The Battle of Leyte Gulf
October 23-26 1944



The Japanese Surface Forces

SHIP TYPES - KEY
CV = Fleet Aircraft-Carrier / CVL = Light Fleet Aircraft-Carrier / BB = Battleship
CA = Heavy Cruiser / CL = Light Cruiser / DD = Destroyer
(S) = Sunk in this battle


At Leyte Gulf the Japanese fleet was organised into three forces, referred to in
Allied accounts as the Northern, Centre and Southern Forces.
These were composed as follows -

Northern Force (Main Body)
(Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa)

Ozawa's Northern Force was intended to decoy the US covering forces
away from the Leyte invasion fleet.

Ozawa was to prove remarkably successful in his mission.

Fleet Aircraft Carrier

Zuikaku (S)

Light Fleet Aircraft Carriers

Zuiho (S)                              Chitose (S)                         Chiyoda (S)

Battleships

Ise*                                      Hyuga*

Cruisers

Isuzu                                    Tama (S)                             Oyoda

Destroyers
Hatsuzuki (S)                     Akitsuki (S)                          Wakatsuki                  Shimotsuki
Maki                                  Sugi                                      Kuwa                         Kiri

* Ise and Hyuga were battleships converted to 'battleship-carriers'.
They were able to operate a large number of seaplanes, but carried none at Leyte Gulf.


Centre Force
(Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita)

The main Japanese force in the battle, although the Northern (decoy) force 
was referred to by the Japanese as the  'Main Body'.

Battleships

Yamato                         Musashi (S)                     Nagato                  Kongo                  Haruna

Cruisers

Atago CA (S)                Takao CA                      Chokai CA  (S)                   Maya CA (S) 
Myoko CA                    Haguro CA                     Kumano CA                       Suzuya CA (S) 
Chikuma CA (S)            Tone CA                        Noshiro CL  (S)                  Yahagi CL
Destroyers
Shimakaze                     Hayashimo (S)                  Akashimo                          Kishinami
Okinami                        Naganami                         Asashimo                           Fujinami (S)
Hamanami                     Kiyoshimo                        Nowaki (S)                       Urakaze
Isokaze                         Hamakaze                        Yukikaze


Southern Force
(Vice-Admirals Nishimura and Shima)

The Southern Force was intended to penetrate through Surigao Strait into Leyte Gulf
and join with Kurita's Centre Force in attacking the invasion shipping.

It consisted of two groups, the larger (Force "C") commanded by Vice-Admiral Nishimura,
and the smaller ("Second Striking Force") by Vice-Admiral Shima.

These two groups were meant to coordinate their attacks, but failed to do so.

Force "C "(Van of the Southern Force)
(V. Adm. Shoji Nishimura)

Battleships
 
Fuso (S)                      Yamashiro (S)

Cruisers

CA Mogami (S)

Destroyers

Michisio (S)                Yamagumo (S)                    Asagumo (S)                    Shigure


Second Striking Force (Rearguard of the Southern force)
(V. Adm. Kiyohide Shima)

Cruisers

Nachi CA                  Ashigara CA                        Abukuma CL (S)

Destroyers
 
Kasumi                     Shiranuhi (S)                         Wakaba (S)                     Hatsuharu
Hatsushimo               Akebono                               Ushio

Acknowledgments

Main source for above data -
"History of United States Naval Operations in World War II" by S.E. Morison, 
Volume XII "Leyte" (Boston 1963)




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is maintained by Paul D. Henriott
Last updated 31 March 2005