A heavy rain squall blotted the action from view for a few minutes that morning and "Kitkun Bay" continued to zig-zag. The formation turned to 190° but enemy shells hurtled toward the American ships and splashed near White Plains and off "Kitkun Bay"s port beam. In the forefront of the circular formation, "Kitkun Bay" escaped any direct hits as the shells splashed ever closer astern, but several salvoes bracketed the carrier and the near misses held little hope that her good fortune could continue.