Battle of Empress Augusta Bay Part II

At 0004 on 2 November 1943 the USS FOOTE was steaming with Task Force 39 in special battle formation in accordance with CTF-39 Operations Plan 3-43 on a course of 345-degrees True, west of Bougainville, to intercept a Japanese Task Force of a reported ten to twelve ships. DesDiv-45 (AUSBURNE, DYSON, STANLY & CLAXTON) was in the van at normal distance ahead of the guide, USS MONTPELIER (CTF-39, ComCruDiv-12). CruDiv-12 (MONTPELIER, CLEVELAND, COLUMBIA & DENVER). DesDiv-46 (SPENCE, THATCHER, CONVERSE & FOOTE) was in column astern of the cruisers with the FOOTE the last ship in the column. The Task Force was steaming approximately parallel to and fifty miles from the west coast of Bougainville.

A further report on the enemy forces at 0100 confirmed it consisted of at least ten ships and was on a course of 125-degrees True, speed 25-knots, distance 83-miles. On reciprocal courses, the American and Japanese forces were speeding toward each other at approximately 50-knots (57.6 MPH)

All ships went to General Quarters and set condition Baker. Personnel on Battle Stations checked and rechecked everything. They were ready. The situation chillingly resembled the one preceding the Battle of Savo Island except this time the scout planes provided phenomenally accurate reports and Admiral Tip Merrill had a winning battle plan with the aggressive Commodore Burke and the “Little Beavers”.

Admiral Merrill was acutely aware that his ships constituted the principal Allied Naval surface force in the South Pacific. His plan was to free his two destroyer divisions (eight ships) to carry the fight to the enemy in keeping with Commodore Burke’s philosophy and use his four cruisers to keep the attackers from approaching the beachhead at Cape Torokina. He would never let the Japanese forces get between his forces and Bougainville.

Commodore Burke’s estimate, based on the latest scout plane report, that they would pick the Japanese task Force up on radar about 0230 proved to be impressively accurate. At 0229 MONTPELIER reported SG Radar contact on a group of unidentified targets bearing 026-degrees True, distance 32,000-yards. The battle was about to begin.

The night was clear and dark with no moon after 2130. The sea was almost calm with swells from the southeast. The wind was force one from the east-southeast. The sky was about 50% obscured with high broken cirro cumulus clouds.

Admiral Merrill ordered a change of course to due north - placing his cruisers as a barrier across the approach to Torokina beachhead. This was the opening move in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay. Once action was joined, he intended to elbow the enemy westward, thereby gaining sea room which would enable him to fight a long range gun battle with the least danger from the very effective Japanese Long Lance Torpedoes.

Commodore Burke intently watched his radar scope and the moment enemy ships showed on it, as previously agreed, without waiting for orders, he led the four destroyers of DesDiv-45 out of line and headed for the Japs. He announced on the TBS (Transmission Between Ships): “Contact bearing 290-degrees True, 30,000-yards. I’m headed in”. The time was 0231.


CTF-39 gave an order to “Execute to follow - turn 18 “, and then to ComDesDiv-46 from CTF-39, “Execute your counter march”. The FOOTE interpreted this to mean the “Turn-18” given at 0235 and proceeded to come right to course 180-degrees True. The remaining three ships of DesDiv-46 executed change to course 180-degrees True by column movement. At 0237 the FOOTE bridge realized they were out of proper station and commenced turning left at maximum speed in order to take station astern of CONVERSE. This necessitated crossing the bow of the cruisers and was prolonged by their turn to the right.

At 0245 DesDiv-45 had approached to within 5,600-yards of the northernmost of three units of the Japanese Task Force. This unit consisted of the cruiser SENDIA and three destroyers. Burke ordered “Execute” and the four destroyers of DesDiv-45 turned and launched five torpedoes each. With twenty torpedoes in the water Burke reported, “My guppies are swimming” and DesDiv-45 opened the range with a turn to starboard.

