A 01:48, Akatsuki da Hiei sun kunna manyan fitilu kuma sun haskaka Atlanta kawai 3,000 yd (2,700 m) away<unk>almost point-blank range for the battleship's main guns. Jiragen ruwa da yawa a bangarorin biyu sun fara harbe-harbe kai tsaye, kuma ƙungiyoyin abokan hamayyar biyu sun rushe da sauri. Ganin cewa dakarunsa sun kusan kewaye da jiragen ruwa na Japan, Callaghan ya ba da umarnin rikicewa, "Odd jiragen ruwa wuta zuwa starboard, har ma jiragen ruwa wuta zuwa tashar jiragen ruwa", kodayake babu wani shiri na gaba da yaƙin da aka ba da irin waɗannan lambobin tantancewa, kuma jiragen ruwa ba su kasance a cikin tsari mai daidaito ba. Daga cikin sauran jiragen ruwan Amurka da suka rage, sai suka bude wuta, kodayake da sauri sun canza da dama da suka yi ƙoƙari su bi da bindigogin Nagzuma.
Ita ma an buge ta sosai kuma ta mutu.