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Chapter 6

0630 to 0706
"GENERAL ATTACK"

A/C    This was thought to be an attempt by the Japanese to jam the inter-fighter direction network. By this point Centre Force may have been reacting to the approaching American reconnaissance aircraft or they may have already sighted some of the warships of Taffy III, hull-down.

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0637    TBS - Taffy 3 v NEBRASKA, "INTERROGATORY CONDITION ONE." .... v Taffy 3, "ROGER OUT."

0640    Centre Force changes course to nearly due south.

A/C    Now that VADM Kurita knew Centre Force had been sighted, he expected another air attack from Third Fleet in very short order.

0643    Escort Carrier KADASHAN BAY's anti-submarine patrol aircraft closes the range further and identifies the warship types of Centre Force. Ensign Jensen reports its location to Taffy II's flagship CVE NATOMA BAY. Rear Admiral Sprague on Taffy III's flagship CVE FANSHAW BAY only receives a garbled transmission of ENS Jensen's report.

A/C    Except for the garbled Japanese voice transmissions heard on the inter-fighter direction network, this was RADM Sprague's first true indication that something was awry.

EVENT    Rear Admiral Sprague hears the voice report from ENS Brooks. Annoyed by the transmission, he immediately orders, "...AIR PLOT, TELL HIM TO CHECK HIS IDENTIFICATION...."

A/C    Rear Admiral Sprague believed ENS Brooks had spotted U.S. Third Fleet warships (Halsey). He theorized, as did all Seventh Fleet, Task Force 34 was guarding San Bernardino Strait and he therefore had no worries concerning his northern sectors. Thus, he had no knowledge that the entire Third Fleet was presently on its way north to engage VADM Ozawa’s decoy Northern Force. In addition, he believed Centre Force was presently on it's way back to Borneo after the severe pounding it received from Third Fleet's carrier aircraft the previous afternoon in the Sibuyan Sea. He had no reason to believe otherwise, until now....

EVENT    After receiving flak from the Japanese BB HARUNA, ENS Jensen attacks the nearest ship and drops two depth charges, the only weapons at his disposal, on a heavy cruiser. Ensign Brooks follows suit in his TBM.

0645    Flak is sighted on the northwestern horizon by the lookouts of Taffy III. Alerted by the lookout reports, the radar operator on CVE FANSHAW BAY turns his radar set toward the reported flak and immediately afterwards, radar contact is made with the approaching ships of Centre Force. The Japanese fleet bears 330° T.

A/C    Upon sighting each other, confusion reigned high on both sides from the very beginning. The Japanese had no knowledge of U.S. escort carriers and they believed they were up against a much larger unit such as a task group. Taffy III was mistaken for one of Third Fleet's heavy fleet carrier task groups with an ample cruiser and destroyer screen. The Japanese over-estimation of the American opposition caused VADM Kurita to proceed cautiously.

0648    Sobering confirmation is received aboard flagship CVE FANSHAW BAY. Ensign Brooks reports, "...THE SHIPS HAVE PAGODA MASTS...." the trademark tiered-towering masts of Japanese warships.

0648    Far to the north of the present unfolding and chaotic situation off Samar, VADM Kinkaid's message inquiry concerning the safeguard of San Bernardino Strait is received by ADM Halsey aboard BB NEW JERSEY.

A/C    This message was Seventh Fleet's inquiry sent earlier in the morning at 0412. Admiral Halsey's shocking reply is not received by Seventh Fleet until 0703.

0648    Battleship KONGO, very aggressively commanded throughout the entire engagement, independently turns eastward to pursue the American warships on course 080° T. The remaining warships of Centre Force continue on a southeasterly heading.

0650    Gun fire is observed in the distance off the port quarter of DE DENNIS. It is determined to be anti-aircraft fire of unknown origin.

0650    TBS - Taffy 3 v OVERTURE, "ANTIAIRCRAFT BURSTS BEARING 300, OVER." .... v Taffy 3, "ROGER OUT."

A/C    Rear Admiral Sprague later stated in his Action Report:

"As it was, the only warning came from an Anti_Sub_Patrol TBM who reported being fired upon by a large group of enemy ships to the northward. This warning came when the enemy main body was only about 17 miles away, closing very rapidly on a nearly opposite course, and only shortly before major caliber shells began to fall in our midst. From this point on, it was a question of extracting the 6 CVE's, 3 DD's, and 4 DE's from a situation fraught with disaster."

