Ten American cruisers and 47 destroyers continue to move eastward at a crawling pace. The formation is in disarray, resembling either stragglers or fallen warriors. Among them, the destroyers were supposed to have fifty-two remaining after the conclusion of the second attack yesterday. Presumably, five of them suffered significant damage to either the engine or hull, resulting in either a loss of speed or complete inability to navigate, leading to their sinking.
Meanwhile, the American cruisers and destroyers continuing eastward are relentlessly bombarded by direct hits from the 60- and 250-kilogram bombs dropped by Shiden and Tenzan. Not a single ship remains unscathed. Each vessel bore vivid scars from hits, with some having lost main gun turrets or smokestacks. Despite their heavily damaged state, these warriors of the sea did not abandon a single comrade who served aboard the nine aircraft carriers sunk yesterday morning and the six state-of-the-art battleships sunk later in the afternoon. They bravely faced fires and flooding caused by enemy attacks, rescuing their colleagues adrift at sea. Even as adversaries, their actions deserve praise. However, as a consequence, they are still unable to put much distance between themselves and the Midway area one night after the events.
Due to this situation, the four Myōkō and four Mogami class heavy cruisers, as well as sixteen destroyers sent by Vice Admiral Ozawa for pursuit have already surpassed the remaining American fleet, forming a blockade against them. After two attacks on the American fleet yesterday by the First, Second, Fourth, and Third Fleets, which engaged both the Midway base and the American fleet, continuous repairs were conducted throughout the night. As a result, they restored their strength to 371 Shiden and 125 Tenzan after overnight repairs. The crews, having obtained an overnight interval, have recovered significantly from fatigue, maintaining sufficient combat power in personnel and equipment.
With these conditions, there is no reason to hesitate in launching an attack. Ozawa, in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, left a squadron of fighter planes for direct cover on each carrier while sending the rest of the aircraft for an all-out attack. The 299 Shiden and 125 Tenzan showed no mercy to the retreating American fleet. Against the American cruisers, 12 to 13 Tenzan each performed torpedo attacks, causing each cruiser, already slowed by the previous day's hits, to be hit by multiple torpedoes and sink without exception into the sea east of Midway.
Under the intense bombing by the 299 Shiden, the 47 American destroyers exposed to gradual descent bombing, much like unleashed hunting dogs, suffer the consequences of yesterday's hits. Of the nearly 600 bombs dropped by the Shiden, only 90, or a little more than 15%, hit the target, but for destroyers with no armor protection, heavy bombs weighing as much as 250 kilograms caused serious damage even with near-misses. Most destroyers, already weakened, become irreparably damaged by this attack.
On the other hand, about 20 surviving American destroyers that avoided fatal damage now faced the ruthless attack of eight heavy cruisers and sixteen destroyers from the pursuing force. Forbidden from pouncing on their prey by the command "Wait," the unleashed hounds attacked the remaining American destroyers without mercy. The eight heavy cruisers showered the wounded American destroyers with 23 cm shells, while the sixteen destroyers eagerly released oxygen torpedoes.
Nearly 192 silent killers, leaving almost no wake, tore through the vulnerable sides of the American destroyers, unable to fully utilize their original mobility. One hit resulted in the loss of combat capability for a destroyer, and two hits meant it could not stay afloat. In fact, most of the hit destroyers, already damaged from previous attacks, are swallowed by the sea east of Midway. Even those fortunate enough to avoid torpedoes were riddled with holes from the 12,7 cm shells of the Asashio-class and the 10 cm shells from the Kagerō-class. The American destroyers were crowded on deck with many of the officers and men who had been rescued from the sinking carriers and battleships, but who could not be accommodated on board the ships. Each time a shell flew in, a hellish scene unfolded. The devastation was so great that the attacking Japanese crewmen frowned.
When the series of attacks concluded, most of the American destroyers were submerged below the sea surface, and those still afloat had transformed into mere lumps of steel.
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Drastically Modified Combined Fleet
Historical Fiction「All of these ships are all weird. It's like a magical fleet.」 An organization built on the knowledge and experience gained from past accidents and incidents, using them as lessons to stack up and ensure that the same mistakes are never repeated aga...
