Part Seven
The Second Wave strikes
Even as the surviving aircraft from the initial strikes were returning the second wave of aircraft were approaching their targets. The first of these to arrive was the 189 strong strike from TF17 on the four carriers of the 2nd Air Fleet, consisting of 38 Wildcats, 78 Dauntlesses, and 83 Devastators. Despite lacking radar, the Japanese force was not surprised due to Admiral Yamaguchi deploying a screen of floatplanes from his cruisers down the threat axis of the American carrier force. These detected the approaching strike some 70 miles out from the Japanese force, enabling the Japanese to have the entire fighter strength of 47 Zeroes deployed at altitude for the approaching strike, which they intercepted still some 15 miles short of the Japanese ships. Again, the US fighter force was lacking the necessary numbers to defend the strike effectively and was again hampered by the poor tactics employed, losing 26 of their number for the loss of 9 Japanese fighters. Nevertheless, the sheer size of the strike swamped the Japanese CAP, though much of the raid cohesion was disrupted, and again the slow Devastators received the brunt of the attention of the Japanese fighters, losing over 50 aircraft whilst pressing home their attack. The 2nd Carrier Division consisting of the carriers Hiryu and Soryu were to receive the brunt of this attack, being the closest to the axis of the attack. Admiral Yamaguchi had deployed the two battleships in support of his force on this axis and both Haruna and Kirishima had orders to remain close to the carriers to defend them. Their defensive fire combined with the again defective performance of the US torpedoes largely wasted the bravery of the torpedo bombers with several hits failing to detonate, with only two hits on the Soryu detonating and a single hit on the Haruna. The hit on the Haruna was shrugged off by its armor, but the damage to the Soryu was more serious, destroying one engine room and rapidly slowing her. The majority of the Dauntless dive bombers again targeted the 2nd carrier division, with less than 20 attempting to engage Carrier Division 5. those that did attempt to engage the Shokaku and Zuikaku had been badly disrupted by the fighter screen and only achieved several near misses. The balance of the dive-bombers, approximately 45, proceeded to concentrate on the Hiryu and Soryu. The rapidly slowing Soryu proved to be an easy target and was hit no less than six times and despite the absence of aircraft onboard, reduced to a flaming wreck that would subsequently sink some four hours later. The Hiryu was hit three times, and despite serious fires aboard, was able to maintain power and maneuverability, but the surviving strike aircraft would report both as being in a sinking condition. But this was achieved at great cost with well over half of the strike aircraft failing to return. With both the 1st and 2nd Air Fleets now down a carrier, Yamaguchi now assumed command of both elements of the Kido Butai as the two groups moved to consolidate as a single force.
As this was occurring the strike force of 113 aircraft from Kaga and Akagi was reaching TF17. As with the first strike on TF16, this group was also composed of the cream of the Kido Butai, experienced veterans of Pearl Harbor, and the battles of the opening phase of the Pacific campaign. However, unlike that strike, they lacked the numbers to simply swamp the US defenses to the degree of the first strike. Secondly, the defending Wildcats, most notably those of VF6 off the Hornet, employed superior tactics and avoided melee turning fights, and were able to inflict roughly equal casualties on the escorting Zeros. Nevertheless, with roughly equal numbers (39 Zeroes to 35 Wildcats) the fighter groups effectively neutralized each other, both losing approximately half their numbers in the exchange, whilst downing only a few of the attacking aircraft. The majority of the strike aircraft concentrated on two carriers, Yorktown and Wasp the Wasp had been designed under the WNT restrictions. To meet these limitations in the available tonnage she had almost no armor and a lower top speed. Like the Ranger in TF16, it proved vulnerable to the three torpedoes and three bomb hits the Japanese strike inflicted upon her. Despite retaining power, the resulting fires and flooding from these hits proved impossible to contain. Her captain would order the ship abandoned shortly after 4 pm that afternoon and the Wasp would still be burning when she sank later that evening taking over 300 of her crew down with her. Yorktown also was badly damaged by the strike, being torpedoed twice and receiving four bomb hits, one of which struck the bridge structure killing Admiral Fletcher. Retaining power and maneuverability she was left reduced to only moving at a few knots. With a destroyed flight deck and her stern quarter fiercely ablaze her ability to operate aircraft was gone even if not in immediate danger of sinking. The final carrier of the group Hornet benefited from the proximity of the anti-aircraft cruiser San Juan and only being attacked by a small number of Val’s. She survived with only a single bomb hit striking her port after 5-inch mounts, destroying them and causing slight damage to the flight deck. As the surviving Japanese aircraft withdrew the screen commander, Admiral Kincaid assumed command of the Task Force leaving the US forces with only two carriers remaining afloat of the original six, Hornet and Yorktown, and only the Hornet capable of operating and recovering aircraft.
