Japanese vs Allies. (Part I of II)
Balikpapan 24th Jan 1942 ; USN got 3 hits with 25 torps.
Badung Strait 19-20th Feb 1942; IJN got 9 hits with 662 x 5" shells
Battle of Java Sea, 27th Feb 1942 IJN got ;
1619 x 8" shells = 5 hits
221 x 5.5" shells= no hits
515 x 5" shells = no hits
153 x LL Torps = 3 hits.
Bali Strait 1st March 1942 USN; John D Edwards expended 240 shells with no hits.
Borneo Battle 1st March 1942, USN DD expended 345 x 4" shells without any hits. IJN expended 1171 x 8" shells and 1479 x 5" shells plus 25 torps to sink the crippled cruiser HMS Exeter and two DD escorts.
1st March 1942, a USN DD was sunk in a battle with two IJN Battleships plus a pair of heavy cruisers. To sink this destroyer they had to expended 297 x 14" shells and 844 x 8" shells plus 194 x 5-6" shells.
2nd March 1942, two USN DD were sunk in a battle with two IJN heavy cruisers and three DD, that expended 799 x 8" shells plus 635 x 5" shells
Battle of Savo Island 9th Aug 1942; Japanese cruisers ambushed 5 American cruisers at night and massacred them. The 6 x IJN Cruisers surprised the Americans at long range with 57 Long Lance torps that resulted in 6 hits, and in the follow on close battle launched 1872 shells getting 215 hits. The 5 USN Cruisers and two DD replied with 471 shells getting just 8 hits.
In Sealark Channel 25th Oct 1942, a pair of old American DD battled with three modern IJN DD, with each side suffering one Damaged DD. In this exchange 450 IJN shells produced 2 hits, while 120 USN shells resulted in splinter damage from near misses.
First Battle Guadalcanal 13th Nov 1942, many warships were hit with numerous shells, but no record of ammo expenditure on each side. The most decisive weapons seem to be the 72 Long Lance torps that resulted in 6 hits finishing off 5 American warships.
Second Battle Guadalcanal 14-15th Nov 1942. Again many warships were hit on each side but not much record of ammo expenditure on each side. What we have is two USN BB firing in total 232 x 16" shells and getting 9 hits, while 510 x 5" shells resulted in 40 hits. Since the battle was at night in amongst islands most fighting was done at short range and finding the enemy in such a confused battle was the biggest issue by far.
Battle of Tassafaronga, 30th Nov 1942. Five American heavy cruisers plus 6 DD fought an veteran force of 8 Japanese DD.. What ammo details we have, report that the USN fired 425 x 5-8" shells plus at least 9 salvos from a CA and resulted in a number of hits that sunk a IJN DD her and splinter damaged another DD. In return the Japanese appear to have fired 44 Long lance undetected and got at least 5 hits, sinking one Cruiser and another three crippled by the Long Lance. Again the battle was at night in amongst islands and at short range.
Battle of Komandorski Islands, 27th March 1943. 4 Japanese cruisers and 3 DD chased 2 USN Cruisers and 4 DD in a long-range gunnery clash at morning light in moderate seas. Americans expended 1103 x 6" 8" shells without registering any hits at 16-20,000 yards, while 1611 Japanese 8" shells registered 8 hits and a near miss, that badly damaged an American CA DD. Fearing the Cruiser lost the US commander ordered his remaining DD to counterattack and drive off the pursuing IJN force. This they achieve when they got a couple of hits with 985 x 5" shells, while the Japanese in return registered one 5.5" hit plus a near miss after expending 231 x 5.5" shells from there screening DD.
Battle of Vila-Stanmore, March 6th 1943. A force of 3 x USN CL plus 3 x DD ambushed a pair of Japanese DD on a moonless night using SG radars. Both IJN DD were quickly sunk at close range [few km] with the expenditure of 1101 x 6" shells and 538 x 5" shells. Resembled RN ambushes of Italian fleet in the Med.
In surface battles From after Pearl Harbor to march 1943, the allies had only sunk 9 major Japanese warships [DD on up] plus the BB Hiei, while they had lost 37 in exchange. Even including other actions [air/sub], the Japanese had sunk 77 Allied warships [546,000 tons], while they had lost 46 major warships in return [305,000 tons]. Looks like 7181 IJN shells registered 234 hits or 31:1. In response the Americans fired 4006 shells getting 59 hits 68:1 hit rate. IJN Long Lance seemed to have been most effective registering 20 hits on 326 torps launched or 16:1 hit rate. USN appeared to have launched about 25 Torps with 3 hits or 8:1 hit rate. Low numbers mean that the limited range probably inhibited their use however.
