That Time When I Was Suddenly Reincarnated in a Fleet Battle

Chapter 67 - Japanese and American Battleship Showdown

The Second Fleet, advancing rapidly to deliver the final blow to four severely slowed or nearly incapacitated Essex-class aircraft carriers, faced a fleet defending Midway Atoll. This defensive fleet consisted of two Iowa-class battleships and four cruisers, along with sixteen destroyers. Although the fleet should have included the South Dakota-class battleships Massachusetts and Alabama, they were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps, by sacrificing the two ships with a maximum speed of only 27 knots, the fleet successfully formed a defensive line to protect the friendly carrier task force.

Despite the Second Fleet's superiority in firepower, the American battleship fleet could not avoid the battle. They were well aware that if they retreated, the four Essex-class carriers with reduced speed and more than ten cruisers and destroyers, heavily damaged by kamikaze attacks, would be ruthlessly attacked by the Japanese surface strike force. Four Independence-class carriers had already sunk beneath the waves, and five destroyers had been rendered inoperable. Any further losses were unacceptable. However, Vice Admiral Nagumo, the commander of the Second Fleet, did not flinch at the desperate situation of the enemy fleet.

"Musashi to the first ship, Yamato to the second ship. 3rd Battleship Division is to target the enemy cruisers. 4th, 5th, and 7th Cruiser Divisions as well as the torpedo squadron, annihilate enemy destroyers."

Listening to the Vice Admiral's resolute voice, I observed the battle situation from the bridge of the battleship Musashi. This man became remarkably energetic as soon as it turned into a gun and torpedo battle. Quite different from the maritime aerial operations. As for me, I've been exhausted since last night's work. Honestly, I'd prefer to stay in my room and get some sleep. However, if a one-on-one battle between the Yamato-class and the Iowa-class was about to begin, I couldn't just say that and stay put. If I missed this, I might have to renounce the title of ship enthusiast.

Moreover, in the latter half of 1943, the Yamato-class should have no problem outclassing the Iowa-class. In another two or three years, due to the performance gap in fire control systems, the Yamato-class might have to retreat with its tail between its legs when facing the Iowa-class. However, at present, there is no significant difference between the two.

"Don't fail us now, gyrocompass."

I was surprised by the unintended muttering. I should have had the chance to recall that until now, probably because the opponent was inferior. But this time, it was the Iowa-class, a peer or even a superior. Probably, that's why I remembered.

The incident with the gyrocompass.

During the Battle of Leyte Gulf, it was well-known that the gyrocompass on the Musashi malfunctioned. If it had malfunctioned due to the impact of a torpedo, as rumored, it would be a horror story. For a combat machine, especially a giant battleship exceeding 60.000 tons, such a thing shouldn't happen. So far, both the Musashi and the Yamato haven't experienced any gyrocompass malfunctions, so I thought it would be okay. However, these kinds of malfunctions tended to occur when you least wanted them to, as was the way of the world.

And there was a gunner who, after the war, mentioned feeling the distortion of the ship during firing, although I forgot whether it was the Yamato or the Musashi. If there was distortion in the ship, long-range artillery duels would be unreliable, not to mention close-range engagements. Well, considering the state of Japan's industrial capability at that time, it wasn't surprising, but if it was your own battleship, the story would be different. While hoping it was just a groundless rumor, I awaited the first shot from the Musashi.