1. USN DESTROYERS TORPEDO BATTLESHIP FUSO
The only Japanese battleship sunk by surface torpedo attack during the Pacific War was Fuso at Surigao Strait. The instrument of her destruction was Destroyer Squadron 54 with its five Fletcher-class destroyers. These ships were deployed in two sections, an eastern group with Remey, McGowan, and Melvin and a western group with McDermut and Monssen. The eastern group was the first to gain radar contact on Nishimura’s force at 0240hrs. Radar contact from the western group followed at 0254hrs. Captain J.G. Coward, commander of Destroyer Squadron 54, planned to subject the approaching Japanese to an anvil attack with the ten torpedoes carried aboard each of his ships. Though the anvil attack did not come off as planned, the attack was a brilliant success, primarily because Nishimura failed to order evasive maneuvers before the torpedoes reached their targets. Throughout the action, the Japanese failed to appreciate the threat from American destroyers, while their optical and electronic sensors failed to give warning of impending attack. Coward’s three destroyers in his eastern group fired 27 torpedoes from between 8,200 to 9,300 yards just after 0300hrs.
Only after releasing their weapons did the USN destroyers come under ineffective Japanese shellfire, but none of the American ships was hit. This view shows the destroyers McGowan (1) and Remey (2) firing their torpedoes and turning away with 6in. shells from Yamashiro bursting around them (3). Yamashiro (4) can be seen in the background with her searchlights attempting to locate the American destroyers. Minutes later, at 0308hrs, two torpedoes from Melvin hit Fuso. The battleship fell out of line and later sank with the loss of almost her entire crew.
2. ZUIKAKU UNDER AIR ATTACK
The most lucrative target awaiting Halsey’s aviators on the morning of October 25 was fleet carrier Zuikaku, veteran of four of the war’s five carrier battles. In the first strike, Zuikaku was attacked by dive-bombers and Avengers from Intrepid, and two light carriers. The small Japanese combat air patrol was ineffective in defending the carrier, which was now left to defend against the attack with antiaircraft fire and adept evasive maneuvering.
This scene shows Zuikaku (1) in a high-speed turn to port. The smoke is from the ship’s battery of 96 25mm antiaircraft guns. Note the camouflage on the flight deck; all four of Ozawa’s carriers at Cape Engaño wore similar patterns. Only minutes into the attack Zuikaku’s flight deck was hit by three bombs. The bombs started a fire on the two hangar decks, which took some 15 minutes to extinguish. Most of the 1,000lb bombs from the Helldivers (2) missed, as shown in this scene. After the Helldivers had done their work, the Avengers hit the big carrier with a torpedo on her port side between elevators Number 2 and 3. The ensuing flooding caused a temporary list of almost 30°, but this was quickly reduced to a manageable 6°. Zuikaku survived the first strike; however, the larger third strike concentrated on her and delivered a devastating barrage of six torpedo and four bomb hits. By 1414hrs, Zuikaku was gone.
3. CHIYODA UNDER SURFACE ATTACK
During World War II, it was exceedingly rare for aircraft carriers to come under attack from surface ships. The first to be sunk by surface attack was Royal Navy carrier Glorious off Norway in June 1940. The next, and last two, both occurred on October 25 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. During the morning, Taffy 3 was attacked by a large force of IJN combatants. Gambier Bay was sunk by gunfire and several other escort carriers damaged. In the afternoon, USN surface units from TF 38 caught up with the crippled ships from Vice Admiral Ozawa’s Main Body. Light carrier Chiyoda was crippled earlier in the day during the second American strike on the Main Body and was left dead after the ship lost power. Vice Admiral Mitscher ordered a force of four cruisers and 12 destroyers under Rear Admiral DuBose to dispatch any cripples. DuBose’s force first encountered Chiyoda with light cruiser Isuzu standing nearby preparing to rescue survivors. The heavily out-gunned Isuzu quickly fled. At 1624hrs, heavy cruisers Wichita and New Orleans opened fire with their 8in. guns at a range of 20,000 yards. Light cruisers Mobile and Santa Fe joined in the barrage and within 15 minutes, Chiyoda was a mass of flames. This scene shows Mobile (1) and New Orleans (2) steaming in column and taking the carrier under fire. Chiyoda (3) burns in the background. The shell splashes in the foreground are from Chiyoda’s Type 89 5in. dual-purpose guns, which have opened up with an ineffective response. At 1655hrs, Chiyoda rolled over and sank, taking her entire crew of 970 men with her. She was the last of the four Japanese carriers lost that day.
