On September 25, it was raining throughout the Coral Sea, and fighter planes were unable to take off from the aircraft carriers. Although the two fleets were looking for each other's enemies, no one found the location of their opponents.
Chen Shiying led the fleet through the Coral Sea and entered the Solomon Sea from the west side of the Solomon Islands, while Halsey led the main force of the fleet from Tagula Island to Rennell Island on the southwest side of the Solomon Islands. The two teams were looking for each other.
The fleets staggered across the sea, and the closest distance was less than sixty nautical miles, but no one could detect the other.
By dusk, the weather had improved. The fleet led by Chen Shiying and the main force of the Nanyang Fleet led by Cheng Yaoheng met about seventy nautical miles northeast of the Trobriand Islands, while Takagi Takeo's fleet also met Halsey's fleet.
Meeting on the west side of Rennell Island, this U.S.-Japanese combined fleet was commanded by Halsey.
In the evening, the flaming clouds on the horizon dyed the entire sea and sky red. Cheng Yaoheng took the main staff on a transport boat and rushed to the "Hengshan". The two Republican Navy generals gathered together to discuss the next step.
Action plan.
Judging from the current situation, both fleets are full of confidence and are actively looking for opportunities to engage in a decisive battle with their opponents. This battle between the two sides is basically inevitable.
"Based on the intelligence analysis received so far, the U.S. fleet should be located in the northern part of the Coral Sea, from the Louisiade Islands to the Solomon Islands. Our submarine forces should concentrate on this line to search for their location!" said La Hou.
In the war room behind thick blackout curtains, Chen Shiying drew a line on the chart with a pencil.
"This is thousands of square nautical miles. And we only have more than 20 submarines in this area, so it is difficult to find the enemy. The purpose of our campaign is to occupy New Britain Island and the northern part of New Guinea. This is where the enemy must save.
It is better to lure the enemy here. What I mean is that I will lead a small force to attack Laicheng Port, so that their fleet will definitely come to the rescue, and you will ambush them halfway with the main force of the fleet." Cheng Yaoheng told Chen Shiying
said.
"It's a good idea to kill two islands with one stone. If the enemy doesn't come, we can easily take down Lae Port and connect it with Rabaul. The entire Solomon Sea is under the control of shore-based fighter planes, so we can
Can gain the initiative in the battle." Chen Shiying said.
The entire combat intention is quite simple, but very practical.
So the staff members carefully discussed and analyzed the plan in the war room. It was not until about 10:30 that Cheng Yaoheng left the "Hengshan" in a small boat. Afterwards, he led the "Jiangsu" and "Guangxi"
A fleet of two aviation battleships and four battleships left this sea area.
Chen Shiying led the main fleet consisting of 9 main aviation warships, first sailed eastward for more than 50 nautical miles, and then turned due north and headed for the southern sea area of New Britain Island.
On September 26, although the rain in the Solomon Sea stopped, the weather was still gloomy. The clouds were very low, the sea was gray, and the visibility was very low. Looking from the bridge of the flagship "Hengshan" to the sea, only
You can barely see the blurry gray shadows of several warships on the sea within a range of less than two thousand meters away from it.
The weather conditions in the sea area where the U.S. fleet is located are similar to those in the Solomon Sea. Halsey led the fleet to approach Guadalcanal Island. This huge fleet also maintained radio silence. Dark clouds hung low on the sea, and the vision was hazy.
Occasionally, a ray of sunshine can be seen between the clouds. The waves on the ocean are very big. The wind force is around level 7.
Halsey's fleet currently has four newly commissioned Essex-class aviation battleships, the USS Essex, the USS Valiant, the USS Franklin and the USS Lexington, as well as the "Enterprise"
"USS", "USS Yorktown", "USS Saratoga", "USS Raider" and the Japanese "USS Shokaku" and "USS Zuikaku", a total of ten fleet aviation battleships. In addition, there is "North Carolina"
The battleship consisted of four battleships: USS Washington, USS South Dakota and USS Indiana.
Although the number of battleships in Halsey's fleet was not large, it consisted of the USS Pensacola, the USS Salt Lake City, the USS Northampton, the USS San Francisco, the USS Indianapolis, and the USS Indianapolis.
New Orleans", "Minneapolis", "Quincy", "Vincents", "Astoria" ten heavy cruisers, in addition to the "
A cruise fleet consisting of three heavy cruisers, USS Australia, USS Chicago and USS Hobart, is also in the area of Port Moresby.
At this time, there were nearly 50 submarines operating in the Coral Sea and Solomon Sea, and each ship was always on alert. The sailors were very nervous, and there were reports of submarines being discovered from time to time, but most of them were false alarms.
.
Halsey set his flagship on the "Washington" and was in the war room of the battleship. There was a chart of the Central Pacific Ocean on the chart table, which marked the route of the entire fleet since it was dispatched.
and enemy positions reported by submarine and aerial reconnaissance.
"...Since the fleet was dispatched, fleet alert destroyers and aircraft have continuously issued warnings, and the Chinese have mobilized a large number of submarines to detect and track our position. I have a hunch that the enemy is also looking for opportunities and waiting to give us a fatal blow.
, at this moment, no one can take it lightly!" Halsey stood in front of the chart table, holding a cigar in his hand, reminding his subordinates.
"Sir, the enemy may enter the Solomon Sea, so their two fleets may meet up, which will greatly enhance their strength. We don't have much advantage now!" Aviation Commander Major General McCain pointed with his finger.
Haitu said.
"But they don't have any advantage, do they?" Halsey said, "In a close contest, there is too much luck involved, and we have no retreat. The question now is, where is the enemy?
We have to find them as soon as possible!"
Contrary to the tension on the flagship, the pilots on several aircraft carriers seemed listless. Days of long waiting and boring long sea journeys had consumed their enthusiasm when they first set off. People became bored and overeager.
I am getting more and more nervous and restless.
These aviation battleships were escorted by a large group of cruisers and destroyers, sailing on the ocean with gray waves rolling under the dark sky. The fleet had already gone back and forth between the Solomon Islands and Tagula Island twice, and still found nothing.
Enemy traces.
Another day has passed.
At dawn on September 27, Admiral Halsey was awakened from his sleep by a messenger. At this time, the alarm on the warship sounded loudly, and he finally got news from the enemy.