The destroyers detected two small radar contacts near Rondo Island, north of Sabang, while a Japanese-built version of the Douglas DC-2 reconnoitred and attacked them. They opened fire at 05:52 from about 6,500 yards. British records describe the larger contact as an LST armed with a three-inch gun, although other accounts call it an auxiliary. The National Archives material and official report support the landing-ship label used here. The accompanying submarine chaser is tentatively identified as P57, armed with a six-pounder and a 20 mm cannon. Japanese records were not checked for the video, so either identification could be refined or overturned. The uncertainty remains visible instead of giving either label more confidence than the available records support.
Notable Point · 23:13-24:37
Identifying Operation Irregular's Japanese landing ship
British operational records support a landing-ship identification, while the Japanese vessel's precise identity remains uncertain without Japanese sources.