By the morning of December 11th, the Nells had
attacked Wake Island for three days. With Japanese Scouting planes reporting
that the anti-aircraft positions had been destroyed, the Japanese changed
strategies. Three light cruisers and eight destroyers closed in on the island.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Marines’ six 5-inch gunner’s nests held their fire until
the destroyers came into range. When the ships were 4,000 yards away (over 4
miles closer than the 5-mile range of the Japanese destroyers) the Marines
opened fire.
.
Almost immediately,
the U.S. Marine artillery groups scored two direct hits. A salvo of three 5-inch shells fired from
the gunner’s nest at “Battery L” made a direct hit on the destroyer Hayate. The
Hayate’s stern exploded violently and sunk within a few minutes, carrying 168
Japanese sailors to their grave. Eleven other artillery shells bracketed the light
cruiser Yubari, but there were no direct hits. However, as the Japanese fleet
maneuvered around the atoll, artillery struck the destroyers Oite and Yayoi. In
response, the Japanese fleet began to retreat.
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When the four remaining F4F Wildcats took to the air, they
found the skies over Wake Island empty. Without the necessary fighter support
for the Japanese cruisers and destroyers, the F4F Wildcats had an opportunity
to score direct hits on the invasion force.
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Each F4F Wildcat was only armed with two 100-pound bombs and
most of the Marines thought there would be no way the fighters could do
sufficient damage to repel the Japanese fleet. Squadron Leader Captain Henry
“Hammering Hank” Elrod led his half-squadron to the open waters. Once he
reached the attack fleet, he dropped a bomb on the destroyer Kisaragi that
exploded in her depth charge stores. The Kisaragi quickly sunk, taking its crew
of 150 to their graves.
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Soon after, Rear Admiral Kajioka ordered his fleet to
retreat. Wake Island would be the site of the first sunken Japanese ship (the
destroyer Hayate) and their first defeat.
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