The 2nd Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo, comprised thirteen battlecruisers: Takao, Atago, Maya, Chokai, Nachi, Ha, Myoko, Mogami, Mikuma, Suzuya, Kumano, Tone, and Chikuma, and a total of forty-six ships of various types.
The 3rd Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Imon Takahashi, comprised five battlecruisers: Nagara, Kuma, Shojima, Yaeyama, and Tatsumiya Maru, as well as three specially designed seaplane carriers: Kamikawa Maru, Sanyo Maru, and Sagara Maru, totaling forty-three ships of various types.
The 4th Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Shigemi Inoue, comprised six battlecruisers: Tenryu, Tatsuta, Okishima, Tokiwa, Tsugaru, and Tenyo Maru, and a total of thirty-seven ships of various types.
The 5th Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Hosokawa Ejiro, comprised five battlecruisers: Tama, Kiso, Kimikawa Maru, Awata Maru, and Asaka Maru, along with a total of thirty-five ships of various types.
The 6th Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Mitsumi Shimizu, is a submarine task force comprising 37 submarines of various types.
The 1st Air Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, comprises nineteen aircraft carriers: Akagi, Soryu, Hiryu, Ryujo, Kasuga Maru, Zuikaku, Shokaku, Shoho, Ryuho, Taiho, Chiyoda, Chitose, Unryu, Amagi, Shinano, Taiyo, Unyo, Hiyo, Shinyo, and Kaiyo.
The Southern Expeditionary 1st and 2nd Fleets, commanded by Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa, comprised three battlecruisers—Hōkuni Maru, Aikan Maru, and Kiyosumi Maru—and a total of thirty-one ships of various types.
The total fleet numbered nearly three hundred ships.
At this moment, on the flagship battleship Yamato, Vice Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto stood on the deck, staring intently at the distant Fukui Prefecture dock. His feelings were extremely complex. He could hardly describe his feelings at this moment; only two words could describe them—tragic and heroic!
Yes, it was tragic!
This is a combined fleet composed of the Imperial Navy's elite forces, the Empire's last trump card, which is now being deployed in full force to stop the enemy from landing...
This ending was something that Yamamoto Isoroku simply could not accept.
But now that things have come to this, he has no choice but to do everything in his power.
Yamamoto Isoroku took a deep breath and glanced at his pocket watch. "It's 4:41 now. Take off the reconnaissance plane immediately."
"At 5 o'clock sharp, all fighter jets, dive bombers, and torpedo bombers on the aircraft carriers will take off. At the same time, the main fleet will launch an attack on the Minmeng Navy and strive to occupy the entire Fukui Bay as soon as possible!"
"Hi!" The communications officer bowed deeply and then ran away.
"Buzz buzz buzz~~~~"
"Buzz buzz buzz~~~~"
"Buzz buzz buzz~~~~"
"What happened?"
Yamamoto Isoroku's expression changed drastically.
They were surprised to find enemy reconnaissance planes flying overhead.
The reconnaissance plane pilot spotted the Japanese fleet hidden in the harbor below and immediately sent a telegram to the naval headquarters: the location of the Japanese Combined Fleet has been found, northwest of Ryotsu Island.
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