Putting Iron on the bottom of the Sound
GT1 TSC August 1942
Situation: The decimation of the Allied transports and cargo ships by VAdm Mikawa had made the resupply of the Marines on Guadalcanal critical if they were to retake Henderson Field and do it quickly. Japanese efforts to resupply were just as desperate. But Adm Yamamoto also wanted what supplies the Marine’s had destroyed as that might lead to their withdrawal. These opposing desires led to what happened next just a week after Savo Island.
RAdm Lee was on the bridge of North Caolina peering into the gloom ahead. Intel said there was a IJN force including Bats ahead somewhere. Lee hoped he’d miss them as they were not his primary problem right now. His primary problem was ensuring that the supplies on Alhena, Gregory, Little and Southard got ashore to the Marines there. This was the ammo the Marines needed to try and retake Henderson with.
The supply ships were anchored to the SE of Laguna Point about 1,500 yards off shore. The night might be dark but the ships could not be. Ships could not be unloaded quickly without the light needed to see and Lee winced every time he looked over at them in passing as he could clearly see their silhouettes in their deck lights as their crews worked feverishly to unload them.
Less visible by far were the escorting destroyers (DesRon 1, Phelps Ldr, Dale, Dewey, Farragut, Hull, MacDonough, Worden & Wilson) patrolling 2,000 yards further out at 5 knots in a 5,000-yard N-S but curved (to the East) race track patrol pattern that half mooned around the anchorage.
Lee’s escort was 7,000 yards further out still, to the NE in an East-West 10,000-yard race track patrol pattern at 15 knots. Which direction they would be actually heading in at the moment of contact was anyone’s guess and would be resolved randomly (rawhide of naval gaming is rolling, rolling, rolling).
Lee’s Task Group was arrayed with a division (Balch Ldr, Grayson & Gwin) of DesRon 6 leading in line abreast 3,000 yards ahead as a sort of screen. Followed by Lee in North Carolina (flag) and then cruiser divisions 1 (New Orleans, Minneapolis & San Francisco) and 2 (Vincennes, Astoria, Quincy & Chicago) and then the other destroyer division (Benham, Ellet & Maury) of DesRon 6. There was 3,000 yards between each succeeding division and they were all in line ahead. Their FP were prepared for launch and Lee intended to jettison every single FP immediately upon contact.
The wind was Force 5 from the NW at 20 knots. Smoke would not last more than few minutes (3 to be precise) in these conditions. The moon state was new and the generally clear skies did not help visibility at all. And while there was no sea haze; there were squalls aplenty (Lee could see 3). Lee was unhappy about the wind direction and speed. The Japs must love this he thought. The wind was blowing squalls in a way that facilitated a Japanese infiltration into the sound southward near Guadalcanal. Neither the squalls nor Guadalcanal’s land shadow was going to help Lee’s radar finding the IJN.
Adm Yamamoto peered into the gloom ahead, a cup of coffee in his hands, yet another trait picked up during his time as Naval Attache in Washington. He was both pleased and displeased with the prevailing wind and its attending squalls. It would assist him in entering the sound undetected and getting into the island’s land shadow to be sure. But it was also blinding his lookouts. He had anticipated this and would use Guadalcanal to guide him to the Allied anchorage. Yamamoto needed to get in, do the dirty and get out to avoid the two American carrier groups he knew were in the area. He had wanted to bring every Bat he could but fuel constraints and the need to sortie as many carriers as he could had compelled him to sortie a decoy carrier group (CL Nagara and a destroyer) and limited his bombardment Force’s capital ships to the Yamato itself.
Thus, Adm Yamamoto’s Bombardment Group consisted of Yamato, Cruiser Sqdns 4 (Atago, Maya & Takao) & 5 (Haguro & Myoko) and DesFlot 4: Yura DF & DesDivs 2 (Harusame, Murasame, Samidare & Yudachi), 9 (Asagumo, Minegumo & Natsugumo) & 27 (Ariake, Shigure & Shiratsuyu).
