By Lintuperhonen
 

Gao: Inform Ouyang that I shall steam my oldies in a column and approach the enemy so that he will cross my T so that I can get all my guns to bear at his ships while presenting a minimal target. The cruisers shall attack the enemy front and rear.

By Lintuperhonen
 

Ouyang: Inform Gao that his force remain close to the convoy to engage the pocket battleship and the accompanying cruiser.

By Lintuperhonen
 

Ouyang: I think the enemy commander is Iacchinus. I will take Lianying and the two accompanying cruisers to engage the enemy battlecruisers directly.

By Lintuperhonen
 

Ouyang: Order the close escort to man their battle stations. It seems like the enemy is trying to attack us from our front flanks. The battlecruiser is going to attack from south-east and the pocket battleship from north-east.

By Lintuperhonen
 

Admiral Ouyang: This is OY, order rear admiral Gao and my cruisers to regroup. Inform van Steeneck not to engage the enemy directly unless we be heavily engaged, severely mauled or he be directly attacked.

By Lintuperhonen
 

...the other halve heading south-east at 32 ktn and the other half heading south at 18 ktn.

By Lintuperhonen
 

Radio officer of Valas: An enemy battlecruiser, pocket battleship, two cruisers and ten destroyers spotted 120 nm north-east of convoy DG-127. The force is splitting into two...

By Lintuperhonen
 

The Valas finds the regroupping enemy force with its radar at 8:02 AM. The thick fog prevents the enemy, which is not using its radar to maintain radio silence, from noticing the flying boat.

By Lintuperhonen
 

Admiral Ouyang also ordered eight fighters and four torpedo-bombers airborne and six torpedo-bombers to take-off readiness after he was informed of Morniers taking off and possible enemy submarines.