A tale of two cripples

Found this story linked at another site and thought it worth sharing.
The Pacific War is full of epic stories both of combat between vessels, and the even older battle of men & ships against the perils of the sea. One of the lesser known encounters and epic damage control fights came fifty-five years ago in December 1944, when U.S.S. BERGALL engaged IJN MYOKO. A fascinating twist of fate would bring these two together, and see them both fighting to stay afloat against the odds.
The encounter had its beginnings at 1630 on 5 December, 1944, when USS BERGALL (SS-320) under command of Commander J.M. Hyde departed Exmouth Gulf, Australia bound for her assigned war patrol off the Malayan and Indo-China coasts. Tagging along with Hyde on Commander's training this journey was PCO Ben Jarvis, whose previous service included USS Nautilus and Sailfish. It would prove to be an curriculum. On this journey BERGALL (and the Dace on the same general mission) carried a load of anchored mines in her aft torpedo tubes. The plan was to lay these off the Indochina coast, along the long reef called Royalist Bank. BERGALL’s course was plotted to take her around the eastern end of Java, via Lombok Strait, then westward through the Flores Sea and finally through Karimata Strait. This was the plan, and was followed.
MORE. Heroism happened on both sides of the war.