The group was arrayed with Yura leading with DesDiv 2 in line abreast followed by Cru Sqdns 4 & 5, then the Yamato and finally DesDivs 9 & 27. There was 3,000 yards between each division/squadron to prevent friendly fire and provide for some reaction if ambushed.
At 2400 hours Lee’s Task Force was heading East and at the midpoint of its patrol pattern. The inshore destroyer escort was at the southern end of its patrol pattern and turning northwards.
Balch, Benham and New Orleans had radar contact to the port quarter at 20,000 yards roughly on a bearing of 135 degrees. Lee ordered the TF to reverse course, increase to flank while alerted the inshore patrol. Lee ordered all FP jettisoned. The Japanese were oblivious to all this activity. But they could see the deck lights of the off-loading ships at anchor beyond the point and reported them. Yamamoto ordered the Bombardment group to flank speed and ordered RAdm Takama (DesFlot 4) to torpedo attack the anchorage. Yamamoto ordered all FP launched but oddly (that’s how I rolled) had not thought of it before and it would take 9 long minutes to happen.
2403 hours. Benham’s, New Orleans, Balch’s and now North Carolina’s radar had detected more ships emerging from the squall behind the enemy ships they had already contacted. The whole mess was accelerating and turning South towards the anchorage. Phelps and her destroyers sped North to get between the anchorage and the on coming enemy that her radar was in contact with now.
2406 hours Lee informed the supply ships of their danger and ordered them go dark and suspend offloading. The anchorage went dark but in a few minutes Yura’s FP would be dropping flares as the pilot had seen the ship’s deck lights before they went out and knew where they were.
2409 hours. The Japanese got their FPs off. Both sides were pretty much at flank speed by this point all though there are always a few laggards.
2412 hours. Phelps had reached the north side of the anchorage and turned 45 degrees to starboard to open up her broadsides to her contacts. Harusame acquired Phelps and alerted Yura. Benham had turned 45 degrees to starboard to open her divisions broadsides and TT arcs. Yura’s FP dropped a flare over the anchorage and illuminated Alhena. Dale, Dewey, Farragut, Hull, MacDonough and Worden all fired off stat-shell at Yura and her destroyers. Out of the 12 star-shell fired, only 5 worked but they still illuminated Yura and DesDiv 2’s four destroyers.
2415 hours Takama seeing that arc of gun flashes to his front knew that he was going to have to fight his way into the anchorage. Yura and DesDiv 2 acquired every USN destroyer (6) that had fired. Takama quickly reported his contact to Yamamoto and asked for immediate support. Yamamoto sent the cruisers while he turned the Yamato and DesDivs 9 and 27 90 degrees to starboard to await the development of the fight ahead.
DesRon 1 fired off all its TT at Yura and DesDiv 2. Yura and DesDiv 2 had turned 45 degrees to starboard and fired off all their TT at Alhena and the anchorage. Phelps and Dale targeted Yura and hit her twice (out of 16 torps). Dewey and Farragut targeted Harusame and hit her once (out of 16 torps). Hull and MacDonough targeted Murasame and hit her twice (out of 16 torps). Worden targeted Samidare and hit her thrice (out of 8 torps, 2 ones and a two). Wilson targeted Yudachi and missed her. There were about 8 more hits but the Mark VI imploder did its best for the IJN and caused a slew of duds. Yura took 6 hull among other damage and sank taking RAdm Takama with her. Harusame was sunk outright as was Murasame. Samidare was sunk twice over.
Phelps firing rapidly completely whiffed against the lonely Yudachi as did Wilson. The remaining destroyers had shot their wad on star-shell Yudachi hit MacDonough twice, knocking out a gun, damaging a bulkhead and slowing her to 30 knots. Japanese FPs from Cruiser Sqdn 4 joined Yura’s FP in illuminating the rest of the anchorage and the ships anchored therein. FPs from Cruiser Sqdn 5 illuminated DesRon 1.
