Anything under the Sun
World's greatest naval battle started off Panay
Very few know that the biggest naval battle in the world started off Panay. It is known as the Battle of Philippine Sea or Battle of Leyte Gulf.
This battle was really unprecedented in terms of ships and planes involved. The Japanese had four carriers, two battleship-carriers, seven battleships, 15 cruisers, 33 destroyers and around 400 planes.
The United States had 32 carriers, 12 battleships, 23 cruisers, more than 100 destroyers and 1,400 planes. It included every element of naval power for submarines to planes. It sprawled across an area of almost 500,000 square miles.
During the Liberation of the Philippines in 1944, the Japanese attempted to dislodge the US invasion forces from Leyte and planned to destroy the entire US Navy in the Philippines using practically the entire Japanese Navy.
Code-named Sho 1, the plan was three-pronged. The First Attack Force under Adm. Takeo Kurita based in Singapore would steam to Borneo. From there it would split into two – Central Group under Adm. Kurita himself and the northern group under Vice Adm. Shoji Nishimura to be reinforced by a naval fleet from Formosa under Vice Adm. Kiyoke Shima.
After that, Kurita himself would sail for San Bernardino Strait following the east coast of Palawan in China Sea and would enter Philippine internal waters thru Palawan passage between Mindoro and Panay going north to Romblon and Masbate to San Bernardino Strait following the east coast of Samar then turn to Leyte Gulf where invasion ships were massed.
On the other hand, Nishimura would sail from Borneo passing between Borneo and Palawan and would enter the Sulu Sea where it would join Shima who would come from Formosa passing China Sea off west of Luzon.
Lastly, a decoy fleet from Japan consisting of merchant ships disguised as warships with few warships under Adm. Jisaburo Osawa would sail from Japan going to Samar passing eastern waters of Luzon but would return to Japan to lure the US Third Fleet under Adm. William F. Halsey (the biggest naval fleet in the world at that time) away from Leyte Gulf.
This plan was executed accordingly by the Japanese.
The first salvo of this historic battle was fired off Panay island on October 23, 1944 when at dawn, US submarines Darter and Duce patrolling Palawan passage intercepted Kurita. The Darter hit Kurita's flagship Atago and cruiser Takao. On the other hand, Duce hit cruiser Maya which was sunk. After Atago was sunk, Jurita transferred to destroyer Kishimashi and still later, to battleship Yamato.
Despite these, Kurita continued and reached Samar where his fleet suffered much damages and returned to China Sea. On the other hand, the Central Group under Nishimura and Shima were almost entirely destroyed in Surigao Strait.
Thus, the Japanese Navy was defeated and US Navy victorious thus hastening the liberation of the other parts of the Philippines without any more hindrance from the sea and the air.