Essex class

I don't agree with this at all.

First off, few Kamikaze pilots ever returned from a mission, and if they did it was because they could not find a target, or had mechanical problems en route to the target.

Second, those returning with results would most likely be the escort fighters(if any survived). However, the escorts were often too busy fighting for their lives and had little time to focus on & accurately report the results. Often, it was simply a matter of counting smoke palls before returning.

I would agree that the Japanese High Command often "conceived" their own results, because that is what they wanted to believe. This was done sometimes even though they had good intelligence findings to the contrary.

 

It was not until the close of the Philippines Campaign that the US Navy began introducing various tactics to combat the Kamikaze. One of the new tactics, was the introduction of "TOMCAT" destroyers. Before, the picket destroyers were fewer in number and placed closer to the Fleet. Admiral McCain and his staff introduced the "TOMCAT" destroyers which acted both as pickets and to identify and enemy planes amongst or following the returning American airstrikes. The TOMCAT destroyers were placed about 60 miles ahead of the American fleet, this was much farther out than before. Thus, the extended distance is a factor - now, the picket destroyers are likely to be the only ships within visible range.

Further along those lines, at Okinawa, the destroyers that were assigned to the Radar Picket stations had various smaller craft as escorts(LSTs, LSMs, etc.). So, at high speed and from the air, the various ships at the radar picket stations would look like a small task group - with the largest ships of the group, the destroyers, being the most "valuable" target. Whereas, before, the carrier groups were operating further from land and without "static" picket stations. Thus, the radar pickets would consist of only a destroyer or two, as opposed to Okinawa where the picket stations consisted of a "small fleet."