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Originally Posted by torpedobait
I think this was reported/discovered earlier, but just in case...
Left PH on 8/25/43 in Gato (does it ever get assigned under a different name?) bound for Guam to drop off an agent. Completed that task and headed to Truk to see what I could see. Arrived Truk and a day or so later encountered a IJN TF on 9/9/43 leaving by the West channel. Pursued and intercepted. Sank 2 Light Cruisers. and made a good escape from the multiple escorts.
Decided to check out the lagoon - entered via North channel and went South. Encountered a LARGE group in the center of the large lagoon pool consisting of 2 or 3 Nagato BB, 2 Taiyo Escort CVs, and multiple DDs.
Attacked closest Nagato firing 4 torpedos under a screening DD - BB went down, but no credit given. Attacked 2nd Nagato, also with 4 torpedos. It went down and we got credit.
Attacked the nearest Taiyo with 3 torpedos. It blew up, wiping out the other Taiyo and at least one DD as it went. Final credit out of the group was one BB and one Escort Carrier. Better than nothing, plus I escaped with no damage to the boat or injuries to crew.
The ships were all clustered together in a large mass, but were not cutting into or overlaying each other. I'm sure this is one of those spawn date things, but I'm reporting it in case there is something useful here.
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That is one of several instances of the Combined Fleet at "rest" at Truk - "hiding out". They were basically frozen after Midway, and then Yamamoto gets shot down... adrift on an endless sea of despair without a paddle... As KaleunMarco says though, you do have to be careful of the mines in the area...
- You see the fleet venture forth every once in a while, like they leave to go challenge the USN near Wake at one point in time, but then hold up at Kwajelein for a few days, then come back to Truk, and then park south of Dublon for a time again...