The final strike of the initial exchanges was of 154 aircraft from TF58, consisting of 44 fighters, 59 TBR (48 Sea-Battles and 11 of the new more powerful Spearfish), and 52 Cormorant DBR on the three remaining carriers of the 1st Air Fleet. Not released by Halsey till after 1000hrs and having the furthest to travel it did not arrive till after noon. This strike had the misfortune of being detected some 60 miles out by search aircraft earlier dispatched to confirm the location and composition of the reported force, enabling the entire Japanese CAP 62 Zeros to be airborne to engage the incoming strike. Despite being outnumbered the 44 escorting Dragonflies more than held their own downing 26 of the defending fighters for the loss of 19 of their own. Nevertheless, with so many defenders nearly a dozen of the Zeros were able to break through to engage the strike, with roughly equal numbers engaging each group. Insufficient to break the groups up, they nevertheless managed to disrupt the attacking groups. These were further disrupted by another 18 Zeroes arriving in dribs and drabs during the melee as Yamaguchi redirected some of the returning strike escorts from the closing 2nd Air Fleet, now less than 20 miles distant. The resultant disorganized melee prevented any cohesive single attack from forming. This led to several small groups attacking all three remaining aircraft carriers, with the two largest carriers Kaga and Akagi bearing the brunt of the attention. The presence of the two battleships with their large AA array and orders to protect the carriers again played a major role in the survival of the Akagi and Junyo, both near one of battleships. The smaller carrier Junyo attracted the least attention during the strike and emerged surprisingly unscathed, whilst the Akagi was to receive an additional two torpedoes and two bomb hits. Despite this, she remained underway and subsequently extinguished her fires and would eventually successfully return to Japan thanks to the heroic efforts of her crew. Unable to operate aircraft she would take no further part in the battle and would not return to operational duties until the second half of 1943. The remaining carrier Kaga would prove less fortunate. Already with underwater damage from the TF16 strike earlier, she would receive four further torpedo hits and two bomb hits. This damage was too extensive and the flooding was impossible to contain. Afire and rapidly listing to starboard she would sink less than two hours later, taking over 600 of her crew with her. During the strike, the Hiei received one additional torpedo on top of that from the first strike, and Kirishima two, as well as a single bomb, hit each. Though damaged and forced to reduce speed both had sufficient armor to survive and remain in support of the carriers. To achieve this cost the air groups of TF58 69 aircraft, largely due to the ability of the fighter escort to counter the highly maneuverable Zero. As the strike departed, they left the 1st Air fleet with only a single operational carrier, the remarkably undamaged Junyo, scrambling to recover the remaining aircraft aloft. Being the smallest carrier of the Kido Butai, she was forced to ditch many of the damaged aircraft over the side whilst crowding as many aircraft aboard as possible. With the 2nd Airfleet closing, many were directed to land there, but nearly 20 planes were forced to ditch by screen elements as they ran out of fuel.
By early afternoon the surviving units of the 1st and 2nd fleets had closed and consolidated as a single force, with Admiral Yamaguchi now in command. He was faced with a force that had lost three of the eight carriers present that morning, with two further damaged carriers afloat but unable to operate aircraft, and two of his four battleships also significantly damaged. His remaining three operational decks, Shokaku, Zuikaku, and Junyo, were packed and had about 220 operational aircraft available. Even as he organized this force, confident that he had badly damaged the US carrier groups he was being updated on the information from Ozawa’s 5th Air fleet about a further carrier force to the south and the result of that engagement. As he organized his remaining air groups for a strike on the now located TF58 he contacted Yamamoto and urged him to close and consolidate their forces, whilst he committed a further strike on the as yet unengaged TF58.