Ume and Sugi were damaged. Some 350 sailors were killed. TA-9 (Japanese) Convoy TA-9 landed some 4,000 troops at Palompon, but escorting destroyers entered the bay on 11 December where two, (by air attacks) and (by PT boats), were sunk and the third, Kiri, was damaged. Aftermath By fighting this series of engagements in Ormoc Bay, the U.S. Navy was eventually able to prevent the Japanese from further resupplying and reinforcing their troops on Leyte, contributing significantly to the victory in the land battle. The final tally of ships lost in Ormoc Bay is: U.S. – three destroyers, one high speed transport, and two LSMs; Japan – six destroyers, 20 small transports, one submarine, one patrol boat and three escort vessels. Historian Irwin J. Kappes argued that naval historians have unjustly neglected the importance of these engagements, writing: "In the end, it was the rather amorphous Battle of Ormoc Bay that finally brought Leyte and the entire Gulf area under firm Allied control. From 11 November 1944 until 21 December, the combined efforts of Third Fleet carrier planes, Marine fighter-bomber groups, a pincer movement by the Army’s 77th Division and the First Division plus a motley assortment of destroyers, amphibious ships and PT boats trounced the now semi-isolated Japanese in a series of skirmishes and night raids. And because of poor weather conditions air support for most of these surface actions was almost non-existent." Fires on the Plain (novel) is a renowned book by the Japanese writer Ooka Shohei which describes the final conditions of the Japanese army on the island of Leyte and the desperate flight of some its isolated soldiers after their units have been defeated by US armed forces, as they try to reach Palompon on Leyte's West coast in the hope of re-embarking on Japanese vessels. Notes References External links Task Force 38 The TA Operations to Leyte, Part III Conflicts in 1944 1944 in the Philippines South West Pacific theatre of World War II Military history of the Philippines during World War II History of Leyte (province) Battles of World War II involving Japan Battles of World War II involving the United States Ormoc November 1944 events December 1944 events tl:Labanan sa Gulpo ng Leyte