Word: cruisers
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...Kurita's powerful fleet steamed through Palawan Passage toward the Sibuyan Sea early on the morning of Oct. 23, it was flushed by patrolling U.S. submarines Darter and Dace. The subs attacked. Before they were through, they had crippled heavy cruiser Takao, sunk heavy cruiser Maya and Kurita's flagship, heavy cruiser Atago. Kurita himself had to swim to save his skin. A Japanese destroyer picked him up, and he sailed on, still in command of five battleships, seven heavy cruisers, two light cruisers and eleven destroyers...
Alerted by the submarines' contact reports, Bull Halsey ordered his carriers to launch air strikes against Kurita'and opened the Battle of Sibuyan Sea on Oct. 24. In all, Halsey's planes made 259 sorties, sinking battleship Musashi, putting heavy cruiser Myoko out of action and damaging several others. (Halsey's carrier Princeton was fatally wounded by a land-based Japanese Judy, the only one of scores of Philippine-based planes to score.) As the battle went against him, Kurita reversed course, as if retiring, then turned back toward San Bernardino Strait...
Despite the upset of the Japanese timetable, the southern forces under Nishimura and Shima sailed right on. Nishimura had two battleships, a heavy cruiser and four destroyers; Shima, behind him, had two heavy cruisers, a light cruiser and four destroyers. Awaiting them at the far end of Surigao Strait was a much stronger Seventh Fleet force under Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf. Alerted by PT-boat reports, Oldendorf was ready...
...night of Oct. 24, Nishimura tried to run Oldendorf's gantlet, suffered six murderous destroyer attacks, steamed on toward Oldendorf's battle line with only battleship Yamashiro, heavy cruiser Mogami and destroyer Shigure still in action. Oldendorf had achieved the naval commander's dream: with his battle line he had capped the T of Nishimura's little column. At 0419 Yamashiro went down, taking Admiral Nishimura with her. Mogami got away but was sunk in the pursuit that came later, leaving Shigure the only ship afloat of Nishimura's force...
Admiral Shima followed in Nishimura's wake, fired torpedoes at an island which he thought to be a ship, and fled without coming under fire-colliding with crippled Mogami in the process. Relentlessly pursued by U.S. air and sea forces, Shima got home with only one heavy cruiser and two destroyers...