Japan went to extraordinary lengths to conceal the building of the vast new battleships. They had been built as a result of the Japanese Navy’s strategy to build a navy that was qualitatively better than the US Navy-an outcome of the Washington Naval Limitation Treaty. Over the next hour and a half Musashi was slowed to ten knots and listed five degrees to port and thirteen feet down at the bow she began to drop off the back of the fleet.Ĭommissioned in the summer of 1942, Musashi, sister ship to Yamato, was the last of the behemoth Japanese battleships. This was followed up just after midday by a second wave of VB-15 Helldivers and VF-15 Hellcats from the USS Essex (CV-9), USS Intrepid (CV-11) and USS Lexington (CV-16), the Essex Class replacement for the Lexington, (CV-2), that was sunk at the Battle of the Coral Sea. The first torpedoes to strike Musashi barely registered on its heavily armored hull and it maintained its speed at over twenty knots. Deprived of McCain’s stronger airpower, Bogan’s group’s carriers concentrated their attacks on the battleships Nagato, Yamato and Musashi. Pressing onward, Kurita’s surface force now faced the onslaught of Halsey’s carrier attacks.
In reply, at the so-called Battle of Palawan Passage, the Japanese won a fortuitous, albeit token, prize when Darter ran aground and her entire crew had to be rescued by the USS Dace. The Takao was escorted out of the battle taking with it two Japanese destroyers from the battles ahead. Of Atago’s sister ships, the heavy cruiser Maya was sunk, while the Takao was heavily damaged.
Less fortunate were 359 of his crew who died. So rapidly did his ship go down that Kurita was forced to take an early morning salt-water bath in which he was forced to swim for his life. On the morning of 23 October, Kurita’s flagship Atago was sunk by torpedoes fired from the submarines USS Darter and USS Dace. In the first of a litany of mistakes Kurita failed to take anti-submarine precautions after a radio operator on board the Yamato picked up signals from American submarines. You must all remember that there are such things as miracles.Īdmiral Kurita’s battle started badly. Because I realize how very serious the war situation actually is, I am willing to accept even this ultimate assignment to storm into Leyte Gulf. Would it not be shameful to have the fleet remain intact while our nation perishes? I believe that the Imperial General Headquarters is giving us a glorious opportunity. But the war situation is far more critical than any of you can possibly know. I know that many of you are strongly opposed to this assignment. Before the battle, Vice-Admiral Kurita, fully aware of the likelihood that his fleet would be annihilated, addressed his less than enthusiastic commanders:
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