It’s sad to see a great ship sunk with plenty of men on board but they were the enemy. The Battle at Leyte Gulf was one great battle in WWII and Taffy 3 outfought and outlasted the mightly Imperial Japanese Navy. Great Post, GP.
IJN Chokai, 1942 -by: Paul Wright
Chokai was the last of the four-strong Takao class of heavy cruisers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the late 1920s. Imperial Japanese designers worked for several years under the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty to make warships that were superior in quality to their American and British opponents, but the tonnage limitations imposed by the treaty made designs that would satisfy the General Staff almost impossible.
In WWII, Chokai participated in several of the early operations in Southeast Asia, including convoy escort, assisting in the Hunt for Force Z, and the destruction of ABDA forces.
In March 1942, the IJN made a raid into the Indian Ocean with impressive results. The British aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, the heavy cruisers Cornwall and Dorsetshire, and the destroyers Tenedos and Vampire were all sunk. Additionally, several ports were raided on the…
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Rosalinda R Morgan 
Thank you, Rose. You understand the reason I share just how formidable the enemy was.
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I know but in spite of that and Halsey’s blunders, our Navy fought hard and won. Is it luck or divine intervention? In the middle of the battle, they had to fight a storm too.
I remember something else that I read way back. There was a Japanese ship built that exceeded the guidelines so to speak but they did some crazy maneuvering of the specifications, like tonnage or displacement and got approved. I believe it’s Chokai. I can’t remember what book I read it from.
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