A/C    Although the Americans held the technological advantage of radar and improved sensors, the impossible had happened....they were surprised and brought into gun range by a vastly superior enemy force of front-line capital warships.

EVENT    Rear Admiral Sprague sends an immediate dispatch to all ships of Taffy III over TBS, "JAP FLEET SIGHTED." He orders the task unit to course 180° T, then 090° T. Flank speed is ordered and all ships of the task unit quickly comply.

A/C    Centre Force was approaching from bearing 330° T. The final course taken by Taffy III would enable the carriers to launch aircraft and at the same time, draw away from the bearing on the Japanese fleet. The wind, needed to launch the aircraft, was coming from 075° T to 080° T.

A/C    JOHNSTON is commanded by hard-charging CDR Ernest Evans, a man with a vigorous fighting instinct, known to be part Cherokee Indian. By no coincidence, he was nicknamed "Chief" at the Naval Academy, a term that caused some confusion within the Navy, as it is also the term used to address Chief Petty Officers, the U.S. Navy’s senior enlisted men.

0650    TBS - Mercury 3 v Taffy 3, "SIGNAL EXECUTE UPON RECEIPT SHACKLE BAKER UNCLE EASY UNSHACKLE TURN. FIDO AND NEBRASKA ACKNOWLEDGE." .... v FIDO, NEBRASKA, "WILCO OUT."

A/C    The task unit changes course to 090° T, due east.

EVENT    As the ships of Centre Force bear down over the horizon, their masts and superstructures begin to come into view. As the remaining ships of Taffy III become aware of the situation, General Quarters is sounded and the men of the task unit man their battle stations.

A/C    At this point, the view from both sides must have been alarming. The thirteen ships of Taffy III, with the six escort carriers grouped in the middle, must have appeared as a formidable fleet to the Japanese. Believing six large carriers lay before them, they rationalized there must be a sizeable screening force too, including several cruisers. Likewise, the sight of the twenty-three warships of Centre Force by Taffy III must have seemed like the end of the world. For 898 of it’s men, it would be.

EVENT    Destroyer JOHNSTON's captain, CDR Evans, orders his engine room to commence making funnel smoke. Shortly thereafter, thick-black smoke pours from JOHNSTON’s stack and begins to trail aft of the ship. Due to the tropical humidity, the smoke lays low on the water, an ideal condition for the defending ships of Taffy III.

A/C    JOHNSTON was credited as the first ship of Taffy III to make funnel smoke....before all others. Commander Evans was credited with much that day. His ability to foresee unfolding events and commandeer each situation without prompting is clear indication of his professionalism, war fighting expertise, and is also evidence of his superb fighting character.

0652    From aboard BB YAMATO, Vice Admiral Kurita and his staff busily assess the threat which lays ahead. He orders the ships of Centre Force to advance at 24 knots to close the range on the American carriers. All ships reply and increase their speed accordingly.

A/C    The top speed of the slowest battleship, NAGATO, was just over 24 knots tops. This limited the pace of the other battleships, if they were to stay together and fight as an organized unit. This organization would be thrown out the window unintentionally shortly thereafter by another order issued by VADM Kurita at 0703.

0653    All warships of Centre Force are now ordered east to strike at the head units of Taffy III.

0653    Radio transmissions in Japanese are received aboard CVE ST LO on SCR 808. Anti-aircraft fire from the Japanese warships is seen.

0655    TBS - Mercury 3 v Taffy 3, "STANDBY TO LAUNCH ALL PLANES FOR ATTACK ON ENEMY FLEET 15 MILES ASTERN."

A/C    Rear Admiral Ziggy Sprague reacts calmly, displaying the true professionalism which came with his years of combat-tested and command experience. All available aircraft are hurriedly readied to be launched from the decks of all six escort carriers.

0657    TBS - Mercury 3 v Taffy 3, "CAUTION ALL PILOTS TO IDENTIFY ALL SHIPS BEFORE ATTACKING. DEXTER ACKNOWLEDGE." .... v DEXTER, "WILCO OUT."

A/C    Rear Admiral Sprague believed yet that the enemy warships sighted on the horizon may be American.

0657    Escort carrier GAMBIER BAY commences launching all aircraft.

EVENT    Within seconds, an avalanche of various colored water plumes rise high in the morning air near the astonished ships of Taffy III. The seriousness of their dilemma now sets in.

A/C    The first shells that rained down upon Taffy III landed between DD JOHNSTON, DE ROBERTS, and flagship CVE FANSHAW BAY, approximately 2,000 yards from the center of the task unit.

