Battle of the Komandorski Islands

The Battle of the Komandorski Islands was a naval battle between American and Imperial Japanese forces which took place on 27 March 1943 in the North Pacific, south of the Soviet Komandorski Islands. The battle was a daylight surface engagement in which air support played no role and in which the inferior American force escaped greater damage after the Japanese chose to withdraw.

Background

When the United States became aware of Japanese plans to send a supply convoy to their forces on the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, U.S. Navy ships commanded by Rear Admiral Charles McMorris were sent to prevent this. The fleet consisted of the heavy cruiser , the light cruiser and the destroyers , , and .

American intelligence estimated that the Japanese escort consisted of one heavy cruiser, one light cruiser, and four destroyers. However, the Japanese 5th Fleet had been reinforced by two more cruisers, so that the Japanese escort force actually consisted of the heavy cruisers ''Nachi'' and ''Maya'', the light cruisers ''Tama'' and ''Abukuma'', and the destroyers ''Wakaba'', ''Hatsushimo'', ''Ikazuchi'', and ''Inazuma'', commanded by Vice Admiral Boshirō Hosogaya. On the early morning of 26 March, the Japanese convoy was intercepted by the American picket line some 100 miles south of the Komandorski islands and 180 miles west of Attu, just to the west of the International Date Line. Because of the remote location of the battle and chance encounter on open ocean, neither fleet had air or submarine assistance, making this one of the few engagements exclusively between surface ships in the Pacific Theater and one of the last pure gunnery duels between fleets of major surface combatants in naval history.

Although the Japanese cruisers heavily outgunned the American force, the engagement was tactically inconclusive. Both fleets suffered damage, with the U.S. Navy warships escaping greater damage after a Japanese misjudgment. With the Japanese fleet on the edge of victory, Admiral Hosogaya – not realizing the heavy damage his ships had inflicted and fearing American war planes would appear – retired without pressing his advantage. This amounted to a strategic victory for the US Navy, as it ended Japanese attempts to resupply the Aleutian garrisons by surface ship, leaving only submarines to conduct supply runs. Hosogaya was accordingly retired from active service after the battle and assigned to govern a group of South Pacific islands.

Battle

*0600: The United States ships were formed in a scouting line at six-mile intervals zig-zagging at 15 knots on base course 020°.
*0730: Lead ships ''Coghlan'' and ''Richmond'' made radar contact with the two trailing Japanese transports and a destroyer on course 080° at . A navigating officer on one of the transports visually observed the American force minutes later.
*0740: The Americans changed course to 080° and the rear ships increased speed to operate as a compact group. Five radar contacts were counted.
*0755: The Japanese turned northward to course 340° and the Americans came to course 000° to follow.
*0811: The Americans visually identified the radar contacts as two transports, two light cruisers, and a destroyer.
*0820: The Americans sighted the masts of four more Japanese ships on the horizon.
*0835: The Americans identified the masts as two heavy cruisers and two destroyers and turned to course 240°.
*0838: The Japanese transports swerved off to the northwest.
*0839: The Americans increased speed to .
*0840: ''Nachi'' opened fire on ''Richmond'' at a range of . The second and third salvos were straddles.
*0841: ''Richmond'' opened fire on ''Nachi''. The third salvo was a straddle.
*0842: ''Salt Lake City'' opened fire on ''Nachi'' at a range of . The second salvo was a straddle.

As the range closed, ''Bailey'' opened fire on ''Nachi'' at a range of and then switched to a light cruiser. ''Coghlan'' opened fire on ''Nachi'' at a range of .Millsap, Ralph H., CDR USN "Skill or Luck?" ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings Supplement'' March 1985 pp.78-87

