The Apostates (53 page)

“American submarine ambush at Palawan Passage’s narrowest point. Torpedoes were fired in the water. Four hits scored on the flagship heavy cruiser: the Atago, critical damage, sinking. Heavy cruiser: Takao, struck twice by torpedoes, immobilized. Heavy cruiser: Maya, four hits scored. secondary explosions reported, sinking. Admiral Kurita and survivors of Atago, transferred to the battleship Yamato,” the dispatch had read. Inoguchi stared blankly at the text for some time. He was in shock that the American submarines had been capable of such a brazen and well-executed ambush, without being detected. Any early encouragement that Inoguchi held had quickly sapped away. Inoguchi crumpled the dispatch in his fist, then, threw it to the ground. This omen was surely an indicator of things to come. He did find one bright spot in the disaster: Admiral Kurita was still alive, although he had been forced to swim for his life, as the damage to his flagship was total and rapid. The Central Force would be delayed another couple of precious hours while they rescued survivors and regrouped. It was crucial time that Inoguchi loathed losing. By now the American submarines had surely sent word back to their Admiralty of the Japanese Central Force position. Captain Inoguchi was sure that the ruse was found out, but there was no turning back. The operation would proceed as planned.

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

Task Force Thirty-eight, which included the U.S.S. Iowa, had been steaming north in pursuit of a Japanese battle group that had been planning to attack from the north, but had broken off. It was crucial to Task Force Thirty-eight that they destroy this force because it consisted of a majority of the Imperial Navy’s last remaining aircraft carriers. It was an opportunity that the American Admiral Halsey would not let slip by. So, the Iowa and its fellow ships went forth to destroy it. Captain McCann had been up on the bridge most of the night and all morning, waiting for visual confirmation of the presence of the enemy fleet. The Iowa sailed in the vanguard of the formation, with other Iowa-class, fast battleships. These battleships screened a number of American aircraft carriers, which were also giving chase. The five fleet carriers that were present were Intrepid, Franklin, Lexington, Enterprise, and Essex. In addition to these were five light carriers: Independence, Belleau Wood, Langley, Cabot, and San Jacinto. With such a large carrier group, the Americans could field one thousand aircraft that seriously outnumbered the Japanese. Captain McCann was confident that once the group caught the Japanese Northern Force, the last of their carriers would be annihilated. He thought it could potentially be the last action of the war. Maybe the Japanese would capitulate? McCann asked for constant updates from the spotter’s deck. In addition, the carriers in the group had launched their reconnaissance aircraft in all directions in a ninety-degree spectrum. It was only a matter of time before the Northern Force was discovered.

Down in the crew quarters, Private
Alexander Burke had been having trouble sleeping. He felt morning creeping up fast, but he also felt a strange sensation that
today would be a big day. He though back to last night, when he learned that the Iowa was going
after the Northern Force as part of Task Force Thirty-eight, so his superior
officer had advised the gunnery crews to get as much rest as possible as the
next day was expected see heavy action.

But, Burke worried about his performance this day, due to lack of sleep. Anxiety and Private Jones’ snoring had been the culprits. Jones laid below Burke and was still sound asleep. Burke tried other methods of getting back to sleep, and none worked. But, eventually he thought back to his meeting with Greta Sanchez: the nurse from Washington D.C. He had thought about their time together and had slowly drifted off to sleep. He hadn’t been sleeping for more than ten minutes when the emergency klaxon rang out. The entire crew quarters erupted in chaos as men jumped from their bunks, to get themselves dressed and presentable. Burke was one of the last men up, but he willed himself to move, soon joining the other sailors in the scramble.

The sailors had all filed out of the crew
quarters and were en route to action stations all over the ship. Burke and
Jones had taken their places within the forward mark seven turret and began
their pre-battle checks. They eventually got the turret guns into firing
readiness and then waiting for further orders.

