 One or two torpedoes , possibly fired by the destroyer Melvin , hit Fusō amidships on the starboard side at 03 : 09 on the 25th ; she listed to starboard , slowed down , and fell out of formation . Some Japanese and American eyewitnesses later claimed that Fusō broke in half , and that both halves remained afloat and burning for an hour , but they specifically mentioned only the size of the fire on the water , and not any details of the ship . Historian John Toland agreed in 1970 that Fusō had broken in two , but according to historian Anthony Tully in 2009 , " Fuso was torpedoed , and as a result of progressive flooding , upended and capsized within forty minutes . " She sank between 03 : 38 and 03 : 50 ; only a few dozen men survived her rapid descent and massive oil fire , and only ten reached shore . 
