Battering Ram of the Sea

NAVAL BATTLE OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS | Chapter 12

The Admiral's Miscalculation

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The result of the battle between Japan and the United Kingdom in the waters off the Malay Peninsula shocked not only the naval powers but also on the entire world. The victory of the Japanese fleet over the highly esteemed British fleet, the most powerful in Europe, and the subsequent surge of independence movements in various parts of Asia, particularly in a certain country with strong anti-British sentiments, have caused shockwaves globally. There are even reports of products with simplistic names like "Ozawa Beer" being planned in that country.

On the other hand, the Japanese people are celebrating their significant victory since the Battle of Tsushima, while panic has broken out among some residents in Singapore. In Europe, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is facing a political crisis as a result of the Eastern Fleet's destruction. Far away from the Malay Peninsula, the Pacific Fleet headquarters on Oahu couldn't remain unaffected by the ongoing turmoil.

"Is it true that the Shōkaku and Zuikaku, along with four Kongō-class battleships, are heading our way?"

"To be precise, they seem to be heading toward the Japanese mainland. Information from our intelligence network throughout Asia and intercepted communications confirm this."

Admiral Husband Kimmel, who had been optimistic before the war, now looked grimmer as he asked the question. In response, Commander Edwin T. Layton maintained his unchanged attitude from before the war. Kimmel had previously believed that if the British Eastern Fleet and the Japanese Seventh Fleet clashed, the British would be the clear victor. The Eastern Fleet had six battleships compared to Japan's four. British battleships were equipped with eighteen 16-inch guns and thirty-two 15-inch guns, while Japanese Kongōs had only thirty-two 14-inch guns and lacked the same caliber firepower and defense.

However, the battle between the British and Japanese fleets took an unexpected turn that Kimmel had not even imagined. At that time, both the British and Japanese fleets had over 50 warships combined. Despite the scale of this massive fleet battle, not a single surface engagement occurred. The battle was dominated by the power of Japanese aircraft against the British naval vessels. The modern aircraft's firepower overwhelmed the British battleships, and the Eastern Fleet was defeated.

"Will the Saratoga make it in time?"

Layton didn't miss Kimmel's faint muttering.

"If both the Shōkaku and Zuikaku maintain their current speeds, and Saratoga continues high-speed transit without any issues, it is possible."

On the day of the attack, the Pacific Fleet had three aircraft carriers, the Enterprise, Lexington, and Saratoga. However, the Saratoga was undergoing maintenance far from Hawaii, in San Diego. Kimmel ordered the maintenance to be expedited and urgently supplied. USS Saratoga was now racing westward at speeds well beyond her usual cruising speed.

At this point, Kimmel had three choices regarding the aircraft carrier strength. If he immediately headed for a Marshall Islands campaign with the existing forces, they had only two available aircraft carriers, the Enterprise and Lexington, whereas the Japanese had the Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū, and Hiryū. In other words, the ratio of aircraft carriers between the Pacific Fleet and the Japanese fleet would be 2 versus 4. Another option was to wait for the arrival of the USS Yorktown, which was designated to return to the Pacific. However, this would significantly delay the execution of the operation until the following year. Additionally, the Japanese Navy would have the Shōkaku and Zuikaku available, making the force ratio 4 versus 6. The Pacific Fleet, which was under great constraint from the relief of the Philippines and its time limit, would not want to do anything that would delay the operation too much.

Therefore, Kimmel opted for a plan that would, at the current stage, most effectively close the gap in aircraft carrier strength between the US and Japan, i.e., to add the Saratoga to the fleet and swiftly execute the Marshall Islands campaign. While they would still be at a numerical disadvantage, with three carriers against Japan's four, it was expected that the difference in the number of aircraft they could carry wouldn't be significant, particularly since Japan's Hiryū and Sōryū had smaller carrier designs. According to Layton, the plan to incorporate the Saratoga into the fleet would barely work.

Kimmel wasn't too fixated on the Marshall Islands campaign at this point. His immediate focus was on striking the Japanese First Fleet and 1st Air Fleet, which were currently being dispatched for the southern campaign. Once the main forces of the troublesome Combined Fleet were dealt with, the conquest of the Marshall Islands, Truk, and Palau shouldn't pose too much of a challenge. With renewed determination, Kimmel asked Layton a few more questions and then made the decision to set sail. The countdown to the departure of the Pacific Fleet had begun.