Report of Night Action in Surigao Strait, Philippine Islands

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Andy H
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Report of Night Action in Surigao Strait, Philippine Islands

#1

Post by Andy H » 17 Feb 2009, 18:15

Off interest I hope:-

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/rep ... index.html

Regards

Andy H

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C.GILLONO
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Re: Report of Night Action in Surigao Strait, Philippine Islands

#2

Post by C.GILLONO » 21 Feb 2009, 18:37

Thanks! :D


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mescal
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Re: Report of Night Action in Surigao Strait, Philippine Islands

#3

Post by mescal » 21 Feb 2009, 20:03

Thank you Andy.

This not an official report, but it deals with the Japanese side :
http://www.combinedfleet.com/atully06.htm
Olivier

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Re: Report of Night Action in Surigao Strait, Philippine Islands

#4

Post by Sewer King » 22 Feb 2009, 15:44

From the report:
2. The destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 54 were the first to launch torpedo attacks against the Japanese Southern Force in Surigao Strait. The attack was well executed, resulted in severe damage to the enemy and confused and slowed the movement of the Japanese Force, thereby making it an easier prey for our heavy forces.

C. E. VAN HOOK,
Deputy
I thought the PT boats were first to launch torpedoes at Shima's force? although they scored no hits, and sent back information on his approach course.

Certainly DesRon 54 was far more successful. Norman Friedman in his U.S. Destroyers (Naval Institute Press) describes it as one of the US Navy's most successful destroyer actions of all, albeit against the relatively smaller surface force of a diminishing IJN. Late in the war, the Americans had mastered destroyer combat the way that Japan had done with her powerful destroyers early on -- just as they had taken over her same masteries of carrier air and amphibious combat.

Tully's reexamination of the Surigao Strait battle is as intriguing as his work on Midway. He has applied the best-yet available scholarship to commonly-accepted accounts of Surigao Strait, such as John Toland's, and opened comparative questions never asked before. As he points out, the wrecks there are within reach, but unfortunately for naval historians the expense and opportunity to see them are a separate matter and less likely.

-- Alan

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Kingfish
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Re: Report of Night Action in Surigao Strait, Philippine Islands

#5

Post by Kingfish » 22 Feb 2009, 18:00

Sewer King wrote:From the report:

I thought the PT boats were first to launch torpedoes at Shima's force? although they scored no hits, and sent back information on his approach course.
Perhaps you are mistaking the first IJN squadron to enter Surigao strait, commanded by Nishimura, and that of Shima's which followed behind but was a separate force altogether.

Nishimura's force was certainly attacked by numerous PT boats during its approach. These attacks may have used up the PT boat's allotment of torpedoes, which may explain the reason why they didn't attack Shima's force.

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Sewer King
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Re: Report of Night Action in Surigao Strait, Philippine Islands

#6

Post by Sewer King » 22 Feb 2009, 20:29

Yes, you are right I had mistaken the two forces. But the PTs had attacked Shima's follow-on force, with at least the one chance hit by PT-137 on cruiser Abukuma. From this synopsis of Surigao Strait:
At midnight, when he received Nishimura's message that the Van Force was in action with American torpedo-boats, Shima and his Second Striking Force were about forty miles astern of Nishimura. For three hours Shima sailed towards Leyte unmolested. Then, at about 0315, PT-134 made a torpedo attack, but missed. Shortly afterwards PT-137 attacked Shima's force, firing at a destroyer which at the time had reversed course to take station astern of Shima's formation. PT-137's torpedoes missed the destroyer by chance one of them struck the light cruiser Abukuma, which fell out of formation. As Shima's group, consisting now of the two heavy cruisers and four destroyers, proceeded northwards, what appeared to be two large burning ships were sighted. Shima took these to be the Fuso and Yamashiro. In fact they were the two halves of the torpedoed Fuso.
Friedman may have mentioned the count of US torpedoes expended in this battle; Samuel Eliot Morison in his Two-Ocean War mentions that a Japanese torpedo was recovered at Hibusan Island.

Any burning warship is a terrible sight, but the awful pyres of the Japanese ones at Surigao Strait seem especially so in the telling –- or rendering, as Tully has it. Maybe more so at night, as at Savo Island or at Jutland.

-- Alan

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Re: Report of Night Action in Surigao Strait, Philippine Isl

#7

Post by black96lt4c4 » 03 Apr 2014, 15:00

Hello,
My grandfather was on the U.S.S. Beale(DD-471),the last ship in line of Desron 24 during the Battle of the Surigao Straight.Shoji Nishimura's flagship,Yamashiro,was hit by torpedo"s" at around 3:30 AM.The U.S.S. Killen(DD-593) was given credit for the hit on the Battleship.HMAS Arunta,the Killen, and the Beale (in that sequence)all fired their fish at the enemy.The Beale was "DANGER" close at the time she fired her spread(under 6000 yards)which is one of the reasons I'm not convinced they missed.I also read an article by Anthony P.Tully that said there could be descrepencies between the Japanese and War College times(with the Japanese being more accurate).It has been years since I've looked at any material on this,but I think it had something to do with the torpeo depth setting(22 feet I think).Was there a closer torpedo engagement during the battle(or war)?Seems to me it would be a pretty high percentage shot at that distance.Any information would be greatly appreciated,Thank You, Junior

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mescal
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Re: Report of Night Action in Surigao Strait, Philippine Isl

#8

Post by mescal » 03 Apr 2014, 17:40

Hello,

If you want more information on this battle, you may want to purchase Anthony Tully's Battle of Surigao Strait (published around 2009 IIRC).
That's a quite thorough investigation of the battle, with an emphasis on the Japanese side.
Olivier

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Re: Report of Night Action in Surigao Strait, Philippine Islands

#9

Post by Felix C » 13 Mar 2016, 00:23

Was there a reason Nishimura did not send a ship further forward from the main body in case the passage was not clear?

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