Rear Admiral Charles McMorris, comprising one heavy cruiser, one light cruiser and four destroyers. In the ensuing Battle of the Komandorski Islands, Hosogaya mistook shell splashes from colored dye shells for bomb splashes, and wrongly concluded he was under aerial attack. Seeking to protect his ships, he abruptly broke off the action and retreated from battle even though he had severely damaged McMorris's flagship, the heavy cruiser . Hosogaya's retreat from an inferior American force was viewed as evidence of cowardice and cost him his command; he was relieved by Shiro Kawase. Later in 1943, he was assigned to the reserves. For the rest of the war, Hosogaya was based in Truk, serving as the Governor of the South Seas Mandate. See also Organization of the Imperial Japanese Navy Alaskan Strike Group References Books External links Notes Imperial Japanese Navy admirals Japanese admirals of World War II 1890 births 1964 deaths Governors of the South Seas Mandate Aleutian Islands campaign South Seas Mandate in World War II People from Nagano Prefecture