Yamamoto looks up. At first, he sees nothing. Then, out of the light of the sun, Yamamoto is stunned to see several dozen SBDs and Helldivers beginning their dives on the Japanese fleet.
Yamamoto realizes instantly that there must be another American carrier force out there that hasn't been spotted yet, and realizes instantly that things are tougher than he imagined.
Much of the Japanese fleet doesn't yet realize they're under attack, not expecting another attack by carrier aircraft so soon after the last one. However, the shrieking roar of so many dive bombers diving on their targets slowly begins to be noticed by more and more by the Japanese crewmen down on the ships.
However, for much of the fleet, the first indication of the attack is when a 1,000 pound bomb dropped by an SBD hits the water next to the battleship Hyuga, sending a huge column of water skywards.
Alarms begin to sound as men rush to get their guns aimed skywards. In the process, they also see Avengers coming in for their torpedo runs. Many gunners start to train their guns instead towards the Avengers while the rest continue to try to aim for the diving dive bombers.
Several more SBDs drop their bombs on the Hyuga. Only one bomb hits, but it breaks through two decks before exploding on the third deck, causing some damage and starting a fire, killing or wounding 30 sailors.
Compared to the first attack, the attack by Spruance's planes focuses more on the escorts than the carriers to destroy more of their anti-aircraft guns. Many of the dive bomber pilots have even decided to avoid focusing too many planes on a single ship, to maximize the number of ships they can hit.
The Japanese start firing back at the dive bombers as many of the bombers are releasing their bombs and pulling out of their dives. In a matter of seconds, the destroyers Hatakaze and Satsuki are each hit by a single 1,000 pound bomb, with the destroyers Akebono, Hibiki, and Nowaki each getting hit twice, badly damaging them.
Then, the light cruiser Yubari takes a direct hit to her bridge from a 1,000 pound bomb, killing her captain and most of the bridge crew. A second bomb hits her seconds later and explodes four decks down, killing 20 sailors and starting a fire. At almost the same moment, the heavy cruiser Tone takes a direct hit from a bomb, causing light damage amidships and taking out several anti-aircraft guns.
Although most of the dive bombers are focusing on the escorts, a few Helldivers decide to target the small escort carrier Kaiyo. They succeed in landing two hits on the small carrier, shredding her forward flight deck and setting the bow on fire.
Then, the Hellcats swoop in, strafing any ship they can as the Avengers begin dropping their torpedoes. Anti-aircraft gunners and a number of guns are torn apart by the fierce 50 caliber machine gun bullets.
On the outer ships of the fleet, Japanese lookouts are quickly able spot the torpedoes being dropped by incoming Avengers, warning their captains. Ships on the outer parts of the fleet initiate violent evasive manuevers to avoid the incoming torpedoes. Many of the torpedoes miss because of the violent turns, sailing past the Japanese ships, several exploding in the wakes of ships they missed.
However, not all of the torpedoes can be evaded. Two torpedoes strike the damaged destroyer Satsuki and split her in two. Another torpedo strikes the cruiser Yubari on her stern, causing moderate damage and a 7 degree list. Another torpedo strikes the destroyer Hayanami, but fails to explode.
The Avengers turn to escape. One has already been shot down, and another is shot down as the bombers try to escape.
The Japanese watch as the American planes retreat. They had shot down only four planes. However, the attack had not done that much damage either, sinking only one destroyer and damaging 4 more, as well as two cruisers, a battleship, and an escort carrier.
However, the Japanese do not yet realize that the attack is not over. As they watch the American strike force retreat, some lookouts suddenly spot more Hellcats, as well as a number of Corsairs, diving out of the clouds and heading straight for the ships.
"What the..?" one lookout says as he sees these fighters diving on the fleet.
The Hellcats and Corsairs, diving at over 400 mph, quickly get within firing range and begin their strafing runs.
On the cruiser Takao, a lookout to avoid machine gun fire. As he pops up, he sees a Corsair flash past the cruiser. Looking at the length of the fighter, he is shocked when he sees the insignia is not American, but a series of overlapping colored circles that he recognizes from briefings early in the war.
"It's the British!" the lookout yells. Others hear him and quickly take this news to the captain.
