About 8,000 yards astern, a heavy bombardment group made up the battleship Hiei, the heavy cruiser Takao and the heavy cruiser Aoba steam in line headed for ** CENSORED ** looking to follow up on their previous success in bombarding Henderson field and the US Marine positions.
The Americans have pulled together a strong task group to patrol Ironbottom Sound consisting of 6 destroyers, the light cruiser Brooklyn and the battleship Washington.
At 0016, the radar of USS O'Bannon picks up a large blip headed southeast beyond Savo at a little over 14,000 yards and reports it to the flag aboard Washington.
The American commander the executes his battle plan. The lead 3 destroyers turn 90 degrees to port simultaneously with Washington in order to form a destroyer screen between the battlewagon and the enemy. He hopes that the DDs will be able to illuminate large targets the the big 16" guns can then engage at range.
O'Bannon still has radar contact with Hiei, but is still blind to the rest of the Japanese dispositions
(O'Bannon and Washington are visible at top left)
As the O'Bannon pounds south, they are surprised to get visual contact with the Japanese destroyer Murasame emerging with her consorts from behind Savo. The USS Washington picks up the DDs on radar and tries to illuminate them but fails. The Americans alter course to port and prepare for close engagement. Murasame launches torpedoes at O'Bannon and fires to illuminate Brooklyn. Yudachi and Kawakaze both fire star shell to illuminate Washington.
O'Bannon manages to light up Yudachi but contact with the Hiei was lost as she passed behind Savo Island. By 0047, the Japanese have managed to spring the Americans own battle plan against them as the undetected Hiei and Takao now have visual contact with Washington and Brooklyn and prepare to open fire.
The Japanese open fire, but don't score any hits with their opening salvos.
The Americans concentrate most of their fire on the illuminated Yudachi. Most shots miss except for 1 5" hit on the forward torpedo mount loaded with 3 Long Lance torpedoes. In a flash, the vessel is gone.
One tricky thing about night engagements is that by the time you see the enemy, they're waaaay too close!
O'Bannon takes one of Murasame's torpedoes and gets her stern blown off. Monnsen and Laffey race by as O'Bannon abandons ship.
Murasame avenges Yudachi by launching a second spread at Washington. The range is so close now that they impact in the same turn. Washington gets hit under X turret, knocking the mount out and flooding the magazine as well as an adjacent boiler room. Washington's speed drops by 20%. She'll have to dodge another 2 spreads launched by Kawakaze next turn or she'll be in big trouble.
Another view of the swirling action as searchlights and star shells light up the night.
The Americans have successfully shot flares over Hiei and Atago making them eligible targets next turn.
The situation at 0052:
In the ensuing exchange of fire, Hiei takes a 16" hit on the bridge that kills the Japanese admiral and destroys the flag plot. Takao takes a minor 5" hit.
The Japanese return fire hits Washington with 3 8" shells and Brooklyn once. The Washington shakes off the hits with the loss of 1 5" gun turret. The hit on Brooklyn knocks out Y turret.
Out of torpedoes, the Japanese destroyers are desperately trying to put some distance between themselves and the US ships. The second torpedo attack on Washington fails- perhaps because of the loss of speed from the 1st hit. Murasame bravely lights up Washington with a searchlight in spite of the risk to themselves.
USS Monnsen fires torpedoes at Murasame, but the difficult stern shot misses. The other DDs put in useful work lighting up the Japanese battle line.
The US capital ship shooting is less than impressive tonight. Hiei is missed entirely. Takao takes a single 6" hit from Brooklyn. The last 3 DDs do a better job scoring 5 hits on Aoba. Takao loses her aft fire director. Aoba is crippled by the storm of fire losing A turret, X turret the helm and serious flooding in one of her boiler rooms.
Musrasame is hit 4 times losing Y turret and having her steering run wild.
