Ironically, although airpower played no direct role in the battle, the possibility of its appearance had decided the outcome. In the confusion of the battle and smokescreen, Hosogaya did not realize that the Salt Lake City was sitting dead in the water. Moments before, the big cruiser had run out of armor-piercing shells and started shooting high explosives, whose white phosphor trails looked somewhat like bombs falling from the sky. Hosogaya ordered his antiaircraft batteries to open up and became convinced that his ships were under attack by bombers from Adak.