Meanwhile back on the bridge, Captain McCann had been informed that reconnaissance aircraft had spotted the Japanese Northern Force. The Iowa and its sister battleships had been steaming at top speed to catch up to the Northern Force. It was not difficult to outpace their own carriers. The additional speed was needed because Admiral Halsey was not going to let the Japanese carriers slip away this time. Captain McCann soon received word that spotters high up on an observation post, had caught sight of the profiles of Japanese ships on the horizon. Captain McCann ordered the communications officer to relay the information throughout the fleet and back to Admiral Halsey. The Captain could hardly contain the desire to engage his query.

The picket line of fast battleships
assumed a miles-long chevron formation, in anticipation of enemy contact. The
Captain could see the enemy fleet more clearly as the battleships closed the
distance. Suddenly the communications officer shouted for the Captain’s
attention,

“Captain McCann, sir! We’ve received new
orders from Admiral Halsey’s command ship. A Japanese fleet that had been
reported to have retreated after a submarine ambush at the Palawan Passage,
apparently did not. The fleet was spotted slipping through the San Bernardino
Strait by patrol boats. They’re now steaming for the landing forces at Leyte!
The Admiral has ordered us to split our battleship and destroyer forces and
return to Leyte Gulf to engage!” the communications ensign reported.

“Shit! Do you have the paper dispatch? Give it to me!” Captain McCann ordered. The communications ensign handed the paper printout to Captain McCann, who read the dispatch, promptly cursed, and discarded the paper. The orders from the Admiral were relayed throughout Task Force Thirty-eight, and the battleship and destroyer forces were halved. A complex maneuver was carried out, all in full view of the Japanese Northern Force. The Iowa made a complete one hundred and eighty-degree turn along with the other ships that would compose this improvised task force. All the carriers would remain in pursuit of the Japanese Northern force.

After the reorganization of task forces
had been completed, the Iowa and its group of battleships and destroyers raced
south at full steam to intercept the Japanese force that had slyly slipped
through the San Bernardino, which was gunning for the barely protected landings
at Leyte Gulf. It would be another couple hours travel time before this newly-formed task force could be in attack range, so General Quarters was canceled
and the crews were afforded some down time, allowing breakfast to be served in
the crew mess of the Iowa.

⍟ ⍟ ⍟

“Fire! All turrets!” Captain Inoguchi shouted. The Musashi had turned hard astern, to present a broadside to the few American cruisers that stood between the Japanese Central Force and the American transports. Captain Inoguchi had commanded the Musashi gunners to aim for the lead cruiser. The Musashi let loose a thunderous broadside with its forty-six centimeter, Type Ninety-four guns. The rounds went screaming in an arc for miles toward the lead American cruiser. Three massive water spouts formed as the shells impacted in the water directly around the cruiser. The next three shots were direct hits: one tore through the forward turrets, another raked the side of the hull, tearing a large gash down the side of the ship, the third impact was a hit to the superstructure. The bridge had been demolished. Secondary explosions burst out of the ship when munitions stores were enveloped in fire. The entire ship was a blazing inferno, and it listed and began sinking, bow first. The first kill was bypassed by Inoguchi’s battle line, and each ship picked other targets. The Yamato trained its sights on another cruiser in the American line. The American cruiser detected that it was about to be fired upon and took evasive action, weaving a zigzag pattern into the sea. It could not shake the Yamato and her gunnery crew, which fired a full broadside from her massive guns. Half the shots trailed the ship, sending plumes of water screaming into the air, but the other half of the shells raked the ships hull, destroying everything below deck. The ship limped, then halted completely. Pillars of black smoke rose up from every opening.

The Japanese attack formation steam-rolled
on. The Musashi laid into another cruiser, severely damaging her. The cruiser
broke off and attempted to break for safe waters, but was destroyed by another
Japanese cruiser, which launched a spread of torpedoes that sent the American
craft slipping under the waves. A miles long gap in the American line opened,
allowing the vanguard of the Japanese strike force to slip through with minimal
opposition. The entire landing was now in jeopardy. An American beachhead had
already been established, and American Marines had moved inland to make initial
contact with the Japanese garrisons, but Inoguchi could destroy the American’s
supplies and reinforcements. Inoguchi ordered an American oiler to be targeted.
The Musashi fore and aft turrets fired its shells, tearing through the
defenseless oiler. A massive fireball was sent skyward and its sludgy cargo
bled into the waters of the gulf, which then ignited and fire burnt on water.