Other crewmen on other ships begin to realize that the fighters now strafing them are British fighters, not American. Yamamoto himself realizes this when a Hellcat streaks past the Yamato's bridge, it's insignia clearly visible. Yamamoto instantly feels shock rise in himself. He had been under the impression that the British Pacific Fleet was either operating in the Marianas or still in port in Sydney. Even though he knows the British Pacific Fleet is well below the strength of the US Pacific Fleet, they still pose a great threat, and their presence compounds the threat he is currently facing.
As the Hellcats and Corsairs continue strafing the ships that have already suffered strafing from Halsey and Spruance's planes, the British bombers settle in for their attacks. Thirty Avengers head straight for their targets as 18 Barracudas prepare to start their dives. As they do, the damaged destroyer Akebono is nearly blown in two when a strafing run from a Corsair sets off her torpedoes. The damaged destroyer begins to sink.
The lead British pilot, piloting an Avenger from the Illustrious, leads the other Avengers in. Buzzing in at just 50 feet, the man drops his torpedo on the damaged Kaiyo and pulls away.
The other Avengers begin dropping their torpedoes as well before pulling away. As they do, the Barracudas start their dives on their targets.
As they do, the first torpedo finds its target, striking the damaged Kaiyo on her bow and tearing a huge hole in the hull. The ship quickly begins to list heavily, her inexperienced crew unable to contain the flooding.
Other ships on the outer part of the fleet, still trying to recover from the last attack, are unable to make as effective a defense this time. In a matter of moments, the damaged destroyers Hibiki and Nowaki are each hit by a torpedo and critically damaged. Another destroyer, the Kazagumo, is hit by a torpedo and nearly has her stern blown off, while another destroyer, the Akizuki, is hit twice and nearly has its entire port side ripped off. Finally, the Yubari is hit again, blowing another hole in her side. This time, the damage is too severe for it be contained, and the cruiser begins to capsize.
As the Avengers pull away and start heading for home, the Barracudas start dropping their 500 pound bombs. Six Barracudas drop their bombs on the damaged Yubari. The bombers score three direct hits on the cruiser, damaging the bridge and causing heavy damage below decks, starting fires. One of the fires disables critical equipment for containing the leaks from the previous torpedo hits.
More Barracudas target the destroyers. Most miss, but two score hits on the Oite, causing heavy damage. Another Barracuda scores a hit on the Hyuga, causing further damage below decks.
The Barracudas pull out of their dives and start to turn back for their carriers, the Hellcats and Corsairs continuing to cover their escape. The Japanese gunners continue firing away at them, not knowing that another threat is brewing.
Coming up from the south, the Nimitz' Hornets and Intruders have finally reached the battle zone. Most of them are cruising calmly at 5,000 feet, ready to start dropping their bombs. They are all carrying lighter bomb loads to make room for external fuel tanks. They are mostly carrying 500 pound armor piercing bombs.
However, the eight Hornets armed with torpedoes have descended to just 125 feet, and are streaking in at almost 550 mph. The Hornet pilots had practiced extensively for how to conduct torpedo runs since their jets were modified to carry them. They had learned after testing that if they were travelling more than 300 mph, it could affect their torpedoes performance. Over 400 mph could cause the torpedoes to fail. They had developed a tactic of racing in at over 500 mph to reduce risk from AAA, slow down to about 290 mph as they approached the target, drop their torpedoes, then pull up about 20-30 degrees and hit the afterburners.
The Hornets carrying torpedoes are to lead the attack. Once they drop their torpedoes, they will make their pop up manuever. It is hoped that the sonic booms from breaking the sound barrier will disorient the Japanese, prevent them from realize that it's the Nimitz' future aircraft, and help keep them from paying attention to the water and seeing the torpedoes.
The Hornets separate, each Hornet picking a target. They've trained by this point to know how to lead with their torpedoes. As they near the drop points, they cut back on their throttles and pop their speed brakes while lowering their flaps slightly to ensure they don't stall or lose altitude from the sudden decrease in speed. Their speed rapidly decreases. By the time they reach the drop points, each Hornet has dropped below 300 mph.
"Launch!" recently promoted Captain Byron, one of the pilots, calls out over the radio. Each Hornet pilot presses the pickle buttons and drops his two torpedoes before, in sync, the eight Hornets pull up 25 degrees, raise their flaps, and shove the throttles into full afterburner.
The Hornets streak upwards, quickly breaking the sound barrier. The sonic boom and shockwave are strong enough to break windows on a few ships close enough. Many Japanese duck, thinking it's explosions, not realizing it's a sonic boom. The Hornets quickly disappear into the clouds. No Japanese have been able to recognize them yet.
