Task Force 5
GT2 DTMB 1-15 January 1942
USN Sweep vs Japanese Invasion Convoy & Escort
RAdm Glassford looked at the ship’s chronometer, it was 1200 hours and he was already coffeed out. Task Force 5 had sortied from Surabaya the night before. Intel said that there were Japanese invasion convoys at sea. That was a real help. Where else would invasion convoys be? What would have been nice was some clue as to where they were going but the Intel Types had been just as clueless as he was on that subject. Glassford rejected trying for Ceram or Celebes. He would leave that to Crace and the ANZAC Squadron. He would stake his claim on the east coast of Borneo. Tarakan or Balikpapan was his best guess but he would look in on Banjermasin in passing.
Task Force 5 was the USN in this part of the world. The ABDA was still forming so, he still did his reporting to the USN Asiatic Fleet under Admiral Hart and Hart had told him to find something Japanese and sink it. Glassford took that instruction to heart as Hart had gone out on a limb for him to augment his force by pirating Pensacola from convoy escort. He’d try and return her in the shape they borrowed her in but that was not guaranteed.
Task Force 5 was steaming North at 25 knots led by DesRon 29 (John Paul Jones) and DesDiv 57 (John D. Edwards, Alden, Edsall & Whipple) in line abreast as a screen. They were followed by the cruiser division (Houston, Pensacola, Boise & Marblehead) under Glassford. DesDivs 58 (Stuart, Parrott, Barker & Bulmer) and 59 (John D. Ford, Pope, Peary & Pillsbury) were in divisional columns to port and starboard respectively of the cruisers.
Task Force 5 was a series of that’s OK and that’s not so good with later outnumbering the former. On the plus side was that it was daylight and Japanese LBA must be some where else. The Clemsons had all made the trip so far and given their age that was unexpected. And they had 10 more 8-inch guns than normally. Then there was the minus. This was a much longer list that we’ll save for another time.
The wind was a Force 2 from the North at 4 knots. Who rang up this weather. Glassford didn’t mind wind. He just didn’t like wind from the North or anywhere near there. It did not help him at all. He’d have been very happy with wind from the East or West and ecstatic over wind from the South. At least smoke would last a bit if he ran into more than Task Force 5 could handle. The sky had at least 3 layers of clouds and the overcast probably was the real explanative for the absence of LBA. There were squalls (he could see 3) dotted over the sea to the north and crawling towards him. There was also Sea Haze to the North and he was sure that he could not see North as well as someone could looking South. Glassford would turn out to right as the fog reduced visibility northward 2,000 yards. Otherwise, visibility was about 27,000 yards. Too far as far as Glassford saw it.
Glassford decided to launch FP. He’d look into the Borneo ports and if nothing was there, he would recover his FP and RTB to Surabaya.
1400 hours Banjermasin and Balikpapan had been clear, now for Tarakan and home. 1406 hours Glassford’s FPs reported enemy ships bearing 45 degrees on course for Tarakan. Glassford ruefully thought; you always find what you’re looking for in the last place you look.
Glassford ordered Task Force 5 to flank speed but kept the same relative formation until he had a better idea of what he was facing.
1412 hours FP reported 4 cruisers, 12 destroyers, 8 APs, 1 AV and probably a partridge in a freaking pear tree. The Japanese formation mostly mirrored his but a cruiser now determined to be light led the bunch at about 11 knots.
And now for said the weatherman. The wind had freshened to Force 4 and veered to the Northeast (worse and worse thought Glassford). There were more squalls but they were not going to help him coming from dead behind the Japanese. At least the haze was gone.
Glassford would have liked to get his flush decks involved but their 4” popguns were useless and their torps had short legs and there was no cover. Nope, this was daylight gun fight and he was as well off as he could expect to be. Glassford turned Task Force 5 to a 90-degree heading and stationed his destroyers fore and aft to his unengaged side. DesRon 29 with DesDivs 57 & 58 would lead and DesDiv 59 would trail.
