FOR ACTION

INFORMATION

DATE

PRECEDENCE 

CTF 77
CTG 77.4

COMINCH
CINCPAC
CINCSWPA

28 OCTOBER 1944

PRIORITY OP

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REPORT OF CTU 77.4.3 FOR 25 OCTOBER ITEM TIMES.

AT 0653 IN POSITION 5X (unreadable) MILES EAST OF SAMAR MAIN ENEMY BODY SIGHTED BY ASP ABOUT 15 MILES TO WESTWARD. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY 1 SALVO FROM ENEMY SEEN FIRED AND FELL SHORT. ORDERED CARRIERS TO LAUNCH ALL REMAINING PLANES TO ATTACK AS RETIREMENT STARTED EAST INTO WIND AT MAXIMUM SPEED. LOCAL SAP AND ASP AND 1^ST SUPPORT GROUP FOR LEYTE HAD BEEN LAUNCHED. MY FORCE CVE’S COMCARDIV 25 IN FANSHAW BAY WITH SAINT LO, KALININ BAY, WHITE PLAINS, COMCARDIV 26 IN KITKUN BAY WITH GAMBIER BAY, 3 DD’S AND 4 DE’S AS SCREEN, HOEL, JOHNSTON, HEERMANN, DENNIS, ROBERTS, RAYMOND, BUTLER. ENEMY FORCE 4 BB’S 8 CA-CL & DD’S.

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ALL SHIPS MAKING SMOKE RETIRING AND LAUNCHING PLANE REMNANTS. ENEMY CRUISERS IN VAN CLOSED UNDER 25,000 AND 3 GUN SALVOS STRUCK AMONG REAR SHIPS. 0740 ORDERED DD’S AND DE’S ATTACK WITH TORPEDOES AND OWN FORCE INCLUDING CARRIERS COMMENCED FIRING 5 INCH WHEN RANGE PERMITTED. PLANES LATER REPORTED 1 DE SUNK BY ENEMY GUNFIRE WHILE MAKING TORPEDO ATTACK. PRESUMABLY ROBERTS. NOT HEAR FROM SINCE. MODERATE INDIVIDUAL SHIP MANEUVERING TOWARD AND AWAY FROM LAST SALVOS APPARENTLY PREVENTED EARLY HEAVY DAMAGE ALTHOUGH MANY CLOSE STRADDLES.

BY 0730 WITH MAIN ENEMY BODY ADVANCING ON NORTHERN SIDE OUR RETIREMENT COURSE CHANGED TO SOUTH AND AT 0815 TO SOUTHWEST. ENEMY HEAVY SHIPS DIRECTLY ASTERN AT 22,000 AND 2 CRUISERS EACH WORKING FORWARD ON PORT AND STARBOARD SEAS CLOSING GRADUALLY TO UNDER 15,000. CRUISER FIRE HEAVY FROM BOTH 8 AND 6 INCH FALLING ALL AROUND ALL

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SHIPS WITH OCCASIONAL BIG GUN SALVOS. AT 0820 GAMBIER BAY REPORTED HEAVILY HIT AND LOST 1 ENGINE. SHIP DRIFTED AFT UNDER CONCENTRATED FIRE. SINCE SHE MUST HAVE PASSED THROUGH ENTIRE JAP FLEET ASSUME GAMBIER BAY DID NOT SURVIVE BUT WAS NOT AFIRE WHEN LAST SEEN. PLANE LATER REPORTED GAMBIER BAY BEING SHELLED BY ENEMY DESTROYER AT POINT BLANK RANGE. VARIOUS OTHER SHIPS HIT BUT REMAINED IN DISPOSITION. AT 0900 DENNIS HIT AND BADLY DAMAGED BUT STAYED WITH US. AT 0910 UNIDENTIFIED ESCORT HIT. MAY HAVE BEEN JOHNSTON NOT HEARD FROM SINCE. HOEL REPORTED FLOODED FORWARD AND STOPPED TO PLUG HOLE 6 FEET IN DIAMETER BELOW WATERLINE. MUCH OTHER DAMAGE. NOT HEARD FROM SINCE. PRESUMED SUNK.

AT 0924 JAP MAIN BODY AND CRUISERS NOW AT 12,000 SUDDENLY TURNED AWAY TO OPPOSITE COURSE. IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE. PLANE OBSERVER NOW REPORTED MANY TORPEDOES APPROACHING FORMATION BUT STOPPING SHORT. APPARENTLY

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FULL SALVOES FROM CRUISERS OR DD’S TO PORT.

IN ADDITION TO LOSS OF GAMBIER BAY, HOEL, JOHNSTON AND ROBERTS TO GUNFIRE, SAINT LO, KALININ BAY AND FANSHAW BAY ALL BADLY HIT CAUSING STRUCTURAL DAMAGE AND LEAVING KALININ BAY TEMPORARILY ON 1 ENGINE. DENNIS FLOODED FORWARD. HEERMANN FLOODED TO FRAME 42. DAMAGE TO BUTLER AND RAYMOND UNKNOWN.

ENEMY HEAVY CRUISERS USED COLORED SPLASH WITH 8 INCH AS DID BB’S WITH THEIR INFREQUENT SALVOES. BOTH 8 AND 6 INCH SALVOES LADDERED IN STRAIGHT LINE ABOUT 300 YARDS. ACCURATE IN RANGE BUT MISSING IN DEFLECTION POSSIBLY DUE TO MANEUVERING PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED. IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND WHY HEAVY CRUISERS FAILED TO CLOSE IN PROMPTLY OR ENCIRCLE FORCE AND POLISH OFF THIS ENTIRE OUTFIT. ONLY DETERRENTS WERE 5 INCH FIRE FALLING AROUND CRUISERS AND DUMMY RUNS BY TORPEDO PLANES AND STRAFING BY FIGHTERS. IN ANY CASE MAIN ENEMY

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FLEET HAD ENOUGH OF US AND BROKE OFF ACTION.

