Big-Ship Big-Gun Combined Fleet

Chapter 23 - Kongō-class Battleship

"The freshness of the 1st Battleship Division is good, but don't underestimate the maturity of the 3rd Battleship Division. And there's a variety of blondes and black-haired beauties," Rear Admiral Kakuji Kakuta, the leader of the 3rd Battleship Division, muttered in a voice so low that no one could hear.

The American battleships, repeatedly bombarding the 1st Battleship Division's Yamato, Musashi, Shinano, and Kii, completely ignored the 3rd Battleship Division's Hiei, Kirishima, Kongō, and Haruna. It seemed they wanted to eliminate the newer and stronger battleships before dealing with the old and weak ones.

The ships of the 3rd Battleship Division under Kakuta were currently using the greatest advantage of the Kongō-class battleships—their speed—to approach the American battleships closely. During this time, the gunfire had paused. Firing while racing at maximum speed wouldn't guarantee hits, and they didn't want to provoke the American battleships until they were in a sufficient range. Besides, they wanted to cool down the barrels and firing mechanisms, and firing the main guns was a harsh task for the gunnery personnel, sometimes leading to exhaustion or heatstroke and even death.

"We're within 20.000 meters."

In a report containing a sense of urgency, urging the commander to give the order to fire, Kakuta ignored the report without considering the surrounding atmosphere. To him, the guaranteed-hit distance was still far away.

"How are the enemy battleships moving?"

"All enemy battleships continue their bombardment on the 1st Battleship Division."

In response to Kakuta's inquiry, the lookout immediately conveyed the current situation. Even now, the American battleships continued their bombardment on the 1st Battleship Division. If they were to switch their target to the 3rd Battleship Division and readjust their aim, it would still take a considerable amount of time.

"Commence bombardment at a distance of 15.000 meters. Targets as before: Hiei to the fifth ship, Kirishima to the sixth ship, Kongō to the seventh ship, and Haruna to the eighth ship."

In daytime battles, 15.000 meters was considered quite close for battleships fighting each other. And the thinly armored Kongō-class battleships were particularly unsuitable for close combat. Well, there was no ideal combat distance for the problematic Kongō-class battleships on the defensive side. In any case, at this range, even the relatively weak 36 cm guns should be able to penetrate the thick armor of the American battleships.

"Now, let's see how long the American battleships will continue to ignore us..."

The decision on whether to consider the Yamato-class battleships far away or the Kongō-class battleships nearby as a greater threat lay solely with the American commander. In a sense, what Kakuta was doing was a gamble, leaving it up to chance. Delaying the gunfire was to increase the chances of success.

"Distance 15.000 meters."

"The American battleships from the fifth to eighth have ceased firing on the 1st Battleship Division."

Amidst the eagerly awaited good news and the feared bad news, Kakuta shouted out his orders.

"All ships, commence firing! Show those young-loving Americans the consequences of ignoring mature women!"

Almost simultaneously with the division flagship Hiei starting her bombardment, Kirishima, Kongō, and Haruna also unleashed their main guns as if expelling something they had been holding back. Given the large silhouette of the enemy battleships and the use of observation planes, hitting them at this range was relatively easy. Hiei and Kongō achieved hits on the fourth volley, while Kirishima and Haruna got their hits on the fifth.

By this time, the American battleships from the fifth to eighth had also completed their ranging and began firing, but they were late. On the other hand, the four Kongō-class battleships transitioned to rapid fire, each unleashing eight 36 cm shells towards the American battleships. The penetration power of the 36 cm shells fired from close range rivaled or even surpassed the 40 cm shells used in medium-range combat. Every hit from the 36 cm shells penetrated the thick armor of the American battleships, causing explosions and smoke throughout the ships.

Disparaging the Kongō-class battleships and being caught off guard, the four American battleships were hindered in their firing by the smoke they emitted before receiving hits. What followed was a one-sided pummeling. For the Americans, the miscalculation was having an admiral with a strange mentality, one who would bring battleships like the Kongō-class, known to struggle in close combat, into a close-range assault. Of course, there were no two such admirals in the Imperial Navy, but unfortunately, the one and only exception happened to be present in this situation.

This turned out to be the biggest failure and the worst misfortune for the American battleships.