In the action of October 24, 1944, Task Force 38 aircraft attacked the Japanese First Raiding Force in the

Sibuyan and Sulu Seas.   U.S. Navy carrier aircraft sank the battleship Musashi  while damaging numerous
other enemy ships, among them battleships Yamato, Nagato, Fuso, and Yamashiro  as well as numerous
destroyers.   In return, the Japanese attacked USS Princeton (CVL-23).  Damaged by a bomb dropped by
enemy aircraft, the light aircraft carrier was further damaged by collision with USS Birmingham (CL-62),
USS Morrison (DD-560), USS Gatling (DD-671), and USS  Irwin  (DD-794) and was later scuttled.  During this
engagement, Commander David McCampbell, USN, commanding Air Group 15, successfully shot down nine
enemy aircraft whilst breaking up the group of 60 aircraft before they had a chance to reach the U.S. Navy
fleet.   For his actions, McCampbell was awarded the Medal of Honor.  

Image:  NH 63432:   Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, October 24, 1944.  Task Force 38 aircraft attack the Japanese
battleship Musashi (foreground) and a destroyer.   U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. 

The Japanese plan at Leyte Gulf involved four fleets which were to attack from three
directions. Admiral Ozawa's carriers were to attack from the north and try and draw the
main American fleets away from the landings at Leyte Gulf. Admiral Kurita had overall
command of the forces attacking from the west. Their role was to break into Leyte Gulf
from the west and try and devastate the American shipping found there. Kurita split his
force into two. He led the larger part, which was to pass through the Philippines, emerge
from the San Bernardino Strait and attack Leyte Gulf from the north. The smaller part of
his force was to attack Leyte Gulf from the south, supported by the fourth and smallest
of the fleets.

Yamato  in the Sibuyan Sea

Kurita commanded one of the most powerful battleship forces of the Second World War.
He may have only had five battleships but amongst them were the Musashi and Yamato,
the largest and most powerful battleships of the war, each armed with nine 18.1in guns.
He also had the Kongo and Haruna, two pre First World War battle cruisers that had
been turned into battleships in the late 1920s partly by doubling the amount of armour
they carried. Finally he had the Nagato, a 16in battleship launched in 1919. He also had
twelve cruisers, including his flagship III and fifteen destroyers.

Kurita's fleet was based at Lingga, south of Singapore, where it was close to its sources
of fuel. From there it sailed east, reaching Brunei (Borneo) on 20 October. Early on 22
October Kurita sailed from Borneo. His route would take him to the north of the long
narrow island of Palawan. He would then sail south of Mindoro into the Sibuyan Sea in
the centre of the Philippines. He would then sail east, with Luzon to his north,
eventually passing through the San Bernardino Strait, which separated Luzon and
Samar. Finally he was to turn south, sail down the coast of Samar and reach Leyte Gulf
from the north.
Things began to go wrong well before Kurita reached the Sibuyan Sea. Two American
submarines, Dace and Darter, were patrolling the waters to the north of Palawan. Just
after midnight on 23 October the Japanese fleet was detected by Darter's radar. The two
submarines moved to intercept the incoming fleet. By 5am they were in position to
attack.

Their attack was devastating. Kurita's flagship, the cruiser Atago, was hit and sank so
quickly that the admiral had to swim for safety. A second cruiser, the Maya, was also
sunk, and a third, the Takao, had to turn back to Borneo. Two destroyers returned with
her to act as a screen.

Despite these losses I Striking Force was still a very powerful force, but worse was to
come. The fleet entered the Sibuyan Sea early on 24 October, where at around 8am it
was detected by an American search plane. Halsey took direct command and ordered
three of his carrier task forces to attack the incoming Japanese fleet. Aware that he was
likely to be attacked Kurita requested air support from the Philippines, but most
Japanese aircraft remaining on the Philippines were engaged in the battle around Leyte.
On 24 October both the naval and army air services launched attacks on the American
fleets. The navy aircraft sank the carrier Princeton but at heavy cost, and Kurita was left
unprotected.

USS Birmingham
fighting fires on
USS Princeton

The American attacks began in mid-morning. Musashi appears to have been their main

The fourth attack began to threaten the survival of the ship. Three torpedoes hit, as did
several bombs. The first hit the main bridge killing everyone there, but not the captain,
who by chance had moved to a higher observation position. More bombs quickly
followed. This time her speed was reduced to 15kts and she was listing to port. Electrical
power was out.

The fifth attack left Musashi only capable of 6kts. Kurita ordered her to turn back and
try and reach Borneo. At the same time another cruiser was forced to turn back. Kurita
still had four battleships and eight cruisers, and he was approaching the western end of
the San Bernardino Strait. He was now seriously worried about the danger to his fleet if
he entered the strait in daylight and so at 4pm he ordered his fleet to turn back to the
west to try and get out of range of American aircraft. About an hour and a half later he
felt safe enough to turn back east and begin the passage of the straits. The next morning
he would emerge from the straits, surprise the Americans and nearly win a significant
victory (battle of Samar, 25 October 1944).

In the meantime the Musashi was slowly plodding west with an escort of two destroyers.
Despite the very heavy damage she had suffered the giant battleship didn't sink until
after 7pm, after a long struggle to correct her list to port had failed.