The mighty West Virginia, BB-48, and 4 other battleships that survived Pearl Harbor, unleashed hell on the Japanese "Southern Force" (2 battleships, 3 heavy cruisers, 1 light cruiser, and 8 destroyers) as it steamed into a gauntlet of U.S. Navy firepower - 6 battleships, 4 heavy cruisers, 4 light cruisers, 28 destroyers, and 39 PT boats - in the Battle of Surigao Strait.
The "Wee Vee" was the first American battleship to draw blood that evening, with a first-salvo direct hit on the IJN battleship Yamashiro. In an interesting bit of revenge, the Yamashiro was finished off by a torpedo fired by the destroyer USS Bennion (named after Captain Mervyn Bennion, who commanded the West Virginia at Pearl Harbor and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor).
6 IJN warships, including 2 battleships, were sunk in the night action.
The West Virginia on the Battle Line.
The "Wee Vee" was the first American battleship to draw blood that evening, with a first-salvo direct hit on the IJN battleship Yamashiro. In an interesting bit of revenge, the Yamashiro was finished off by a torpedo fired by the destroyer USS Bennion (named after Captain Mervyn Bennion, who commanded the West Virginia at Pearl Harbor and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor).
6 IJN warships, including 2 battleships, were sunk in the night action.
The West Virginia on the Battle Line.
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