Burnett moved toward the sound of battle and reached an attacking position without either side receiving clear advance notice. The lack of radio traffic let his force approach unnoticed and surprise Admiral Hipper. At 11:35 Sheffield and Jamaica opened rapid six-inch fire, working their guns hard enough to strip paint from the barrels. That volume of fire, the cruisers' closing movement, and their torpedoes created exactly the damage risk that Kummetz's orders told him to avoid. Friedrich Eckoldt and Richard Beitzen then mistook Sheffield for Hipper and attempted to form up on her. Sheffield opened fire at very close range, breaking Eckoldt in two and sinking her with all hands.
Chapter · 1:38:01-1:42:37
Burnett's cruisers turned the ambush against Admiral Hipper
Sheffield and Jamaica arrived without warning, saturated Hipper with six-inch fire, and destroyed Friedrich Eckoldt after she mistook Sheffield for the German flagship.