The most principle thing is that a hunting force with no aircover of its own, nor any real means to defend itself against even a small aircomponent of an opposing force, is facing serious difficulties. The batlte in the Samar Sea is one such example of a much larger force of surface ships hunting down a much weaker (and even slower) force with little or no real surface warships. The smaller force will fight a delaying fights, using smoke and agressive attacks to force the larger force to counter manouvre, loosing the innitiative quickly, while having to dodge enemy aircrat at the same time as well.
In the original propposal, the USN is going to get a serious bloody nose, so stupid to engage the faster, better equipped IJN taskforce in a surface fight, simply as the USN force cannot outrun the IJN force, while at the same time sinding in seperate groups of Cruisers only is suicidal at best. (DD's will be left behind, lacking the speed to manouvre with the cruisers in the seaconditions likely encountered. (It was winter, so seastate was not favourable for the relative small USN DD's.)
Also note the OTL Shokaku and Zuikaku still had retained their full complement of B5N's with a strong force of A6M-2's as these had en holded back as reserve by the cautious Nagumo, in case just such a thing as the scenario unfolded. A battleline of 8 slow (less than 18 knots at best in the OTL seastate) battleships, lacking seriously a good AA outfit and no upgrades on most ships yet, such as bulges and addapted underwater protection, is a nightmare, as even a single torpedo can cause enough damage to permanently destroy such as ship in the open sea leaving it lost forever, compared to being sunk in shallow inshore waters. As at S Sea, the airforce of the hunted force will force the hunting surface group to call off sooner or later, just due to lacking the air component.
As for surface ships alone, the IJN taskgroup would likely use its DD's only to hunt down and fight the hunters, leaving the larger ships to dash away at flank speed. The DesRon was there for that purpose and could in the se case be sacrificed. Likely they would outfight the USN DD's of that time and even be superior to the ill equipped USN cruisers of that period, possibly leading to the sort of dissasters shown at Guadalcanal.
My calculations would sea possibly three or four out of one light cruiser and nine DD's for the start, for the IJN DD's getting lost for the bulk of the USN Pacific Fleet, succumbed under constant air and torpedo attacks, just as the IJN had been training for years before and the USN had not. Likely all eight USN BB's will get hit by airattack, possibly loosing all, due to lack of upgrades and poor management ohat period. (USA was in peacetime condition still). Most of the attacking cruisers and DD's too will get hits, mostly form the delaying fight of the IJN DesRon and loose several ships as a consequense. All 6 IJN carriers, the Battleships and heavy cruisers will get away, though loosing most of the aircraft, as these will have to ditch lacking enough fuel to get home again.
In the original propposal, the USN is going to get a serious bloody nose, so stupid to engage the faster, better equipped IJN taskforce in a surface fight, simply as the USN force cannot outrun the IJN force, while at the same time sinding in seperate groups of Cruisers only is suicidal at best. (DD's will be left behind, lacking the speed to manouvre with the cruisers in the seaconditions likely encountered. (It was winter, so seastate was not favourable for the relative small USN DD's.)
Also note the OTL Shokaku and Zuikaku still had retained their full complement of B5N's with a strong force of A6M-2's as these had en holded back as reserve by the cautious Nagumo, in case just such a thing as the scenario unfolded. A battleline of 8 slow (less than 18 knots at best in the OTL seastate) battleships, lacking seriously a good AA outfit and no upgrades on most ships yet, such as bulges and addapted underwater protection, is a nightmare, as even a single torpedo can cause enough damage to permanently destroy such as ship in the open sea leaving it lost forever, compared to being sunk in shallow inshore waters. As at S Sea, the airforce of the hunted force will force the hunting surface group to call off sooner or later, just due to lacking the air component.
As for surface ships alone, the IJN taskgroup would likely use its DD's only to hunt down and fight the hunters, leaving the larger ships to dash away at flank speed. The DesRon was there for that purpose and could in the se case be sacrificed. Likely they would outfight the USN DD's of that time and even be superior to the ill equipped USN cruisers of that period, possibly leading to the sort of dissasters shown at Guadalcanal.
My calculations would sea possibly three or four out of one light cruiser and nine DD's for the start, for the IJN DD's getting lost for the bulk of the USN Pacific Fleet, succumbed under constant air and torpedo attacks, just as the IJN had been training for years before and the USN had not. Likely all eight USN BB's will get hit by airattack, possibly loosing all, due to lack of upgrades and poor management ohat period. (USA was in peacetime condition still). Most of the attacking cruisers and DD's too will get hits, mostly form the delaying fight of the IJN DesRon and loose several ships as a consequense. All 6 IJN carriers, the Battleships and heavy cruisers will get away, though loosing most of the aircraft, as these will have to ditch lacking enough fuel to get home again.
