That Time When I Was Suddenly Reincarnated in a Fleet Battle

Chapter 39 - Onslaught, Second Fleet

By the time the First Fleet, including the Yamato, had cornered the enemy battleships, the outcome of the high-speed naval battle between the fast battleships was already decided. The four fast battleships of the 3rd Battleship Division and the four heavy cruisers of the 4th and 5th Cruiser Divisions were up against six American cruisers, but the decisive factor was the presence of the four Kongō-class battleships.

The American cruisers were all large light cruisers like the Cleveland or Brooklyn classes, with high firing rates but lacking in the power of their shells. On the other hand, the 36 cm guns of the Kongō-class, though smaller for battleships, had a shell weight per shot more than ten times that of the six-inch shells of the American light cruisers. No matter how excellent the Cleveland or Brooklyn classes were, facing off against the Kongō-class was still recklessly bold. While the American light cruisers inflicted more hits on the Kongō-class battleships they faced, a single hit from a 36 cm shell significantly weakened their firepower or speed. Subsequently, relentlessly pounded by nearly 700-kilogram heavy shells, all American cruisers were quickly defeated.

On the other hand, the cruisers Takao and Atago of the 4th Cruiser Division, along with the cruisers Myōkō and Haguro of the 5th Cruiser Division, each engaged an American light cruiser with two ships. While a two-on-one fight might be considered unfair in human terms, in war, it's simply the fault of the side that couldn't muster sufficient strength. The numerical advantage, double the number, and the double weight of shells easily overturned the firing rate advantage of the American light cruisers. Both American cruisers, showered with a large number of 20 cm shells, also received a bonus of oxygen torpedoes and were quickly sunk. Even with excellent damage control on American ships, such significant losses would make it impossible for them to stay afloat. Both ships were unceremoniously sent to the depths of the sea off Midway.

On the other hand, the fate of the remaining American destroyer force of 11 ships was also tragic. With a difference of nearly double the number – three heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, and sixteen destroyers – and considering the individual firepower and torpedo capabilities, the power difference was several times more. Moreover, taking advantage of the confusion caused by long-range stealth torpedo attacks with oxygen torpedoes, the American destroyer formation had no time to regroup. By that time, the 16 destroyers of the Second Fleet had executed a second wave torpedo attack using rapid reload devices. Due to the enemy's lack of formation and dispersion, coupled with the poor visibility at night, out of the 128 torpedoes launched, only two hit their targets. However, this reduced the American destroyer count to a mere nine.

After this, all that remained was the cleanup of the remaining enemies.

The 20 cm shells fired by the Mogami-class heavy cruiser of the 7th Cruiser Division easily penetrated the thin hulls of the American destroyers. The Kagerō-class and Yūgumo-class destroyers, relying on their numbers, proceeded to pound the American destroyers. In the end, even the Mogami-class heavy cruiser disposed of its stock, or rather, not following the example of the Mikuma, unleashed oxygen torpedoes.

Each American destroyer had its hull riddled with holes, and one by one, they were dragged down to the seabed. The unfortunate destroyers, battered by small and medium-caliber shells, disappeared from the surface of the sea in an instant due to the impact of oxygen torpedoes. Of course, only a handful of survivors remained. The hellish ordeal for the American fleet came to a finale when the Yamato claimed the second South Dakota-class. None of the American ships managed to leave the battlefield in the face of the relentless attacks by the Second Fleet.