*0845: ''Nachi'' launched eight torpedoes. All missed.
*0850: One of ''Richmond''′s shells hit the starboard side of ''Nachi''′s signal bridge, killing 11 and wounding 21. Another shell hit ''Nachi''′s mainmast and severed the flagship radio communication.
*0852: One of ''Richmond''′s 6-inch shells hit ''Nachi''′s torpedo compartment. Another of ''Richmond''′s 6-inch shells hit ''Nachi''′s control room, killing two and wounding five. ''Nachi'' dropped back after losing electrical power to ammunition hoists and gun mounts.
*0903: ''Richmond'' ceased firing. ''Salt Lake City'' continued firing from stern turrets.
*0910: ''Salt Lake City'' was hit by an projectile fired by ''Maya''. The starboard observation plane caught fire and was jettisoned.
*0920: ''Salt Lake City'' was hit by an 8-inch projectile fired by ''Maya''. Two men were killed.
*1010: ''Salt Lake City'' was hit by an 8-inch projectile fired by ''Maya''.
*1059: ''Salt Lake City'' was hit by an 8-inch projectile fired by ''Maya''.
*1103: ''Salt Lake City'' was hit by an 8-inch projectile fired by ''Maya''. ''Salt Lake City'' transferred water to correct a list caused by flooding.
*1152: ''Salt Lake City'' was hit by an 8-inch projectile fired by ''Maya''.
*1153: Salt water entered a fuel tank in use and extinguished ''Salt Lake City''′s boiler fires.
*1154: ''Salt Lake City'' slowed to a stop. ''Bailey'', ''Coghlan'' and ''Monaghan'' approached the Japanese cruisers for a torpedo attack while ''Richmond'' and ''Dale'' made smoke to shield ''Salt Lake City''.
*1203: ''Salt Lake City'' restarted boilers and increased speed to 15 knots.
*1213: ''Salt Lake City'' increased speed to .
*1225: ''Bailey'' launched five torpedoes at . All missed. ''Bailey'' was hit twice by 8-inch shells and came to a stop with five dead. ''Coghlan'' was hit once.
*1230: Japanese ships retired westward. Neither ''Coghlan'' nor ''Monaghan'' launched torpedoes.

''Salt Lake City'' fired 806 armor-piercing projectiles and then 26 high-capacity (explosive) shells after the supply of armor-piercing ammunition was exhausted. Powder and shells were manhandled aft from the forward magazines to keep the after guns firing. ''Salt Lake City''′s rudder stops were carried away, limiting her to 10° course changes.

Order of battle

United States Navy

Task Group 16.6 - RADM Charles McMorris, Commander, Task Group 16.6 (a subordinate Task Group of Task Force 16)
* 1 heavy cruiser: - CAPT Bertram J. Rodgers
* 1 light cruiser: - CAPT Theodore Waldschmidt ( F)

Destroyer Squadron 14 - CAPT Ralph Riggs
* 4 destroyers
** 2
*** - CMDR Benjamin Tompkins
*** - LCDR John Atkeson (F)
** 2
*** - CMDR Anthony Rorschach
*** - LCDR Peter Horn

Imperial Japanese Navy

Northern Force - VADM Boshiro Hosogaya, Commander, Fifth Fleet (Northern Force)
Cruiser Division One:
* 2 heavy cruisers
** 1 : - CAPT Akira Sone (F)(Myoko class)
** 1 : - CAPT Takeji Matsumoto
* 1 light cruiser: - CAPT Zensuke Kanome

Destroyer Division 21: - CAPT Amano Shigetaka
* 2 destroyers
** - LCDR Suetsugu Nobuyoshi (F)
** - LCDR Nittono Suzuo

D Convoy - RADM Tomoichi Mori, Commander, Destroyer Squadron One

* 1 light cruiser: - CAPT Shiro Shibuya (F)

Destroyer Division Six: - CAPT Takahashi Kameshiro
* 2 destroyers
** - LCDR Maeda Saneho
** - LCDR Terauchi Masamichi
*Transport '' Asaka Maru'' - CAPT Sakuma Takeo
*Transport '' Sakito Maru''

2nd Escort Force
* 1 destroyer: (not engaged in the battle) - LCDR Ikeda Shunsaku
*Transport ''Sanko Maru''

Notes

References

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External links

Battle of Komandorski Island: March 26, 1943

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of The Komandorski Islands
Aleutian Islands campaign
March 1943 events
Komandorski Islands