Right they didn’t stop him. That’s why the Americans were the ones who retreated.
Implying that they could have destroyed Kurita's force if he didn't. . .
I provided the groups and total numbers.
So did I. Subtracting both the TF 78 and 79 bombardment groups and the "Taffies" there would have been at most a light cruiser, 45 destroyers, and 12 destroyer escorts throughout the entire Central Philippines, hardly enough to stop the Center Force from pushing into Leyte Gulf.
Maybe so, but the timeline doesn't fit the story. Would you want to admit your CA got beat by a CVE instead of claiming that an air attack was the culprit?
It was probably more a case of conflicting accounts from different witnesses. For example, of the Japanese that disagree with the claim that it was a bomb attack (there is only one source to my knowledge), there is an assertion that it was caused by accidental fire from Kongo's secondaries, but this doesn't seem particularly credible.
More importantly, where did Combined Fleet.com get 0859 hours as the time of the explosion? Haguro's AAR gives 0851, which, according to CF, was about the same time White Plains opened fire. If the detonation was really closer to 9 o'clock, then it could be better associated with the Avengers, with the implication that either the latter attacked slightly earlier or the ship blew up slightly later. Perhaps "after 0905" really refers to the point at which the TBMs finished their run?
The accurate information is noted in post#52 which does not indicate a lack of ammunition for the BBs. Maybe because MacArthur didn’t have the correct info or couldn’t be bothered to correct himself. If you look at what Dougie said, it made little sense as AP ammo isn't used in shore bombardments. If he can't bother to be accurate on what ammo is used for shore bombardments, how would an objective reader view his accuracy on his story on the status of ammo on the 7th Fleet BBs?
Admiral Kinkaid himself sent Halsey a message saying "My OBBs low in ammunition."