Battle of Surigao Strait

Battle of Surigao Strait. Fought on the night of October 24–25, 1944, it was a decisive naval engagement of the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Pacific War. The battle saw a powerful United States Navy task force under Jesse B. Oldendorf annihilate a Japanese Southern Force attempting to attack the Allied invasion fleet in the Gulf of Leyte. It is historically notable as the last battleship-versus-battleship action in history and a classic demonstration of the naval tactic of "crossing the T."

Background

The battle occurred during the Philippines campaign (1944–1945) as Allied forces under General Douglas MacArthur began the liberation of the Philippines with landings on Leyte. The Imperial Japanese Navy, in a desperate operation Sho-Go, planned a complex multi-pronged attack to destroy the United States Seventh Fleet's invasion support forces. The Japanese Southern Force, commanded by Vice Admiral Shōji Nishimura, was tasked with transiting the Surigao Strait from the south to strike the vulnerable amphibious shipping. Allied commanders, including Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid, anticipated this move and prepared a devastating ambush in the confined waters of the strait.

Opposing forces

The Allied force, part of the United States Seventh Fleet, was commanded by Vice Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf from his flagship, the heavy cruiser USS Louisville (CA-28). His main battle line consisted of six older battleships, five of which—USS West Virginia (BB-48), USS Maryland (BB-46), USS Mississippi (BB-41), USS Tennessee (BB-43), and USS California (BB-44)—had been salvaged and modernized after the attack on Pearl Harbor. They were supported by eight cruisers, including the Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Shropshire, and numerous destroyers and PT boats. The Japanese Southern Force was divided; Nishimura's "Force C" included the battleships Yamashiro and Fusō, the heavy cruiser Mogami, and four destroyers. A separate, trailing force under Vice Admiral Kiyohide Shima comprised the heavy cruisers Nachi and Ashigara, a light cruiser, and destroyers.

Battle

The battle unfolded in distinct phases through the night. First, Allied PT boats, including those from Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 7, made repeated but largely ineffective attacks, harassing the Japanese formation and providing vital contact reports. The main destroyer action followed, with American destroyer divisions executing well-coordinated torpedo attacks from both flanks. These attacks sank the destroyers Yamagumo and Michishio and, critically, torpedoed the battleship Fusō, which broke in two and sank. As Nishimura's crippled force advanced, it entered the kill zone of Oldendorf's battle line, which had perfectly "crossed the T." The American battleships, with their radar-directed main batteries, opened a devastating broadside fire at long range, overwhelming the flagship Yamashiro. Simultaneous cruiser gunfire and further destroyer torpedo attacks finished off the remaining Japanese vessels. The trailing force under Kiyohide Shima arrived to find a scene of destruction, briefly engaged, and then retreated after the cruiser Mogami was crippled in a collision.

Aftermath

The Japanese Southern Force was virtually annihilated. The battleships Yamashiro and Fusō, the cruiser Mogami, and three destroyers were sunk with the loss of nearly 5,000 sailors, including Admiral Shōji Nishimura. Allied losses were minimal: one PT boat damaged and 39 men killed. The surviving Japanese ships from Kiyohide Shima's force retreated through the Mindanao Sea. The decisive victory in the Surigao Strait secured the southern approach to the Gulf of Leyte, allowing the Battle of Leyte Gulf to continue with the pivotal actions in the Battle off Samar and the Battle of Cape Engaño.

Significance

The Battle of Surigao Strait holds a unique place in naval history as the last direct engagement between opposing battleship lines. It demonstrated the complete ascendancy of Allied radar, night-fighting doctrine, and coordinated tactics over Japanese surface forces. The victory, a textbook example of the "crossing the T" maneuver, eliminated a major Japanese threat to the Leyte beachhead and contributed significantly to the overall American triumph in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which crippled the Imperial Japanese Navy as an effective fighting force for the remainder of the Pacific War.

Category:Battles of World War II Category:Battles of the Philippines campaign (1944–1945) Category:Naval battles of World War II