IN POSITION ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SAMAR THIS FORCE CAME UNDER AIR ATTACK BY SUICIDE DIVE BOMBERS BEGINNING ABOUT 1045 AND CONTINUING UNTIL 1130. NO CAP WAS AIRBORNE OVER THIS FORCE ALTHOUGH HELP HAD BEEN REQUESTED. OWN PLANES LONG SINCE DEPARTED DUE TO ABSENCE GAS AND AMMUNITION AND OUR INABILITY TO LAND THEM FOR RESERVICING. AT 1052 SAINT LO WAS HEAVILY HIT BY SUICIDE PLANE DIVING INTO DECK AND IMMEDIATE LARGE FIRE IN HANGAR. FIRES RAPIDLY OUT OF CONTROL FOLLOWED BY EXTREMELY HEAVY EXPLOSIONS PROBABLY TORPEDOES ON HANGAR DECK AND MAGAZINES, CONTINUING FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AND DESTROYING SHIP. FIRE COVERED BOTH STERN AND BOW AS SHIP DRIFTED AROUND IN WIDE CIRCLE. WHEN LAST SEEN PERSONNEL ABANDONING STARBOARD SIDE ABREAST BRIDGE. ALL REMAINING ESCORT VESSELS ORDERED TO STAND BY SAINT LO TO RESCUE SURVIVORS. ANOTHER SUICIDE PLANE WITH SMALL BOMB

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DOVE THROUGH PORT CATWALK FORWARD ON KITKUN BAY AND 3^RD WITH HEAVY BOMB DOVE IN EXACTLY AT BOW THROWING TONS OF WATER AND CONSIDERABLE SHRAPNEL ON BRIDGE AND FORWARD PART OF SHIP. 4^TH DOVE AT FANSHAW BAY. SHOT DOWN. MISSED FANTAIL BY A FEW FEET SCATTERING SHRAPNEL AND DEBRIS OVER AFTER END OF SHIP. 2 MORE SUICIDES DOVE ON KALININ BAY. 1 SHOT DOWN AND MISSED. OTHER SKIDDED ALONG FLIGHT DECK IN FLAMES AND OVER BOW INTO WATER. IT IS CONCLUSIVE THAT SUICIDE DIVES WERE MADE IN ALL THESE CASES.

AFTER BOMBING ATTACK RETIREMENT MADE TO SOUTHEAST WHILE OWN PLANES CONDUCTED ATTACKS ON ENEMY FLEET. SUSTAINED SURFACE SPEED NOW REDUCED TO 15 KNOTS. AT 1950 REMAINING 4 CARRIERS WITH NO ESCORTS OBSERVED SURFACE RADAR CONTACT CLOSING FROM QUARTER AT ABOUT 18 KNOTS. SUSPICIONED SUBMARINE SINCE NO ANSWER TO CHALLENGE AND REQUESTED TASK UNIT 20 MILES AHEAD TO CLOSE IN. CONTACT CLOSED STEADILY UNTIL

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DD’S MAKING RADAR APPROACH CHALLENGED AND ABOUT TO OPEN FIRE WHEN CONTACT DISAPPEARED. DD’S IMMEDIATELY CLOSED AND MADE SONAR CONTACT AND ATTACK ON OBVIOUS SUBMARINE. 1 DD REMAINED OVERNIGHT HOLDING DOWN SUBMARINE.

FROM ABOUT 2130 UNTIL 2400 THIS FORCE, NOW JOINED WITH TU 77.4.1, WAS UNDER CLOSE RECONNAISSANCE BY ENEMY PLANES BUT NO ATTACK DEVELOPED. 1 PLANE SHOT DOWN BY DD WORKING OVER SUBMARINE.

REPORTS FROM SUCH OF OUR PILOTS AS ARE ABOARD SHOW FOLLOWING DAMAGE INFLICTED ON ENEMY BY PLANES OF THIS FORCE FROM SHIPS AS FOLLOWS. KITKUN BAY. SANK 1 MOGAMI CLASS CA UNASSISTED. SHIP OBSERVED TO BLOW UP AND SINK AFTER BOMBING ATTACK. PROBABLY SANK TONE CLASS CA WITH 2 TORPEDO HITS AND 2 HITS OR NEAR MISSES ON STARBOARD BOW WITH 500'S. CRUISER THIS CLASS OBSERVED ON ITS SIDE 4 HOURS LATER SAME POSIT. DAMAGED 1 NACHI CLASS CA WITH 1 TORPEDO HIT. WHITE PLAINS. PROBABLY

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SANK 1 KONGO CLASS BB 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BOHOL ISLAND. SHIP LEFT DEAD IN WATER BURNING FIERCELY WITH CREW ABANDONING. POSSIBILITY THIS SHIP DAMAGED PREVIOUS NIGHT BY TU 77.2. THESE PLANES WERE PART OF OUR 1^ST FLIGHT FOR SUPPORT GROUP. DAMAGED MOGAMI OR TONE CLASS CRUISER WITH TORPEDO HIT 8 MILES EAST OF SAMAR. LEFT SHIP DEAD IN WATER. FANSHAW BAY. PROBABLY SANK CA AT 11-43 N 126-42 E. DAMAGE INFLICTED BY OTHER 3 SHIPS UNKNOWN DUE TO ABSENCE PILOTS.