"The Pacific War is full of epic stories both of combat between vessels, and the even older battle of men & ships against the perils of the sea. One of the lesser known encounters and epic damage control fights came fifty-five years ago in December 1944, when U.S.S. BERGALL engaged IJN MYOKO. A fascinating twist of fate would bring these two together, and see them both fighting to stay afloat against the odds.
The encounter had its beginnings at 1630 on 5 December, 1944, when USS BERGALL (SS-320) under command of Commander J.M. Hyde departed Exmouth Gulf, Australia bound for her assigned war patrol off the Malayan and Indo-China coasts. Tagging along with Hyde on Commander's training this journey was PCO Ben Jarvis, whose previous service included USS Nautilus and Sailfish. It would prove to be an curriculum. On this journey BERGALL (and the Dace on the same general mission) carried a load of anchored mines in her aft torpedo tubes. The plan was to lay these off the Indochina coast, along the long reef called Royalist Bank. BERGALL's course was plotted to take her around the eastern end of Java, via Lombok Strait, then westward through the Flores Sea and finally through Karimata Strait. This was the plan, and was followed.
As it so happened, at 1205 that same 5 December, the IJN heavy cruiser MYOKO at Singapore received orders from Combined Fleet. The MYOKO had been under repair ever since being damaged on 23 October, 1944 en route with the First Striking Force headed for the Battle of Leyte Gulf. An aerial torpedo had struck on the starboard side under the mainmast, flooding the after engine room and generator room. Too crippled to participate further, the MYOKO had limped back to Brunei, and ultimately to Singapore, arriving on 2 November. She had been under repair since at Seletar Naval Dockyard. Now Tokyo judged those repairs sufficiently advanced for the MYOKO to attempt the journey home for full repairs. According to the orders, Captain Hajime Ishiwara of the MYOKO was instructed to depart with USHIO for the Inland Sea in company with a homeland-bound convoy "on or about 9 December. " Preparations were accordingly made…."
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