Battle of Leyte Gulf

23 October 1944: a radar contact west of Palawan

Shortly after midnight on 23 October 1944, west of Palawan, USS Darter detected Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita's Center Force by radar and transmitted contact reports that alerted U.S. commanders to its approach toward Leyte.

Japan had activated Operation Shō to destroy the Allied landing forces off Leyte, and Kurita's force was steaming from Brunei through the Palawan Passage toward San Bernardino Strait.

The reports disclosed the principal Japanese striking force two days before the climactic engagements around Surigao Strait, Samar and Cape Engaño.

Three heavy cruisers before sunrise

At 05:24 Darter fired six torpedoes at Kurita's flagship, the heavy cruiser Atago; at least four hit, and Atago sank in 18 minutes with 360 of her crew. Darter then severely damaged the heavy cruiser Takao, which withdrew toward Brunei with two destroyers and stayed unusable for the rest of the war.

At 05:56 USS Dace put four torpedoes into the heavy cruiser Maya, which capsized in seven minutes. 336 of her crew died and 769 were rescued by the destroyer Shimakaze.

Two submarines had removed three of Center Force's ten heavy cruisers before the carrier and battleship actions began.

Kurita kept going

Kurita escaped the sinking Atago by swimming, was rescued by the destroyer Kishinami, transferred to Yamato and resumed command of the still-advancing Center Force. He continued toward Leyte — delayed, and without surprise.

Lists of only four component battles often omit the Battle of Palawan Passage, the action that actually opened the accepted 23–26 October chronology.