DesDiv-46 changed course again by turn movement to 165-degrees True at 0250. After the FOOTE had passed clear ahead of the cruisers to regain station - the cruisers opened fire, over the FOOTE, at the Japanese ships after receiving Burke’s message that he had launched his torpedoes.

According to plan, the U.S. cruisers and any destroyer in favorable position was to open fire as the torpedoes from DesDiv-45 exploded against the enemy ships, but none of the torpedoes hit their targets. A Japanese reconnaissance plane had dropped a flare over the U.S. cruisers - Japanese cruiser SENDIA and her destroyers saw them, fired torpedoes at them, changed course (causing DesDiv-45’s torpedoes to miss) and flashed a warning to the remainder of her Task Force. All three Japanese columns turned south to form a single line of battle. It was at this point that Admiral Merrill’s cruisers commenced firing on the enemy with all forty eight guns of the U.S. cruiser’s main batteries. Two of the Japanese destroyers collided trying to evade the concentration of salvos from the U.S. cruisers, sustaining serious damage. The SENDIA was hit, began to burn and fell out of their battle line with a jammed rudder. Steaming in a daze, the Japanese heavy cruiser MYOKO slammed into one of her destroyers ripping off part of her bow.

At 0257 the FOOTE put her rudder hard left in order to come to course of DesDiv-46 and be on station. At 0300 DesDiv-46 changed course by turn movement to 225-degrees True to stay clear of the cruiser’s gun fire. The FOOTE began to steady on this course off the starboard quarter of the CONVERSE - the distance was approximately 300-yards. FOOTE made radar contact on an enemy target bearing 275-degrees True at 0300.30. At 0301 a Japanese torpedo exploded under the stern of FOOTE. It came down the starboard side at a sharp angle and probably hit the lower hull or propeller shaft. The ship was making 31-knots when the torpedo hit and immediately went dead in the water.



The torpedo that hit the FOOTE had been fired by the Japanese northern group (SENDIA and her destroyers) at the U.S. cruisers. About this time the SPENCE was swinging right to give the cruiser column a clear line of fire and sideswiped the THATCHER. That 30-knot brush sent sparks and sweat beads flying and removed a wide swath of paint, but both destroyers continued to travel at high speed. At 0320 a Jap shell punctured SPENCE’S hull at the waterline, but did not explode. SPENCE continued in the fray.

On the FOOTE all radio and detection equipment was out of commission - both Engine Rooms reported “Stopped”. The ship settled with the main deck awash aft with a 5-degree port list. Investigation indicated that the entire stern from frame 185 was blown off (approx. 55-feet) and 5-inch gun mount No. 5 was jammed in train. All 600-lb. depth charge racks, three 20-MM anti-aircraft guns and chemical smoke screen generators were gone.

At 0306 the captain attempted to turn over the engines, but stopped because of the tearing and pounding noise aft.

Admiral Merrill was demonstrating superb skill in maintaining his cruisers in flawless formation while repeatedly reversing course and changing speed so as to retain his blocking position for the beachhead at Cape Torokina while presenting the Japanese gunners with constantly changing problems of range and deflection. Through over thirty minutes of maneuvers and speed changes he always managed to be somewhere else when the enemy shells or torpedoes arrived.

After the FOOTE was hit and lying dead in the water between the Japanese and U.S. cruisers a snooper appeared overhead and dropped red and white parachute flares. These flares reflecting off the low clouds, combined with star-shells, turned the night into an eerie twilight and deprived the U.S. forces of some of their radar advantage. Surprisingly, no enemy salvos fell closer than about 200-yards of the FOOTE. At 0310 FOOTE’S radio and radars were back in service and the torpedo hit was reported by TBS and a request made for all friendly ships to stay clear. Despite this warning a DesDiv-46 destroyer moved in and laid a smoke screen around the ship and sped off to join the melee.