1418 hours FP reported that the Japanese were increasing speed appeared to be reforming along the same lines as he had. They must have a spy in the sky Glassford thought. Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
1430 hours The Japanese came into sight with a light cruiser leading 8 destroyers followed by 3 heavy cruisers and then 4 more destroyers. 30 eight inch to his 19 gave him pause but he considered Marblehead a match for any Japanese light cruiser and Boise’s fifteen six inch surely redressed the balance to some degree. What was it some Army puke had quoted from Napoleon. Oh, yeah “First you engage and then you see”. Glassford tried to forget Nappy’s naval record even as he followed his advice.
1430 till 1442 nether side opened until the range had come down to 21,000 yards. Then the Japanese heavies opened on their USN counterparts and Boise. The USN cruisers fired back and Marblehead engaged the light cruiser, who returned fire.
The Japanese missed Houston, Pensacola and Marblehead and bounced off Boise’s fore turret. Houston hit the lead heavy (later identified as Haguro) thrice, and Pensacola did the same to the second heavy (later identified as Myoko). Boise and Marblehead missed. Haguro had her FP facilities damaged and a fire and minor damage to her hull. But Myoko lost her fore turret and suffered minor hull damage as well as a bounce off her belt.
1448 hours Haguro failed to put her fire out and that minor damage when coupled with earlier damage slowed her to 30 knots. The range came down a bit but not enough and both sides engaged as before. Haguro hit Houston twice. Myoko missed. And Nachi hit Boise once while Jintsu missed Marblehead. Houston hit Haguro once as Pensacola hit Myoko. Boise hit Nachi once and Marblehead missed.
Houston lost her fore turret and suffered an engine hit. Nachi’s hit bounced off Boise’s belt. Houston knocked out another fore turret on Haguro. Myoko had damaged FP facilities and a fire started. Nachi had her FP facilities damaged and a fire started.
1454 hours Haguro failed to put out her fire and suffered further minor hull damage. Myoko and Nachi put their fires out. Houston fixed her engine hit. The range had come down to 18,000 yards. This (per the CRT) was supposed to make things better for IJN. It did. Haguro hit Houston twice. Myoko hit Pensacola once. Nachi missed Boise and Jintsu missed Marblehead. Houston missed as did Pensacola. Boise hit Nachi twice and Marblehead missed Jintsu.
Houston took another engine hit and hull damage slowing her to 29 knots. Pensacola lost her fore turret. Nachi lost a secondary and suffered minor hull damage.
1500 hours. Haguro failed to fix her fire and that slowed her to 26 knots. The range was coming down but still exceeded 15,000 yards. Both sides engaged their previous targets. Houston missed and Pensacola hit Myoko once. Boise hit Nachi once. Marblehead hit Jintsu once. Haguro hit Houston twice and Myoko hit Pensacola twice. Nachi hit Boise twice. Jintsu missed.
Houston lost a secondary and her last fore turret. Pensacola had her FP facilities damaged and a fire and lost her fore turret. Boise had her FP facilities damaged and a fire set and a bounce off her fore turret (which was starting to dent). Myoko suffered minor hull damage that slowed her to 30 knots. Nachi lost a TT and had a major fire set. Jintsu lost a TT and had a major fire set.
1506 hours Houston failed to fix her engine and slowed to 21 knots. Pensacola put her fire out but Boise failed to and suffered minor hull damage that slowed her to 26 knots. Nachi failed to fix her fire and suffered hull damage that slowed her to 30 knots. Jintsu also failed to put her fire out and suffered hull damage that slowed her to 28 knots.
1512 hours Houston’s black gang broke her engine (now needs a dockyard) so no Golden Monkey Wrench Award for them. Boise put her fire out. Nachi fixed her fire but Jintsu failed and slowed again to 21 knots. The range was now down to 15,000 yards. But Glassford had had enough and got while the getting was still possible. Task Force 5 turned away under smoke and the Japanese let them go. Tarakan fell. Naci and Jintsu both burned for several several turns (3 and 2). Haguro, Nachi and Jintsu are gone for repair and unlikely to return.
Glassford couldn’t understand it until a gunnery guru explained that 8 inch was 3 to 2 against cruiser armor and when you get a hit you need to then roll odd to get a second hit. The Japanese understood this and got two hits to Glassford’s one almost every time.
As for the Intel Types it turned out that they too had recently received a bottle of sake and a D12. A rueful remark that die was worth a dozen trying for 12 was overheard.
WMC
