Battle off Cape Engaño

25–26 October 1944, Off Cape Engaño, north-east of Luzon

American victory

Ozawa's Northern Force was the bait of the Japanese plan: four carriers with only 108 aircraft between them, and the two battleship-carriers Ise and Hyūga, sent south from Japan to draw Halsey's fleet away from Leyte Gulf. Halsey took it, steaming north overnight with all his carriers and battleships. On 25 October his aircraft flew six strikes against Ozawa, sinking Zuikaku, the last of the six carriers that had attacked Pearl Harbor, and the light carriers Zuihō and Chitose, and crippling Chiyoda. But that morning the calls for help from Samar reached him, ending with Admiral Nimitz's signal from Pearl Harbor asking where his battleships were, padded by the coding clerk with the words "the world wonders". Halsey turned his battleships south, too late to catch Kurita. Cruisers he left behind sank Chiyoda and the destroyer Hatsuzuki, and the submarine Jallao sank Tama that night.

United States Navy

20+ ships, none lost

Ship	Type	Outcome
USS Lexington Mitscher's flagship	Aircraft carrier Essex class	Survived
USS Essex	Aircraft carrier Essex class	Survived
USS Intrepid	Aircraft carrier Essex class	Survived
USS Franklin	Aircraft carrier Essex class	Survived
USS Enterprise	Aircraft carrier Yorktown class	Survived
USS San Jacinto	Aircraft carrier Independence class	Survived
USS Belleau Wood	Aircraft carrier Independence class	Survived
USS Langley	Aircraft carrier Independence class	Survived
USS Cabot	Aircraft carrier Independence class	Survived
USS New Jersey Halsey's flagship; turned south before reaching Ozawa	Battleship Iowa class	Survived
USS Iowa Turned south before reaching Ozawa	Battleship Iowa class	Survived
USS Washington Turned south before reaching Ozawa	Battleship North Carolina class	Survived
USS Alabama Turned south before reaching Ozawa	Battleship South Dakota class	Survived
USS Massachusetts Turned south before reaching Ozawa	Battleship South Dakota class	Survived
USS South Dakota Turned south before reaching Ozawa	Battleship South Dakota class	Survived
USS Santa Fe	Light cruiser Cleveland class	Survived
USS Mobile	Light cruiser Cleveland class	Survived
USS Wichita	Heavy cruiser	Survived
USS New Orleans	Heavy cruiser New Orleans class	Survived
USS Jallao Sank Tama	Submarine Balao class	Survived

Flotillas and other craft	Number	Lost
Other cruisers and destroyers	about 50	0

Imperial Japanese Navy

17 ships, 7 lost

Ship	Type	Outcome
IJN Zuikaku Ozawa's flagship	Aircraft carrier Shōkaku class	Sunk
IJN Zuihō	Aircraft carrier	Sunk
IJN Chitose	Seaplane tender	Sunk
IJN Chiyoda Crippled by aircraft and sunk by cruisers	Aircraft carrier Chitose class	Sunk
IJN Ise	Battleship Ise class	Damaged
IJN Hyūga	Battleship Ise class	Damaged
IJN Ōyodo Ozawa moved his flag to her	Light cruiser	Damaged
IJN Tama Torpedoed by aircraft, then sunk by Jallao	Light cruiser Kuma class	Sunk
IJN Isuzu	Light cruiser Nagara class	Damaged
IJN Akizuki	Destroyer Akizuki class	Sunk
IJN Hatsuzuki Sunk by cruisers that evening	Destroyer Akizuki class	Sunk
IJN Wakatsuki	Destroyer Akizuki class	Survived
IJN Shimotsuki	Destroyer Akizuki class	Survived

Flotillas and other craft	Number	Lost
Escort destroyers Matsu Kuwa, Maki, Kiri and Sugi.	4	0

Flotillas and other craft

Number

Lost

Escort destroyers

Matsu

Kuwa, Maki, Kiri and Sugi.

Map

Ozawa's decoy carriers 20–25 October 1944
Halsey's run to the north 24–25 October 1944