A/C    Each Japanese ship fired shells which were marked with a different color dye that distinguished it’s salvos from the others. Battleship YAMATO’s shells were colored pink, BB KONGO’s were yellow. The other ships salvos were marked in red, blue, green, purple, and one ship had no color at all.

A/C     Japanese fire control at this stage of the war was far behind that of the U.S. Navy. Because their fire control radar was unreliable, they devised a system of placing colored dye in their shells to mark the fall of each shot and to help distinguish each ships salvos. Once the shells exploded, spot checkers would distinguish their ship’s shell fall, note the range, and relay any range, bearing, and deflection corrections to their fire control personnel.

0659    TBS - All carriers, "MAKE FULL SPEED AHEAD ZIG ZAG 15 DEGREES EITHER SIDE."

A/C    Under fire, Taffy III now attempted to contact its sister task unit to the south for assistance. A sense of urgency can readily be seen in this radio transmission.

0701   TBS - Taffy 33 v Taffy 3 "LAY SMOKE SCREEN ASTERN OF US." .... v Taffy 33, "WILCO OUT."

EVENT    As shells fall around the ships of Taffy III, RADM Sprague sends an uncoded distress call to the other Taffies reporting his situation including a request for immediate assistance.

0702    Black funnel smoke begins to pour from the stacks of the escort carriers, destroyers, and destroyer escorts of Taffy III. In addition, the destroyers and destroyer escorts make white chemical FS (phosphorized sulfur) smoke on their fantails to add to the increasingly dense cover of smoke.

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A/C    After several setbacks, VADM Kurita now believed things were going his way. He envisioned that an entire American carrier task group laid before him. He considered the sighted warships as a very befitting target for his warships.

0703    Admiral Halsey replies to VADM Kinkaid's early morning inquiry (0412) received at 0648, concerning the location of Task Force 34 and the safeguard of San Bernardino Strait. To VADM Kinkaid’s disbelief VADM Lee’s Task Force 34 was not guarding San Bernardino Strait. Admiral Halsey’s reply read, "NEGATIVE. TASK FORCE 34 IS WITH CARRIER GROUPS NOW ENGAGING ENEMY CARRIER FORCE."

A/C    The American fast battleships of Third Fleet were currently on their way north with the Third Fleet carriers preparing to engage VADM Ozawa’s decoy Northern Force.

A/C    The misconstrued communications between Seventh and Third Fleets were the gravest American error committed during the entire Battle of Leyte Gulf.

0703    Escort Carrier KITKUN BAY completes the launching of eight FM-2 Wildcat Fighters from Composite Squadron VC-5.

A/C    Fortunately, these planes had been warming up prior to the enemy being sighted. The first Grumman FM-2 fighter was launched shortly after 0656.

0703    TBS - Taffy 33 v JUGGERNAUGHT, "DO YOU WANT US TO COME BACK AND HELP YOU ON SMOKE SCREEN." .... v Taffy 3, "AFFIRMATIVE"

0703    The destroyers and destroyer escorts of Task Unit 77.4.3 start laying a smoke screen.

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EVENT    Battleship YAMATO continues to leash out at the fleeing escort carriers of Taffy III with her massive 18.1-inch guns.

EVENT    Aboard BB YAMATO, Vice Admiral Kurita optimistically sends the following message to ADM Toyoda and his staff at GHQ in Tokyo:

"BY HEAVEN-SENT OPPORTUNITY WE ARE DASHING TO ATTACK THE ENEMY CARRIERS."

A/C    Vice Admiral Kurita was under pressure to react quickly. At the time, he did not know the exact composition of Taffy III, believing he was up against Third Fleets heavy ESSEX Class fleet carriers with BALTIMORE Class cruiser and destroyer escorts. Believing the first air attacks against his ships would come from this force, his plan was to destroy the carrier flight decks first, before their air power could be brought to bear upon his fleet.

EVENT    The heavy ships of Centre Force’s battleship and cruiser divisions, previously maneuvering to form an anti-aircraft defensive circular formation, now rush forward to attack Taffy III independently of each division and without coordination.

A/C    If it was Third Fleet’s heavy carriers they had sighted, their logic was they had to destroy the flight decks immediately, before their aircraft could be launched to strike against them.

A/C    When the word "general attack" was received, some of the warships of Centre Force charged forward as divisional units; others, BB KONGO specifically, acted independently. Hindsight tells us that VADM Kurita should have formed battle line to deal with the slow moving escort carriers.