Because of the shock of the torpedo explosion, search and fire-control radar required considerable tuning to obtain results sufficient to track and plot U.S and enemy forces.

At 0340 the smoke began to drift clear. The Damage Control parties were busy trying to lighten the ship aft. Each depth charge remaining on the ship was thrown overboard after the pistol or booster was removed to insure it would not explode under the ship. Depth charge arbors and empty acetylene and oxygen cylinders went over the side. All full cylinders were moved to the bow and lashed down for possible future use. It was decided that the torpedoes would remain in their tubes in the event an enemy ship approached within range.

Damage Control parties were trying to pump flooded compartments with portable submersible pumps. Odor of fuel oil was extremely strong. Enemy forces were out of sight when the smoke cleared and the U.S. cruisers were at 225-degrees True, distance 4-miles, still firing and moving west. Pumping failed to reduce water levels in all compartments aft of frame 172. Leaking through the shaft alleys into the after Engine Room is being controlled with fire and bilge pumps. The Machine Shop and “Guinea Pullman” are intact.

An unidentified plane made a run on the ship at 0417, bearing 218-degrees True - very low - apparently making a torpedo run. The FOOTE opened fire at 3,600-yards with all 5-inch guns but No. 5. Fire from No. 4 gun was ceased after four rounds because of the violent vibration it caused in the vicinity of the damaged area. The plane turned away at approximately 1-mile and FOOTE ceased firing when the range was 6,500-yards and still opening. The FOOTE had expended 22 rounds of A.A. Common with no apparent damage to the attacking plane. At 0419 contact was lost with all enemy and friendly surface forces. Ceased pumping compartments C-201-L and C-202-E. C-202-E was dry and C-201-L had about 6-nches of oil in it.

Jettisoned the port K-guns, depth charge roller loaders and 5-inch practice loading machine less rammer and rammer motor plus pump which was moved to the foc’s’le and lashed down. The ready ammunition from the No. 4 handling room was moved forward. Heavy tools and steel bar stock was moved from the general work areas and placed on the foc’s’le on the starboard side. The over-side torpedo handling crane was jettisoned. The after Engine Room bulkhead was as far aft as could be reached and it was shored securely with concentration in the vicinity of the shafts. With all efforts to lighten the ship aft, the port list was reduced from 5-degrees to about 3-degrees and the damaged stern raised approximately three inches above sea level as a result of the weight removal and the pumping of compartment C-201-L and C-202-E. Draft at the bow is 6-feet. By 0525 there was a great deal of confidence that the ship could be saved.

Dawn was breaking and at 0526 radar contact was regained with the returning U.S. cruisers and destroyers - the battle was over - now to get the ship back to Purvis Bay, Florida Island, Solomon Islands. Muster on station - there were nineteen dead or missing and sixteen injured. The Japs had taken a colossal beating - one cruiser and one destroyer sunk, two destroyers badly damaged, one heavy cruiser severely damaged by collision and one enemy heavy cruiser severely damaged by gunfire. The surviving Jap ships were headed for Rabul at best speed.

The FOOTE was the worst casualty in Task Force 39. The SPENCE was holed at the waterline by a projectile that did not explode - bruised, as was the THATCHER, by the 30-knot sideswipe, but both were still battle ready. The DENVER took three 8-inch hits with Japanese armor-piercing projectiles that did not explode - one in the starboard bow and out the port side, one entered the starboard side Paravane Storage and passed out the port side about 18-inches above the water line and one through the forward stack. She remained ready to fight. Looks like the Japs are having a little ammunition problem.

The Task Force must now get ready for the inevitable massive air attack that is expected from the Japanese fortress at Rabul in retaliation for their defeat.
(Continued)

(USS FOOTE War Diary, USS DENVER War Diary, Admiral Arleigh Burke, by E. B. Porter, U.S. Destroyer Operations in WW-II & USS SPENCE Narrative of Action)