Location
Located off Leyte Island. A major disruptive effort by the Japanese Fleet was opposed by surface and air elements of the Seventh Fleet (Vice Admiral T. C. Kinkaid) and by the Fast Carrier Force of the Third Fleet (Vice Admiral W. F. Halsey) in three related actions of The Battle for Leyte Gulf (23-26 Oct).

The Japanese Fleet, in three elements identified as Southern, Central, and Northern Forces, converged on Leyte Gulf from as many directions, Fast Carrier Force aircraft (24 Oct) hit the Southern Force in the Sulu Sea, attacked the Central Force in the Sibuyan Sea, sinking the 63,000 ton battleship Musashi and a destroyer, and was itself under air attack resulting in the loss of Princeton.

Battle of Surigao Strait
Seventh Fleet surface elements turned back the Southern Force in a brief intensive action before daylight in the Battle of Surigao Strait (25 Oct), sinking two battleships (including Fuso) and three destroyers (including Michishio).

The Japanese Central Force made a night passage through San Bernardino Strait and at daylight took under fire six escort carriers and screen of TG 77.4, and was opposed by a combined air and ship action in the Battle Off Samar (25 Oct) in which Gambier Bay, two destroyers, and one destroyer escort were sunk by enemy gunfire and three Japanese heavy cruisers were sunk by carrier air.

At the same time the Fast Carrier Force met the Northern Force in the Battle Off Cape Engano, sinking the heavy carrier Zuikaku and light carriers Chiyoda, Zuiho, and Chilose, the latter with the assistance of cruiser gunfire.

Off Leyte, Kamikaze pilots, in the first planned suicide attacks of the war, hit the escort carriers and sank the St. Lo and damaged the Sangamon, Suwannee (AO 33), Santee, White Plains, Kalinin Bay, and Kitkun Bay. As remnants of the Japanese Fleet limped homeward through the Central Philippines, (26-27 Oct) carrier aircraft sank a light cruiser and four destroyers to bring Japanese battle losses to 26 major combatant ships totaling over 300,000 tons.

Michishio
Sunk by USN Destroyers on October 25, 1944

B-25D-15 "Shifless Skonk" 41-30765
MIA over Leyte Gulf on September 6, 1945

Wildcat Wreck
Kevin Go adds in 2006 about a wreck near Samar(?):
"Last week I was scuba diving in the Leyte Gulf, and found a Grumman F4F Wildcat (or most likely a GM FM-2) in 180 feet of water. I am also in possession of an aircraft propeller which I rescued from a scrap dealer. The prop had likewise been found in the Leyte Gulf and shows many bullet strikes on it, evidence it was part of a downed aircraft. Since I got it two years ago I've been wondering how to trace what plane the prop may have come from."

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