24 October 1944 Japanese cruiser or battleship?

[keith A]

According to a Newspaper report Duncan claimed a hit on a light cruiser on 24 October 1944. Later this becomes a hit on the battleship Yamato-class Musashi. Did Duncan hit a cruiser? I doubt the Musashi would be misidentified as a cruiser unless from a height where it could not possibly be identified as any ship. Did the Essex attack another ship? Perhaps the heavy cruiser Myōkō (妙高)?

regards

Keith

[twocee]

On 24 October, while escorting Helldivers on a search mission, Duncan was credited with a near miss on the light cruiser Kinu, off Nasugbu, south of Manila Bay.

[keith A]

George you are a star!

[keith A]

The Kinu was attacked "in the morning", and before Duncan had led his pilots to Malvar airfield where he shot down a Zeke at 1000.

Duncan claims in an interview to have hit the Musashi that day. Did he attack her with VF-15 c.1330? The article on December 15, 1944 in the Tacoma News Tribune does not mention it.

best regards

Keith

[keith A]

I should state I think the article has some details mixed up. The sinking of an escort vessel was on June 12, 1944 when he and others strafed and sunk the Otori DE, I don't believe that VF-15 attacked any shipping on 10 September but the day before he flew low over the water shooting at Japanese sailors in the water (with his revolver!) when a coastal convoy was massacred. No escorts were sunk during that attack but several small vessels were.

I have also found that Duncan did indeed lead a strike against the Japanese Fleet later in the day on 24 October 1944. They bombed and strafed several enemy ships. Interestingly the war diary lists the Musashi as only "probably" sunk

[twocee]

The strike led by Duncan took off from Essex at 13.00 and consisted of 8VF and 12 VB. Musashi was the target and hits with 500lb bombs were claimed by Thompson and Deming of VF15. The Helldivers claimed seven hits with 1000lb bombs, leaving the battleship dead in the water.

Duncan did not claim a hit on Musashi and the morning's Zeke shoot-down occurred in the course of the search mission that located Kinu.

[keith A]

Cheers George, the AG-15 and VF-15 books I have didn't make it clear, and the War Diary is not clear either.

Best regards

Keith

[keith A]

I should mention that Duncan DID claim to hit the Musashi in an interview. His exact words are...

“I got a hit on the Musashi. We went up with the carriers after the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea. The Sibuyan Sea was really interesting.”

[keith A]

I think when he recalled the day for the interviewer he mistook the "Musashi" for the "Chitose", which he did hit on the following day.