Fletcher darts past the destroyers, getting in between Nola and them, and starts shelling one as fast as she can.

Wait what's that on her radar? It looks like a shipgirl, and has a bit of the radar profile of a ship, but mostly not? Huh? Whatever she is, she's steaming directly for the combat zone, accompanied by... a small kraken!?

[Unidentified vessel and kraken, this is the USS Lexington. You are entering a live combat zone. Identify yourself immediately.]

This is such a stupid idea but it's what she's doing!!!!

[Uh, this is the USS Maxine and her pet tenta-chan and we're here to help!]

She speeds up as fast as she can go. It is so weird to skate on water. Sucks to be you, Jesus! 

There has never been a USS Maxine on any registry. And this ?shipgirl? has no transponder, and has the radar profile of a rowboat, but she's steaming out here as fast as a destroyer. 

What.

The Ri-class takes advantage of Lexington's moment of distraction to score a hit amidships.

[Keep it together, girls. Nola, Missouri, focus fire on the light cruisers, Morri and Fletch on the destroyers. Lexi, take your sky back.]

[Maxine, this is Admiral Powell of the US Navy. If you have any armament, direct it at the destroyers. Try to restrict their movements if you can, which will ease the targeting situation for the rest of my 'girls. Stay alive out there, because I have quite a few questions for you when you get back to shore.]

[Roger!]

<You heard the lady, Tenta-chan!>

She and Tenta-chan should be able to corner one of the destroyers together, right?

<I'd rather grab a cute girl, but this works too!>

Tenta-chan breaks off her course for the Ri-class and instead goes for the closest destroyer, spreading out to flank it together with Maxine.

Somehow, two of the I-class destroyers sail right into tenta-chan, and where they get caught in her tentacles. The experience of grappling them is a bizarre superposition of wrestling a shark and lashing her tentacles around a tar-covered and frigid ship as though she's a kraken.

With tenta-chan holding them still, Fletcher and Morrison punch holes all through one of the destroyers.

New Orleans quickly sinks the other grappled I-class.

With the anti-air screen cut in half and distracted across the channel, Lexi swiftly bombs the Abyssal carrier, leaving it smoking, bleeding oil, and listing to one side. Her fighters strafe the cruisers.

Missouri chases the heavy cruiser with her heavy guns, not managing to land a hit yet but keeping her busy enough to stay out of the other fight.

One of the remaining destroyers sails straight for Maxine, firing at her the whole way.

She's untouchable!!!!!!!!

Shells splash to either side of her as she charges in. She doesn't seem to have weaponry, so it's time for MAXINE SUPER PUNNNNNNCH!

She slams into the enemy ship with a wild haymaker, then kicks it in the side for good measure.

Abyssal hull goes crunch, the destroyer tilts onto its side and starts sinking slowly, and Maxine's knuckles sting a bit.

[Did you just punch an Abyssal!? What? How? Missouri Lexi can I?]

[No. Keep shooting.]

<Go Maxine! You can do it!!!>

Tenta-chan lets the holed destroyers sink beneath the waves, and once again surges towards the Ri-class, driven on by some instinctive urge.

Maxine turns her attention on the closest remaining destroyer, and charges! 

<Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!>

The remaining destroyer wheels around and flees Maxine.

And runs directly into a hail of Fletcher's five-inch shells. The magazines swiftly develop a few holes and then explode, and the I-class sinks.

The heavy cruiser sees a mini-kraken approacing her, and tries to avoid both tenta-chan and Missouri at the same time. She steams an evasive course, weaving back and forth as best she can.

New girl makes no sense, but tenta-chan's kraken impression is hemming the Ri in enough that she can clip her with her sixteens.

Fuck those heavy shells hurt. She zags hard away from Missouri, which unfortunately brings her closer to tenta-chan. She pours fire into the tentacle creature to try to discourage her approach.