During the surface phase of the action "White Plains"s 5-inch gun crew claimed six hits on heavy cruiser . It was initially believed that one of these hits caused the Chokai's Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes to explode, crippling "Chōkai" and making it vulnerable to air attack. However, the 2019 discovery by the RV Petrel of the wreck of the "Chōkai" with her torpedoes intact disproved this theory. "Chōkai" was later sunk by planes from , an escort carrier of Taffy 2. 's detailed action report states that "Chokai"s immobilizing damage resulted from a bomb hit at 0851.