I wouldn't call it a death ride. The Japanese may have lost four out of their 13 battleships and one carrier, but they were still capable of putting up a fight. The Battle of the Southern Philippines in August 1944 was the real end of the IJN as a fighting force.
And the Ezo and Kinai may fared better if they hadn't been damaged in the running gun battle with the American BBs.
Why not? It would have shattered their morale earlier. Also, with the example set by nuking a city, the Americans and Russo-Chinese might not have been so willing to toss tactical nukes like snowballs during the Korean War. Even to this day, some parts of northern Korea remain unlivable.
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While the Southern Philippines was absolutely the series of engagements where the
number of IJN ships was whittled down, the "Death Ride" was what destroyed the IJN as a serious combat force. The loss of
Nagato, Ezo, Kinia, Haruna along with the virtual destruction of
Kongo (which never left Truk after limping there post battle), the sinking of
Zuikaku, all of which were sunk by aircraft in the Battle of Finuana Island coupled with the loss of her sister
Shokaku from a gasoline vapor explosion brought on by a single torpedo hit by
USS Growler while
en route to the battle dealt the IJN a body blow from which they never recovered. Combined with the loss of four heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and three destroyers during the night surface engagement, in exchange for two USN light cruisers and a destroyer (and, admittedly, the crippling of
USS South Dakota, which was out of action for over a year) and the destruction of close to 200 IJN land based aircraft the December 14 action was a massacre.
Beyond the material losses, the loss of personnel was also crippling. Even if one discounts the loss of aircrew and critical aviation mechanics, something the IJN was never able to overcome, the loss of combat leadership, especially the visionary Admiral Yamamoto, along with much of his staff, when
Nagato suffered its spectacular magazine explosion is difficult to overstate, as is the death of the hugely experienced, if somewhat tarnished in reputation, Chuichi Nagumo, commander of the
Kido Butai, effectively eviscerated the IJN combat leadership at a critical juncture.
By comparison the Southern Philippines engagement were more a matter of a massively powerful USN clearing up the tatters of the IJN.