Two Myoko-class heavy cruisers were accompanied by different light-cruiser classes and a mixture of destroyer classes divided into separate screens. Each screen had to coordinate its own ships and then work with the other groups. Five destroyer transports intended for a counter-landing had already been sent back to Rabaul because of delays. Had those troop-laden ships remained, their reduced fighting armament would have left them vulnerable to the American cruisers. The Japanese preference for rear admirals in destroyer-squadron command also complicated the relationship between Omori and his subordinates. A scratch force demanded close coordination, but overlapping rank and officers acting independently made that harder to achieve.
Chapter · 1:11:27-1:31:30
The Japanese scratch force and its command burden
The Japanese formation combined multiple cruiser and destroyer classes under a complicated senior-command arrangement, unlike the practiced American force.