The torpedoes dropped by the Hornets are functioning beautifully, swimming towards their targets. The Japanese have no idea that there even torpedoes in the water. And they still have no idea that the torpedoes are heading towards them until Byron's torpedoes strike the light cruiser Oi, which had been previously damaged. The two torpedoes strike about 50 feet apart. The massive holes torn in the hull start letting in massive amounts of water, and the ship begins rapidly listing. It only takes 21 minutes before the ship disappears under the surface.
The Japanese are stunned when the torpedoes hit the Oi. They are even more stunned seconds later when two more torpedoes strike the destroyer Shigure, blowing her in two. The Japanese realize now that torpedoes are in the water, but are not able to react in time. Two more destroyers, the Akikaze and Hokaze, are each hit twice and sunk. The light cruiser Kuma is hit twice, and is left listing heavily. The Tone then takes a hit, but it causes little damage. The remaining torpedoes miss.
The Japanese are stunned at the sudden torpedo strikes. Despite the fact that some Japanese spotted aircraft, the Japanese commanders are convinced that there are multiple submarines surrounding the fleet that had fired the torpedoes.
Now, high above, the Hornets and Intruders are about to drop their bombs. Each pilot carefully lines up on one of the ship's below. This is made easier by the fact that much of the fleet is currently only travelling at about 14 knots. On the command from the lead Intruder pilot, each pilot presses the pickle button and releases their bombs. Each plane then turns away to head back to the Nimitz.
Silently, the bombs fall towards their targets. The first indication comes when four 500 pound bombs land direct hits on the Kuma, exploding below decks and starting raging fires among ammunition for the ship's anti-aircraft guns.
Some Japanese start to panic as they realize the attack is not over. More bombs start raining down on the ships of the task force. Two 500 pound bombs hit the Hyuga, exploding on the top deck and destroying a number of anti-aircraft guns. Then, three more bombs hit the Tone, causing light damage to the cruiser. Next hit is the destroyer Oite, already badly damaged, which takes two bombs, causing more heavy damage and causing the destroyer to start to sink. Finally, the destroyer Shirakumo takes a direct hit to her bow. The bomb sets off her magazine and blows her bow apart, sinking her.
All remaining bombs miss as the Hornets and Intruders turn for home. Meanwhile, overhead, one of the F-14s that was flying top cover at 18,000 feet descends and flies a high speed pass over the fleet to take pictures before climbing again out of sight.
Down below, the Japanese are not sure yet if the attack is over, especially since many are convinced submarines have attacked them and are still in range. It takes 20 minutes of silence before they feel certain that the attack is over. They still feel confident that the last attack was not by the Nimitz' planes, but by submarines and high level bombers from Midway.
The Japanese fleet has been devastated. Multiple destroyers have been sunk, as well as several cruisers and an escort carrier. Several more cruisers and the Hyuga have been damaged by bombs and torpedoes, while most of the ships have lost gunners and anti-aircraft guns because of strafing attacks from the dozens of Hellcats and Corsairs that have strafed the fleet.
It takes the Japanese a little bit to recover from the shock of the multiple attacks. Finally, they are able to recover and start rescuing survivors, while also scuttling a few ships that are sinking slower.
As he watches the rescue efforts going on, Yamamoto turns to one of his officers. "Tell Admiral Yamaguchi to start launching his aircraft immediately. We must take the fight to the American and British carrier fleets," he says.
On the carriers, the aircraft begin launching. Some aircraft are unable to launch, but most can. It takes a while to get the strike force underway. By the time the launching is done, it comprises 52 Zeros, the 10 remaining Vals, 50 Judys, 50 Kates, and 18 newer B6N Jill torpedo bombers, leaving behind just 16 Zeros and less than 20 Judys and Kates behind.
As Yamamoto watches the aircraft prepare to set off, he finds himself wondering what is going to happen when they find their targets. Yes, there are close to 200 aircraft in the air, but they're going after two different carrier forces. And both of those forces will have deadly Hellcats and Corsairs protecting them. However, he tries to have faith in his pilots, and knows that they have orders to resort to extreme measures if normal measures won't work.
And, I'll end there.
So, the Japanese First Fleet has taken a real pounding. But, they're clearly not out. Next chapter will actually focus on their counter attack.
Next chapter should be up soon. Until then, please leave a review, and stay tuned!