A sneaky American cruiser flanked the Yamato and was able to line up her broadside for an attack abeam to the Yamato’s port side. The American cruiser fired a salvo. All the shots were direct hits. The smaller caliber of the American guns could not penetrate the Yamato’s armor; aside from killing some unlucky sailors on anti-aircraft detail, they did no damage. The Yamato traded her broadside and sent rounds through the cruiser that opened it like a can of tuna. The ship went under bow first, with its aft-end sticking high in the air. The Musashi had her sights on an American troop transport ship, that when the Japanese fleet arrived, had been loading Marines into landing craft and sent them ashore. It had suspended operations and attempted to steam away. The Musashi lined up a broadside on the fleeing ship. The resulting volley tore into the transport ship’s stern and shredded the interior, from stern to bow. Hundreds of Marines and support crew perished.

Several Japanese cruisers and destroyers
formed up single file and sailed parallel the shoreline and shelled the
American beachhead. Men and material were being annihilated. Some Marines on
shore turned artillery pieces around to point seaward. They opened fire,
sending shots into the attacking Japanese line of cruisers and destroyers. The
artillery caliber size was too small to do much damage to the Japanese ships,
but it was enough of a suppressive fire to send sailors on deck scrambling for
shelter.

The Musashi continued her unstoppable advance that left a trail of flaming wreckage in her wake. Inoguchi had spotted more American transports and oilers that were packed together densely, but they were out of range, miles away. Inoguchi commanded that the Musashi make that formation of American ships her primary target. This course removed her from the main Japanese battle formation. Inoguchi thought that taking these American logistic ships out of action was the only way to stop the landings; it had to be done. Admiral Kurita had sent an order for the Musashi to alter course and return to the formation, but Inoguchi defied it. The Musashi was traveling at full steam to catch the unprotected vessels. Suddenly an ensign on the bridge crew shouted wildly,

“Torpedoes in the water! Torpedoes in the
water, bearing off the starboard bow!” The Captain’s eyes widened. How could it
be?

“Captain, sir! An American air wing has appeared overhead!” another ensign reported.

“Countermeasures and evasive maneuvers!” Captain Inoguchi ordered.

The emergency klaxon sounded throughout the ship, and the crew was advised to brace for impact. The helmsman put the ship into an evasive zigzag course, to churn up its wake. Personnel on the stern dropped a towed acoustic countermeasure into the water behind the Musashi; its purpose was to generate a large amount of noise, much more than the propeller of the Musashi to fool the homing torpedo to target it.

Captain Inoguchi sat in his command chair
and braced for impact. There was silence on deck as the anticipation of
contact ruled the crew’s minds. The large battleship swayed from side to side as
the helmsman did his business. Paper dispatches of orders were still coming in
from the Admiral, but Inoguchi could not respond. An explosion was heard in the
distance, and an ensign confirmed one torpedo had detonated against the ship’s
wake. Another explosion was heard: the second torpedo took the countermeasure’s
bait, destroying it meters behind the ship. The last two torpedoes stayed on
course, straight for the Musashi.

The third torpedo was a dud and failed to
detonate, but the fourth hit home true. The resulting detonation rocked the
ship and the bridge erupted in panic.

“Calm down, you men of the Japanese Imperial Navy! You’re aboard the Musashi: the mightiest battleship in our fleet! It’ll take more than one torpedo to harm us!” The Captain attempted to restore order and morale on the bridge. Inoguchi demanded a damage report. The helmsman was having trouble steering the ship. After several moments of confusion, an ensign reported the damage to the Captain,

“Sir! All four propellers are not responding. We’re dead in the water! Damage control teams have been dispatched to the engine rooms to repair the damage.”

A sinking feeling overtook the Captain;
this may be the end. He turned and looked at his crew, then went to the pile of
dispatches from the Admiral. He picked them up and looked at them one-by-one.

“Cease course, and return to formation.
Admiral Kurita,” one read.

“Repeat order. Return to formation. Admiral Kurita,” another read. Several more repeated the same order. The last one was different. It read,