EVENT    The four IJN heavy cruisers of Cruiser Division Seven, KUMANO, SUZUYA, TONE, and CHIKUMA, form up and begin their pursuit of the Americans in earnest. Their course takes them almost due east, to the north side of the fleeing American warships. The remaining Japanese heavy cruisers, HAGURO and CHOKAI of Cruiser Division Five, follow CRUDIV 7.

EVENT    Vice Admiral Kinkaid, Commander Seventh Fleet, receives an uncoded distress call from RADM Sprague stating Task Unit 77.4.3 is under attack by heavy warships of the Japanese fleet.

EVENT    Rear Admiral Felix Stump, Commander Task Unit 77.4.2 (Taffy II), hears RADM Sprague’s uncoded distress call on board his flagship CVE NATOMA BAY. He replies to RADM Sprague with a shrill in his voice, "DON’T BE ALARMED ZIGGY, REMEMBER WE’RE BACK OF YOU, DON’T GET EXCITED, DON’T DO ANYTHING RASH!"

A/C    Rear Admiral Stump’s Taffy II was currently steaming about 20-25 miles southeast of RADM Sprague’s task unit. The thought of his fellow Taffy's predicament had shaken him. His task unit would have the luxury of staying on the edge of the battle between Centre Force and Taffy III for the duration of the battle. As such, he was able to respond with a controlled urgency and send off balanced air attacks, unlike his cornered counterpart to the north.

EVENT    Thick black funnel smoke from CVE WHITE PLAINS misleads the Japanese gunners who believe she is now on fire and disabled. They change targets and their heavy salvos are now diverted to the neighboring escort carrier ST LO.

EVENT    Escort Carrier ST LO and the remaining CVEs come under increasingly heavy caliber fire from the battleships and heavy cruisers of Centre Force. As 18.1, 14, and 8-inch shells rain down on the ships, the number of multi-colored shell splashes reaches their pinnacle.

A/C    Rear Admiral Sprague, "in the ultimate of desperate circumstances" later remarked:

"...the enemy was closing with disconcerting rapidity and the volume and accuracy of fire was increasing. At this point it did not appear that any of our ships could survive another five minutes of the heavy-caliber fire being received...."

The warships of Taffy III were truly in a tight predicament.

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EVENT    Destroyer JOHNSTON, the closest DD to the Japanese, travels in the rear of Taffy III laying thick-black smoke as she goes. The flash of the guns from the Japanese ships coming over the horizon can clearly be seen by the naked eye. To the relief of many of her crew members, JOHNSTON is heading away from the Japanese fleet as it appears to rapidly gain on the slower ships of Taffy III.

EVENT    Commander Evans, Destroyer JOHNSTON's commanding officer, passes word to his crew, "...PREPARE TO ENGAGE MAJOR PORTION OF JAPANESE FLEET...." Destroyer JOHNSTON is immediately turned towards the nearest column of Japanese warships, Cruiser Division Seven. She proceeds on an intercept course to engage heavy cruisers KUMANO, SUZUYA, TONE and CHIKUMA, without orders to do so.

A/C    The closing speed between JOHNSTON and the enemy cruiser division was estimated to be greater than 60 knots.

EVENT    Far to the north of the present action between Centre Force and Taffy III, shortly after 0700, VADM Mitscher orders VADM Lee to form battle line, Task Force 34. Battleships WASHINGTON, ALABAMA, IOWA, NEW JERSEY (Halsey’s flagship), MASSACHUSETTS, and SOUTH DAKOTA, heavy cruisers WICHITA and NEW ORLEANS, light cruisers VINCENNES, MIAMI, BILOXI, SANTA FE, and MOBILE, and eighteen destroyers drawn from all three task groups.

EVENT    Task Force 34 is now assembled to engage the Japanese Northern Force in a surface action. Admiral Halsey, unaware of Taffy III’s current predicament, is focused on his upcoming engagement with VADM Ozawa’s decoy force.

A/C     The consistency of Task Force 34 had now changed from the original battle plan message Admiral Halsey had sent the evening of 24 October. Now, all six fast battleships would be formed as the core of VADM Lee’s battle line.

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0706    Japanese Battleship Division One, YAMATO and NAGATO, change course to 070° T.

0706    Still under increasingly heavy fire from Centre Force, the van of Taffy III ducks into a heavy rain squall which immediately reduces visibility to less than half a mile....

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