Leyte Gulf - USS Natoma Bay CVE-62

The Battle of Surigao Strait
When search planes on the morning of October 24 reported
Nishimura's and Shima's Southern Forces east-bound in the
Sulu Sea, Admiral Kinkaid concluded that they were heading
for an attack on the shipping in Leyte Gulf. Satisfied that
Halsey was guarding San Bernardino Strait, he ordered
Admiral Oldendorf to block Surigao Strait with most of the
Seventh Fleet gunfire-support ships - 6 old battleships and
4 heavy and 4 light cruisers, plus 21 destroyers and 39
motor torpedo boats. Oldendorf, who was determined to
prevent another Savo Island and to annihilate rather than
merely repulse the enemy, set up the perfect ambush - a
series of disagreeable surprises stretching from PT boats
far out in the Mindanao Sea to battleships at the northern
end of the strait.
Nishimura had been apprised by radio of Kurita's delay in
the Sibuyan Sea and was speeding ahead without waiting for
Shima. Evidently he believed that his only remaining chance
to smash Allied shipping lay in penetrating the gulf before
dawn. Beginning at 2300, he ran the gantlet of the torpedo
boats, first outside and then inside Surigao Strait. None of
their torpedoes hit, and the boats received considerable
damage from Japanese shellfire, but they performed a
valuable service in keeping Oldendorf posted on Nishimura's
progress.
At about 0230 on the 25th, the torpedo boats stood aside,
and the second phase of the battle began. Divisions of
destroyers raced down the strait, firing torpedoes and
shells at the Japanese from right, left, and dead ahead,
then turned away making smoke. Both of Nishimura's
battleships were torpedoed and two of his destroyers were
sunk. A third, the Asagumo, her bow blown off, wobbled away
to the south. The battleship Fuso sheered out of line and
then blew apart into two blazing sections.
While this attack was in progress, Nishimura's
remaining vessels - the battleship Yamashiro, his
flagship; the heavy cruiser Mogami; and the destroyer
Shigure - came under T-capping fire from Oldendorf's
battleships and cruisers, which had been steaming back
22 Leyte Gulf