Hancock (CV 19) - Naval Cruise Book

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Hannalfs First Party Dress Fuelmg LSM at Sea

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French Indo-China Feels Fury of American Air Attack Launching attacks against Japanese positions on the l7th of October, the Hannah's planes flew daily strikles against the islands of Cebu, Panay, Negros and Masbate, pounding airfields and shipping until the Zl st lone day beyond A-dayl when Rear Admiral T. L. Sprague's assisting escort carriers took over the job of close-in ground support and strategic bombing. Thus relieved, the Hannah retired toward Ulithi for rearming and provision- ing. While enroute to Ulithi the I-lannah received informationlof strong enemy units in the Visayan Sea area-one unit sortied Jap-held Singapore through the Sulu Sea and into the more confined, island-bordered Visayan Sea-another entered the Subuyan Sea from west of Mindoro. While the Hannah reversed course to the westward, flyers from her sister carriers caught up with the southern and central forces, damaging a battle- ship and several cruisers. The planes were forced to retire for fuel even as the enemy seemed to retreat toward the South China Sea. The westbound Hannahfs four racing screws drove the waves under her curved clipper bow higher and higher through the night even as the little damaged southern force attempted to transit narrow Suriago Strait. Lying in wait for just such a move was a formidable force of battleships, cruisers and destroyers under Vice Admiral J. B. Oldendorf, u.s.N. At about

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Ol3O the van of the enemy force passed the outlying picket torpedo boats near the southern tip of Dinagat Island where two attacks were pressed home with some damage to the enemy. The Japanese commander ignored the PT sting on -his exposed flanks and continued northward at high speed. As the heavy enemy ships neared Hibusan Island, Destroyer Squadron 54 opened fire while two more destroyer squadrons, flanking the channel, leaped from a lethargic four to thirty knots and joined in the fray with five-inch batteries pouring a stream of shells at the enemy column. As the destroyers developed their torpedo attack, closing the range at more than l3OO yards a minute, the long-silent guns of Oldendorf's old battleships sent salvo after salvo of l4- and I6-inc-h shells roaring overhead to hit the YAMASH l RO and FUSO. Caught in column formation, while the heavy American,forces steamed at a bare five knots across the channel mouth, the enemy could bring only his forward guns to bear as the broadsides of the California, Mis- sissippi, West Virginia, Tennessee, Colorado and Pennsylvania fell in perfect straddles. American destroyers finished off the job as dawn broke over a crippled Japanese destroyer, lone remnant of the fleeing enemy. Transports unloaded at the nearby Leyte beachhead at Tacloban on October 25th un- hindered by the Jap battleships and four destroyers-the backbone of the southern force lay at the bottom of Suriago Strait. y Before the Attack