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Battle of Kure Atoll Part 4 The Empire Strikes Back and finale
The Empire Strikes Back
2224 Hours
Torpedoes are in the water from the remaining Japanese cruisers, both Japanese destroyers as well as the Monaghan. The Porter launched its torpedoes as well but none hit although two exploded in the wake of the Aoba. The first Japanese torpedoes hit the Alywin with two hitting her aft of her rear superstructure and detonating her aft 5 inch magazine, blowing the rear 100 feet of the ship to pieces and killing nearly half her crew in seconds. She immediately begins sinking, and the surviving 85 crewmen including her captain make it over the side before she goes down. Her attacker, the Shigure, meanwhile blows up under a barrage of 8 and 5 inch shells from the Portland and Chicago. Only a handful of her crew make it over the side and only a pair of young Japanese sailors are eventually rescued and captured by the US Navy.
The next ship hit is the Chester, which takes 2 torpedoes amidships, flooding her boiler rooms and starting a ferocious fire amidships as several 8 inch rounds from the Kinagusha hit her at the same time. Power is immediately knocked out, and she begins to coast to a stop, forcing the American destroyers behind to shift their course to avoid her. As the crew of the Chester begin an ultimately futile effort to save their ship, the Aoba is hit by 3 torpedoes from the Monaghan, one of which explodes, blowing off much of her stern and speeding her flooding substantially.
The Japanese cruisers meanwhile make their column turn, putting 24 torpedoes into the water. Hurriedly launched nearly all of them miss, but one hits the Lamson in the engineering spaces, causing her to slow enough that two more hit her in rapid succession. She detonates in a spectacular explosion, and with her die 106 of her 158 men. The Yugari in the meantime is smothered by more shells and comes to a halt completely ablaze. She sinks soon after taking all but 6 of her crew directly or who refuse rescue by the Americans.
However her death buys time for the Japanese cruisers, who complete their turn successfully masked in part by the American ships blowing the Yugari to pieces and the death of Lamson and disaster suffered by the Chester. The remaining destroyers of Division 9 are forced to take action to avoid collision and enemy torpedoes and manage to avoid further damage but also lose contact with the enemy.
2230 hours
In less than 25 minutes the battle is over. The 3 remaining Japanese cruisers are retiring at high speed west while the concussion of repeated salvos fired has temporarily knocked out the radar aboard the Chicago, while the Chester has lost all power and is rapidly flooding.
Admiral Newton sends a signal to Halsey who orders him to leave a pair of destroyers to rescue survivors and for the rest of the task force to hurry as quickly as possible to rejoin Brown.
Task Force 3
Meanwhile during the night Task Force 3 is steaming at high speed to put it 150 miles southwest of Midway and within range of the Japanese Invasion Fleet at dawn and Brown has orders to attack it as soon as it is light enough to launch and the PBYs from Midway find it again.
Striking Force
Over the tense night that follows Yamamoto receives another signal from Sawa reporting the destruction of two destroyers and the flagship and that he is retiring to rejoin the Invasion Fleet. As of midnight Yamamoto is still pondering his next move.
Epilogue
The Chester goes down at 0120 hours December 10, taking with her over 150 of her crew. The Aoba sinks shortly after dawn, burning all night and abandoned. She ends up taking over 650 men with her either directly or who refuse rescue later. Only 25 Japanese sailors accept rescue.
2224 Hours
Torpedoes are in the water from the remaining Japanese cruisers, both Japanese destroyers as well as the Monaghan. The Porter launched its torpedoes as well but none hit although two exploded in the wake of the Aoba. The first Japanese torpedoes hit the Alywin with two hitting her aft of her rear superstructure and detonating her aft 5 inch magazine, blowing the rear 100 feet of the ship to pieces and killing nearly half her crew in seconds. She immediately begins sinking, and the surviving 85 crewmen including her captain make it over the side before she goes down. Her attacker, the Shigure, meanwhile blows up under a barrage of 8 and 5 inch shells from the Portland and Chicago. Only a handful of her crew make it over the side and only a pair of young Japanese sailors are eventually rescued and captured by the US Navy.
The next ship hit is the Chester, which takes 2 torpedoes amidships, flooding her boiler rooms and starting a ferocious fire amidships as several 8 inch rounds from the Kinagusha hit her at the same time. Power is immediately knocked out, and she begins to coast to a stop, forcing the American destroyers behind to shift their course to avoid her. As the crew of the Chester begin an ultimately futile effort to save their ship, the Aoba is hit by 3 torpedoes from the Monaghan, one of which explodes, blowing off much of her stern and speeding her flooding substantially.
The Japanese cruisers meanwhile make their column turn, putting 24 torpedoes into the water. Hurriedly launched nearly all of them miss, but one hits the Lamson in the engineering spaces, causing her to slow enough that two more hit her in rapid succession. She detonates in a spectacular explosion, and with her die 106 of her 158 men. The Yugari in the meantime is smothered by more shells and comes to a halt completely ablaze. She sinks soon after taking all but 6 of her crew directly or who refuse rescue by the Americans.
However her death buys time for the Japanese cruisers, who complete their turn successfully masked in part by the American ships blowing the Yugari to pieces and the death of Lamson and disaster suffered by the Chester. The remaining destroyers of Division 9 are forced to take action to avoid collision and enemy torpedoes and manage to avoid further damage but also lose contact with the enemy.
2230 hours
In less than 25 minutes the battle is over. The 3 remaining Japanese cruisers are retiring at high speed west while the concussion of repeated salvos fired has temporarily knocked out the radar aboard the Chicago, while the Chester has lost all power and is rapidly flooding.
Admiral Newton sends a signal to Halsey who orders him to leave a pair of destroyers to rescue survivors and for the rest of the task force to hurry as quickly as possible to rejoin Brown.
Task Force 3
Meanwhile during the night Task Force 3 is steaming at high speed to put it 150 miles southwest of Midway and within range of the Japanese Invasion Fleet at dawn and Brown has orders to attack it as soon as it is light enough to launch and the PBYs from Midway find it again.
Striking Force
Over the tense night that follows Yamamoto receives another signal from Sawa reporting the destruction of two destroyers and the flagship and that he is retiring to rejoin the Invasion Fleet. As of midnight Yamamoto is still pondering his next move.
Epilogue
The Chester goes down at 0120 hours December 10, taking with her over 150 of her crew. The Aoba sinks shortly after dawn, burning all night and abandoned. She ends up taking over 650 men with her either directly or who refuse rescue later. Only 25 Japanese sailors accept rescue.
- galveston bay
- Word Count: 650