(7)___________
-- Day 02, 1802hours --Verlaine: "Diverting all aircraft for immediate anti-ship strike!"The fleet maneuvers as ordered, angling in preparation to unleash broadsides at the nearest hostile group as they get closer. At 10.5 miles, the fleet's guns open up with a thunderous roar.
Fuso draws first blood and takes the initiative with her mighty 356mm guns, scoring 3 devastating hits on the Kongo-class, taking the hostile battlecruiser by complete surprise. Follow up shots from Atago and Tenryu prove ineffective, but Tatsuta brings it home with two critical hits that successfully sink the first heavy foe within the opening salvo.
Travis: "Here we go again. Destroyers, engaging!"Takao commences the engagement of the hostile heavy cruisers, starting with the closest Furutaka-class heavy cruiser. She, along with the american destroyer group armed with 5 inch guns, only score two hits - one with a 155mm gun, and another with a 127mm gun, merely sufficient to damage the Furutaka, but comes nowhere close to sinking it.
Anti-aircraft fire begins threatening the air squadrons at 7.5 miles of distance, but only a single AA gun damages an allied bomber - no losses thus far.
The hostile fleet begins to return fire - The western cluster of Furutakas focus their guns on the well-equipped Atago, and the concentration of 18 203mm shells (11%) results in two solid hits. (2625/4157)
The eastern cluster maintains their course, allowing their full broadside of weapons to fire off their starboard side. With their Kongo commanding the salvo, they target the larger Fuso instead - Kongo's 8-shell barrage of 356mm shells (24%) scores three hits, severely damaging Fuso. The remaining Furutakas in the eastern cluster follow up with 18 more 203mm shells (13%) directed at Fuso, scoring another two hits. The combination of heavy shells penetrating the deck of Fuso instantly sets her ablaze. A moment later, the intense inferno catches up to her secondary armament munition storages, resulting in a massive magazine explosion that rips a massive hole in the port side of her hull, which begins flooding rapidly. This causes Fuso to list heavily to the port side at an extreme angle - likely damage far too severe to be repaired in battle.
Verlaine: "Holy shi--- We're hit! I... I don't think we can sav---"The transmission cuts out abruptly as secondary explosions gradually tear Fuso apart. You note that the command room of Fuso is still relatively intact from the destructive chaos surrounding it aboard the stricken vessel - likely the location of Verlaine.
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[Kongo (1) - Western cluster] 10.5, bow angled [SUNK]
Fuso (12x356mm): (39.93%)x(1.04)x(0.86)=36% (3/12)
Atago (10x203mm): (20.93%)x(1.04)x(0.86)=19% (0/10)
Tenryu (3x203mm): (20.93%)x(1.04)x(0.86)=19% (0/3)
Tatsuta (3x203mm): (20.93%)x(1.04)x(0.86)=19% (2/3)
[Furutaka (1) - Western cluster] 10.5, bow angled [2090/3063]
Takao (15x155mm): (15.35%)x(0.81)x(0.86)=11% (1/15)
Benham (4x127mm): (12.20%)x(0.81)x(0.86)=8% (0/4)
Ellet (4x127mm): (12.20%)x(0.81)x(0.86)=8% (1/4)
Somers (8x127mm): (12.20%)x(0.81)x(0.86)x(1.2)=10% (0/8)
Warrington (8x127mm): (12.20%)x(0.81)x(0.86)x(1.2)=10% (0/8)
[Air Squadron 1]
6 HE bombers (1 damaged)
10 torpedo bombers
[Air Squadron 2]
6 HE bombers
10 torpedo bombers