Chapter 2790 Hesitation
"Unexpectedly, two of the three battleships we sunk this time were sunk by destroyers. It seems that the shortcomings of the frigates have reached a point that must be made up for." An officer said.
"It's still not strong enough." Shigetaro Yoshimatsu said with a sigh. Although Japan has worked hard to have a main fleet that can make the U.S. Navy look at it, in fact, the gap between the two sides is still huge. The Japanese Navy can gain Tactical victories have been achieved time and time again, but even if they are victories, the price is surprisingly high. At least now Motaro Yoshimatsu really doesn't want to fight anymore.
"Let each ship report the situation." Motaro Yoshimatsu said. "Pull the distance closer, we have to be careful of the opponent's destroyers." This order of Shigetaro Yoshimatsu undoubtedly has a tendency to back down. However, at this moment, no one objected, even Betty was a little confused, and this battle never stopped. Judging from the results of the battle, the Japanese fleet definitely made a huge profit, but the price paid was also too high! The main fleet is scarred, the destroyer force has been destroyed, the cruiser? Sorry, no ships are participating in the battle!
The order was executed very quickly. The Japanese fleet retreated under the cover of the remaining destroyers. The situation of the main American fleet was worse than that of the Japanese fleet. So when they saw the Japanese fleet withdrawing, the Americans also tacitly chose to keep their distance. After a fight, After that, the two sides temporarily stopped fighting like two tired giants. They chose to take a rest. Both sides had the intention to retreat, but no one dared to really turn back and run away. The Japanese were worried about the American destroyers, and the Americans Can't outrun the Japanese fleet! Unless the Japanese fleet takes the initiative to retreat, it will be very difficult for the Americans to escape!
"The high-wave power and steering gear were damaged, the maximum speed was reduced to less than 20 knots, and the response was sluggish. Fuso, Ise, and Nagato have very little ammunition left, especially the flagship. We have fired the last armor-piercing shell. The situation of the Mutsu and the other two Fuso-class battleships is also not optimistic. The same is true for the two dreadnoughts." A few minutes later, an officer reported to Shigetaro Yoshimatsu. This is the art of reporting. You need to figure out the commander's mood. In the command tower, more than 80% of the people have realized that Yoshimatsu Motaro wants to evacuate. Now they are just looking for a reason.
Therefore, for the Nagato, Takaha, Fuso, and Ise whose ships were in really bad condition, the officers' reports were fairly objective, while the reports for the other three battleships could be completely dealt with using Spring and Autumn writing methods. In fact, the other three warships still have some ammunition left because they have been fighting a single American warship. Although they were equally scarred, the American fleet on the opposite side was even worse. For example, the leading battleships like Tennessee survived to this day entirely because of the Americans' excellent damage control and the captain's decisive and skillful ammunition depot water filling operation! Take the USS Idaho, the worst of them all, as an example. Fish can already be raised in the rear half of the hull of this battleship!
"How many destroyers are there?" Motaro Yoshimatsu asked.
"No more than 10 ships at most. In addition, counting the battleships that escaped due to battle injuries, there are still 6 ships. This means that we lost about half of the destroyers in this battle." Shimamura Hayao said this. My heart is bleeding!
"No matter what the outcome of this battle,
We can now be sure of one thing, that is, the backbone of the Japanese Combined Fleet destroyer force has really been broken. This is not only because we have suffered huge losses, but also because we have lost the officers and soldiers trained by the Imperial Navy in the past ten years. , from the beginning of the war to the present, from New Ireland Island to the Sulawesi Sea, the number of personnel losses in the destroyer force has remained high. Experienced officers and soldiers were swallowed up like wheat by the giant beast called war. They are the Imperial Navy destroyer force. Even if we can replenish the destroyer force, our personnel losses will make the newly formed destroyer squadron like a soulless puppet. "After the battle, Shimamura Hayao wrote in his diary.
"Okay, shall we fight now?" Motaro Yoshimatsu said in his heart. He did not make an immediate decision, but tried to calm down and make the best choice.
But what about on the other side? What is the U.S. fleet doing? They are also gathering the remaining warships and reporting on the status of each ship. So far, 4 of the 11 U.S. Navy battleships have been sunk, and 2 of the 5 armored cruisers before the war have been sunk. Among them, 1 new armored cruiser has been seriously damaged, and it is estimated that it will be difficult to return. The situation of the remaining warships is also not good, but compared to the Japanese Navy, the biggest advantage of the Americans is that there are at least 25 destroyers left on the battlefield!
"The ammunition stores of the Mecklenburg and Arizona have been depleted, and the condition of the Maryland is better. The condition of the Idaho is very bad, the ship is almost inoperable, and the internal hull damage is serious. The Tennessee and Pennsylvania The situation is not good either. But he can still act on his own." Maggie Fen reported to Sims.
"I don't know what's going on with the Japanese." Sims said with some worry as he looked at the Japanese fleet that was stagnant in the distance and wanted to fight, but was overly prepared and powerless.
"I don't know. Anyway, now we can only wait for the Japanese to make a choice and then respond. But at this time, I feel that we should evacuate the wounded from the USS Idaho. It is estimated that it will be difficult for this battleship to return." Ma Jifen said.
"Your Excellency, Commander, the battleship Mutsu sent a signal." Just when Motaro Yoshimatsu hesitated, an officer said.
"What did Isamu Takeshita say?" Motaro Yoshimatsu asked.
"Captain Takeshita Isamu said that his Mutsu can continue to fight, Yamashiro and Hyuga are also in good condition, and with the three battleships as the core, the combined fleet can still fight to the death. He said that even if this time the remaining battleships will be Some American warships slipped away, but at least they could keep one," the officer said.
"Leave one behind?" Yoshimatsu Motaro looked at the US fleet in the distance. He also discovered that a battleship seemed to have broken away from the US fleet's battle line. There should be a problem with the power system or control system of this battleship.
"A limited attack? Just like our counterattack in the Battle of New Ireland Island?" Motaro Yoshimatsu said, touching his chin. Naturally, Motaro Yoshimatsu is unwilling to continue to fight to the death. God knows how long the U.S. fleet can hold on, but if it can gain another result by launching a limited attack, that is also a good choice.
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