2418 hours MacDonough fixed her bulkhead. Phelps turned two points to port followed by her destroyers. Yudachi turned around to starboard trying to hide behind smoke from DesRon 1.
Yura’s and DesDiv 2’s torpedoes arrived in the anchorage. Yura hit Alhena once with a type 90. But Harusame hit her twice. Murasame, Samidare and Yudachi using Alhena as an aiming point had fired their TT to either side of her and these now intersected with the APDs Gregory, Little and Southard. The Japanese trying to be fair succeeded in that each APD ended up with two of the six mounts targeting (blindly) it. But as they were anchored and thus DIW it didn’t really matter. Only Little was missed. Gregory and Southard were sunk.
Yudachi targeted Little and hit her once (turn and other modifiers not withstanding) and damaged her cargo. But Little was full of ammo, caught fire and exploded. Scratch the Marines being resupplied. Yudachi pretty much escaped being fired on by DesRon 1 except for Worden and Wilson who firing rapidly hit her once knocking out a gun mount. But the Japanese heavy cruisers now intervened. Atago hit Wilson 4 times, knocking out a gun, damaging her hull thrice slowing her to 23 knots. Maya hit Worden 4 times, knocking out 2 guns, damaging a bulkhead and her hull slowing her to 23 knots. Takao hit MacDonough twice, knocking out a gun and damaging her hull slowing her to 23 knots. Haguro hit Hull twice, knocking out a gun and a TT.
And Myoko hit Farragut 6 times (just one class ship to another), knocking out a TT, 3 guns and damaging her hull twice slowing her to 23 knots.
DesRon 1 tried to illuminate the Japanese cruisers with star-shell but only succeeded with Atago and Haguro, the remaining 4 being duds.
2424 hours Yamamoto now wanted to bombard the Marines to reduce their situation even further but he needed to clear the Yankee navy away first. Worden fixed her bulkhead. Phelps turned DesRon 1 away under smoke to avoid being overwhelmed by the Japanese heavies. Lee’s cruisers had no such fear and targeted Atago and Haguro from out of the dark. Cruiser Division 2 targeted Atago and hit her 15 times! They started with her a/c facilities hitting them twice and starting 2 minor fires, then knocked out 2 TT and started 2 major fires, they knocked out 4 of her turrets, damaged her hull 4 times and a bulkhead, knocked her engines a bit and critical hit her FC knocking that also. Then just help her see and be seen their started 5 EDR fires lighting up her life. Atago slowed to 15 knots. Cruiser Division 1 only hit Haguro 6 times. They too started on her a/c facilities starting a minor fire, they knocked out a secondary, her fore turret, a bulkhead and damaged her hull twice before hitting her fore magazine. Haguro failed to flood and exploded taking RAdm Takagi with her.
2427 hours Atago failed to fix anything and the bulkhead and her two minor and two major fires damaged 3 more hull sinking her. Yamamoto changed his mind about bombarding and ordered his cruisers to withdraw immediately under smoke. He sent DesDivs 9 and 27 to cover that withdrawal with a LR torpedo attack on the American cruisers. Meanwhile Benham’s division had gotten in range and delivered its own torpedo attack at Cruiser Sqdn 4.
The USN cruisers turned 2 points to port now heading SWW and fell silent as they had no targets now that the Japanese cruisers had reversed course under smoke.
2430 hours The Japanese continued to withdraw north. But Benham’s division got three hits in. One on Takao and 2 on Maya, the rest missed or were duds. Takao took 4 hull and an engine hit slowing her to 18 knots. Maya took 3 hull, lost her fore turret and had a fire set that slowed her to 26 knots. But that was all for the night as the squalls and darkness swallowed the Japanese up.
0100 hours Lee surveyed the mess that was the anchorage. He had failed to resupply the Marines and he wasn’t certain what to do about it. Maybe an air drop of small arms ammo. Lee didn’t think he could rustle up any more cargo ships this month.
The next day USN carrier a/c caught Takao and Maya limping back to Truk and sank them.
WMC
