sleepless nights, sleepless dreams

Three Minutes in Surigao

24/10/44

0409

The deafening sound of far-away cannons had toned down. For a moment, there was silence amongst the bridge of the battleship Yamashiro. Vice Admiral Shoji Nishimura, with his heart beating loudly, began shouting orders to the collection of Nippon men around him. With his flagship listing excessively, Nishimura stomped on the floor of the bridge. Yamashiro's skipper, Captain Shinoda, looked at the older man worriedly and asked him if he was fine. The Vice Admiral reassured the officer and walked to a radio station. Directing the young sailor manning the equipment, he sent out a message to his fellow Vice Admiral fighting in Leyte Gulf. "We proceed till totally annihilated. I have definitely accomplished my mission as pre-arranged. Please rest assured."

0410

The battleship sped up to a speed of 15 knots and started turning south. Nishimura looked outside the windows and saw the crewmen running around the deck, frantically trying to repair damage. He knew that this would all be in vain as the American ships would most likely hit them again. The old seaman sighed as he looked at the sea around him. The Yamashiro's bridge was like a majestic tower standing over the water, reminding him a little of his time serving on the fast battleship Hiei.

0411

The silence was broken by two explosions, followed by the sound of water raining down. The Southern Fleet's flagship quickly listed heavily to port, making it hard for Nishimura to keep his footing on the bridge. With fear in his eyes, Shinoda glanced at Nishimura. The Vice Admiral nodded and the Captain hastily reached for the bridge's speaking tube and gave out the order to abandon ship. Shoji Nishimura heard the creaking of steel as the Yamashiro sank into the waters of the Surigao Strait. He tried his best to stand up on the floor even though the ship's stern was sinking faster than he had expected. In minutes, the admiral will go down with his ship and drown far from his homeland. He knew this, yet he stood calmly. With crewmen and officers shouting in distress, the admiral tried his best to accept his impending doom.

Long live the emperor.