Encounter off Rice Anchorage 5th July 1943, 4 IJN x DD rushed troops to New Georgia but abandoned the mission when the detected USN force of 3 cruisers and 4 DD. In the first use of new Japanese radar equipped ship, they launched a volley of 10 Long Lance at 11,000 yards and got one hit on a USN DD that sunk.
Battle of Kula Gulf, 6th July 1943. 11 Japanese DD landed 1600 troops plus supplies to New Georgia, while a force of 3 USN Cruisers and 4 DD escorted USMC troops in a moonless night. Again the Japanese using Radar surprise the USN and launched about two-dozen Long Lance torpedoes, before the Americans were aware of their presence. The Americans firing by radar were then able to hit at least a dozen times with 5-6" shells sinking two IJN DD and damaging four more. However during the action a USN Cruiser was clobbered by 4 Long Lance torpedos and sank so quickly that they were unaware of her loss until after the battle.
Battle of Kolombangara, 13th July 1943. A force of 5 Japanese DD plus a Cruiser transported troops yet again up the New Georgia Sound. USN Scout seaplanes detected these and a force of 3 Cruisers and 10 DD intercepted them in failing moon light night. The USN launched 19 + 17 torpedoes at long range in an effort to duplicate Japanese tactics but it was too late since 29 Long Lances were already in the water. Then the radar controlled 6" guns of the USN cruisers launched a deluge of 2630 x 6" shells sinking the Japanese cruiser. The Americans already believing they had sunk the bulk of the force, went after the escapes only to be ambushed themselves. The Japanese had withdrawn to reload there torpedo tubes and launched another batch of about two-dozen Long Lance Torps, which obtained 5 hits sinking a DD and crippling all 4 allied cruisers. The Japanese were still able to land their troops.
Vella Gulf 6-7th August 1943 Americans pulled off a perfect ambush with 6 DD attacking 4 IJN DD overnight, in Squalls. They launched 22 of 34 Torps unknown to the Japanese, who then lost 3 of the DD to 6 torpedo hits. In total USN got 8 torpedo hits on 34 fish launched. They also expended 655 x 5" shells getting 'numerous hits', after the torps had halted the targets. The Americans were finally learning how to fight the Japanese way.
Horaniau battle, 18th August 1943 .USN force of 4 DD attacked a small Japanese troop convoy [16 barges and boats plus 6 armed trawlers] escorted by 4 IJN DD. The USN engaged the Japanese DD with 3028 x 5" shells and got a couple of hits, after which they ran down the convoy but were only able to sink two of the armed trawlers and one barge. Japanese were able to land their troops.
Vella Lavella, 6th Oct 1943. A dozen small Japanese craft sought to evacuate 590 troops on Vella Lavella, covered by 6 IJN DD. A force of 3 USN DD were ordered to intercept. In another confusing night battle 48 Japanese Long Lance torpedos sunk one DD and crippled another, while gunfire battered the other USN DD. The Americans sank one of the IJN DD with 680 x 5" shells getting 5 hits at long range, while 2 out of 16 torps fired finished this target. The evacuation was a success.
Empress Augusta Bay, 2nd Nov 1943. The Japanese force of 4 cruisers and 6 DD was sent to land troops on Bougainville to counter American landings already there. An American force of 4 Cruisers and 8 DD sought to intercept this force and drive it off. The USN, finally understanding the threat of the Long Lance and their own advantage in radar, planned a long-range night battle with a surprise massed torpedo attack followed by radar directed cruiser firepower to destroy the IJN force. In a dark night with showers and minimum visibility, the Japanese at the last moment avoided the initial massed torpedo barrage and the battle quickly broke down into confusing action where both sides suffered ship on ship collisions to add to the carnage. Reportedly 5296 American 6" 5" shells netted about a dozen hits sinking a cruiser and a DD plus damaging 3 more DD. The Japanese netted about 6 major hits damaging 3 DD [ammo expended unknown], while one long Lance crippled a DD out of about 34 fired.
Cape St George, Nov 25th 1943: 5 x Japanese DD escorted a reinforcement convoy to Buka base, while 5 x USN DD rush to intercept them. Again the Americans pulled off a successful torpedo ambush resulting in 3-4 hits from 15 torpedos mass launched at moonless night. One IJN DD sank right away while another was slowed so it could be finished off with gunfire and more torps. They finally ran down another IJN DD with gunfire and finished it with torps at short range. However the Japanese troop convoy got through.
Truk 17th Feb 1944; After the Japanese abandoned the forward base of Truk, a fleet of 11 American fast carriers and 6 BB with 32 escort Cruisers and Destroyers surged across the Western Pacific to seize this critical island base. Air attacks damaged several last minute stragglers sinking an AMC, before the screening USN Destroyers caught up with them. USN was able to run down these DD and sunk two of them expending 58 x 16" shells + 400 x 8" shells and 124 x 5" shells. This featured the longest-range salvo at 39,000 yards, which claimed to get straddles.