That night, the task group steamed north off Cape Engano to hunt for fleeing enemy carriers, five of which are disposed of by air strikes the following day. Later that evening the American warships turned south in an attempt to catch a second group of retiring Japanese warships. Just after midnight on the 26th, "Biloxi" and four other cruisers and destroyers picked up a surface contact near San Bernardino Strait. The three cruisers quickly opened fire, destroying the in a blinding explosion shortly thereafter. "Nowaki" had aboard her all of the survivors from the Tone-class heavy cruiser "Chikuma", which had been sunk at the end of the Battle off Samar. As a result, a total of approximately 1,400 officers and men went down with her in this one action