The Japanese are doing a much better job of getting their fire on target, in this case the lit up Washington. Hit twice by 14" guns from Hiei and once each by Takao and Aoba, the Washington loses X turret for good and 2 more boilers and an engine flooded out. She is now crawling along at 8 knots.
The US better start putting some damage on Hiei, or this is going to be a disaster for them.
The battered Washington veers out of line as the Brooklyn races ahead to cover.
The Hiei and Takao alter course slightly to hold the range. Takao launches a spread of Long Lances at the limping Washington. Kawakaze reverses course and by some lucky coincidence, Murasame's wild steering engine does the same. Murasame fires star shell over Washington.
Aoba's steering problems also cause it to reverse course while the damage control parties feverishly try to bring the raging fires in X turret under control.
The flash of thunderous broadsides splits the night.
Hiei takes a 16" and 6" hit. Takao is blanketed by 6 5" hits from the destroyers. Hiei's damage takes 2 of her engines off line, drastically reducing her speed. Luckily, the compartments have not flooded, so there is a chance that damage control parties can get them back on line. Other than getting her crew's berthing demolished by 3 hits, Takao escapes serious injury.
Washington takes a 14" hit just above the bridge that obliterates her fire control radar. Since the enemy is in plain sight, this is a minor loss. Brooklyn is hit twice by 8" shells but takes very light damage. Laffey launches her torpedoes at Hiei.
Disaster strikes aboard Aoba as the turret fires spreads out of control to her aft magazine, blowing apart the rear half of the ship.
It's now 0112 and the battle rages on.
Just when the outlook looks bleak for the Americans, 2 torpedoes launched by Laffey connect with Hiei, staggering her and flooding out the same 2 enginerooms where the bulk of her damage control parties were working to get the engines operational. Crippled, Hiei loses power completely.
USS Farenholt steams across the path of a Long Lance meant for Washington and is cut in two.
The slow moving Hiei attracts her share of gunfire as well, getting hit once by Washington and twice by Brooklyn. Another boiler room is flooded. Takao loses A turret and gets a fire in A magazine from 5" hits from the destroyers.
Brooklyn is hit 4 times by Takao, knocking out and flooding 1 engine and demolishing Y turret. Her speed is cut in half
Washington is hit twice by Hiei, knocking out another engineroom and boiler room. She is now dead in the water.
Murasame's wild steering engine turns her straight at the American line. She is hit 4 times above the waterline and loses her fire control.
The destroyers Monssen and Laffey reverse course and start to lay smoke to protect the vulnerable capital ships. However, the Japanese squadron has had enough and begins to disengage.
Murasame ends up intermixed with the American squadron and is hit another 6 times. Amazingly, she still has 1 turret operational and is able to keep the fires under control. (When the range is really short most of the damage is taken to the superstructure in these rules). Even more amazingly, her damage control parties even manage to get her steering under control.
Takao turns for home with fires still burning.
Even as Hiei's final broadside lashes out, she is hit by 2 more torpedoes amidships from Monssen. Shuddering under a storm of smaller caliber hits, the order is given to abandon ship.
0122, the battle ends with the surviving Japanese ships fleeing the sound. The Americans lay a smoke screen and prepare to assist Washington.
Fires rage on Hiei as she slowly settles to the bottom.
The battered Murasame dashes away from the Americans. Her decks are a twisted mass of wreckage, but her hull and machinery are relatively untouched and she is able to make her escape at 20+ knots.
The limping Brooklyn and her attendant destroyers prepare to tow Washington out of the battle area.
A brutal fight, but the Americans hold the field at the cost of 2 destroyers sunk and very heavy damage to 1 battleship and 1 light cruiser. Both Washington and Brooklyn will need to go back to Mare Island for heavy repairs.
The Japanese lose 1 battleship, 1 heavy cruiser and heavy damage to 1 heavy cruiser and 1 destroyer. I'm still shakng my head that Murasame managed to survive her ordeal.
-S
. I could imagine the chaos of battle. Continue the great work.