Drastically Modified Combined Fleet

Chapter 33 - Heavy Cruiser vs Heavy Cruiser

The cruiser commander, leading four New Orleans-class heavy cruisers, the Minneapolis, Astoria, Quincy, and Vincennes, already had confidence in victory before the battle. Information had already been obtained that the main guns of the four Mogami-class cruisers in front of them had been upgraded from five triple 6-inch turrets to four twin 8-inch turrets. While the Mogami-class reduced the number of main gun turrets from five to four, they increased anti-aircraft guns. This was similar to the relationship between the US Navy's Brooklyn-class light cruisers and the successors currently under construction. Compared to the fifteen 6-inch guns on the Brooklyn-class light cruisers, the successors had 12 6-inch guns, a 20% reduction in main guns, but an increase in anti-aircraft guns from eight to twelve. Perhaps, in the face of the increasing threat of aircraft, reinforcing anti-aircraft weapons such as high-angle guns and machine guns might be a trend common to both the United States and Japan.

However, as a trade-off, the current Mogami-class cruisers before them clearly had diminished anti-ship attack capabilities. The cruiser commander preferred not to face the sixty 6-inch guns with a higher rate of fire rather than the thirty-two 8-inch guns. In any case, the current situation favored the Americans, with thirty-six 8-inch guns against Japan's thirty-two, making them more than 10% superior in terms of the number of turrets alone. Taking into account the performance of fire control systems, the skill of the crew, and their defense capabilities, the difference might widen rather than narrow.

"Target, Minneapolis to the first ship, Astoria to the second ship, Quincy to the third ship, Vincennes to the fourth ship."

The cruiser unit commander ordered each of his four heavy cruisers to engage in a one-on-one duel with the corresponding enemy ship. In his voice, there was absolute confidence along with determination. The firing from the Japanese formation was slightly faster. The firing distance at the start of the gun battle was 20.000 meters for the Japanese and 20.000 yards for the Americans.

Unfortunately for the cruiser commander, the observation planes were unusable due to losing the battle between aircraft carriers. Still, he did not consider it a decisive handicap. He believed that the skill of well-trained gunners and the efficiency of their excellent fire control systems could compensate for the lack of observation. In fact, despite starting the gunfire later than the Japanese, they achieved almost simultaneous crossfires. It was a satisfactory result, considering the absence of observation planes. The cruiser commander praised the captain and gunnery officer of the Minneapolis for accomplishing this feat.

However, things took an unexpected turn from there. After transitioning to simultaneous firing, both sides should have received roughly the same number of hits. However, the accumulated damage on the Minneapolis was clearly greater.

"Could it be that they are using SHS?" the cruiser commander questioned himself.

He was aware that the main guns of the new heavy cruisers under construction could use SHS, with a projectile weight reaching an unprecedented 150 kilograms for an 8-inch shell. SHS had already been in operational use, deployed in the two new battleships, the North Carolina and the Washington, even before the new heavy cruisers. The projectile weight surpassed 1.200 kilograms for the same 16-inch caliber, compared to the outdated battleships' 1.000 kilograms. Thinking that what they could do, the enemy could do as well was a reasonable assumption.

The cruiser commander's speculation was not entirely wrong but not entirely accurate either. The Mogami-class cruisers, along with the Myōkō and Takao classes, had each been equipped with 9-inch guns, or the 23 cm gun for the Japanese. The projectile weight exceeded 170 kilograms. This was nearly 40% more than the 8-inch shells carried by general heavy cruisers and almost three times heavier than the 6-inch shells carried by light cruisers. These 23 cm shells effortlessly penetrated the heavy armor of the Minneapolis, known for its strong defense, creating a destructive force that set it apart from other cruisers. Realizing the sudden damage accumulation on the Minneapolis, the cruiser commander ordered an immediate withdrawal, but at that moment, a 23 cm shell penetrated the powder magazine under the second turret. The armor that might have withstood a 20 cm shell could not tank the 23 cm shell's penetration.

The Minneapolis erupted into a massive column of fire near the second turret, and the ship snapped in half. In a matter of moments, the cruiser sank, leaving hardly any survivors, including the cruiser commander.