The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also known as the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea, was fought near the Philippine islands of Leyte Samar and Luzon. It was a three-day battle between US and Australian forces against the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was the largest naval battle of World War II. Some historians believe it was the largest naval battle ever seen. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the first battle in which the Japanese staged Kamikaze attacks and consisted of four battles: the Battle of Sibuyan Sea, the Battle of Suriago Strait, the Battle of Cape Engaño, and the Battle of Samar. forces invaded the island of Leyte as part of a strategy to remove Japan from the countries it had occupied in Southeast Asia. The Japanese Navy moved nearly all of its remaining naval vessels in an attempt to defeat the Allied invasion, but they were stopped by the U.S. Navy's 3rd and 7th Fleets. Because of this, the Japanese Navy suffered many losses, and the surviving ships remained at their base for the rest of the war. Also on October 20, 1944, the U.S. Navy's Sixth Fleet arrived on the island of Leyte on a mission for Philippine independence. Close naval support would be provided by the 7th Fleet, under the command of Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid. The fleet included units of the US Navy, the Australian Navy, which included the heavy cruisers Shropshire and Australia, and the destroyer Arunta. The U.S. Third Fleet, commanded by Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., would provide cover and support from further afield. The US fleets had a flaw in their plan, there was not a single American admiral in overall command. The 7th Fleet and Kinkaid fell to MacArthur as Supreme Allied Commander Southwest Pacific, where the 3rd Fleet reported to Nimitz in the Pacific Ocean area... middle of paper... orce approaching the strait of Suriago, they ran into a trap of the 7th Fleet Support Force. The supporting force had six battleships, a couple of which had been damaged previously, four heavy and light cruisers, and many destroyers and torpedo boats. If Nishimura wanted to continue moving forward, he would have to overcome torpedoes, survive destroyer attacks, and fight against battleships. Nishimura managed to outflank the torpedo boats, but was soon after attacked by U.S. destroyers from both sides. One of the battleships was hit by numerous torpedoes and sunk, while the other escaped with damage. Two destroyers were sunk and one of the remaining two was hit but escaped but later sank. A second attacking force was behind Nishimura's fleet. This attacking force was the support of Nishimura's southern forces. It was commanded by Admiral Shima