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USN gunnery performance at Empress Augusta Bay.

Discussion in 'Naval Warfare in the Pacific' started by USS Washington, Apr 20, 2015.

  1. Takao

    Takao Ace

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    August 18, 1942, at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The USS Washington had just returned from her Atlantic foray, and is undergoing overhaul. In a few days, on the August 23rd, she will leave for the Pacific.
     
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  2. USS Washington

    USS Washington Active Member

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    Cool, thanks Takao. :)
     
  3. USS Washington

    USS Washington Active Member

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    What about Admiral Norman Scott, did he mainly use radar at Cape Esperance as well, I know that his decision to choose San Francisco meant he was at the mercy of her inferior radar set, but was he fully utilizing radar nonetheless?
     
  4. Takao

    Takao Ace

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    Hell no! Any "full utilization" of radar would have required that Scott made his flag on any other cruiser but the one that he chose.

    He made his flagship the only cruiser equipped with SC radar(primarily and air search radar, but it could be used for limited surface search), USS Salt Lake City, USS Boise, and the added USS Helena all had the more advanced SG radar. Further complicating matters was that it was thought that the SC radar operated on roughly the same frequency as expected Japanese sets, so to preserve surprise, he ordered the San Fran's radar not to operate. The only radar the San Fran had operating was her FC radar, which was used as an impromptu surface search set.

    By making his flag on San Fran, he was forced to rely on the other SG cruisers for radar information, and, as usual, communications problems did come up. Thus Scott was left with a confusing picture of what was actually happening. Initial contacts were not passed to San Fran, Scott's turn to reverse course made for confusion aboard San Fran(the trail destroyers did not turn in place to become the van destroyers, and the van destroyers - expecting to become the trail destroyers were now placed out of position) as radar reports of possible enemy contacts now began to come in to San Fran, and the USS Boise reported her contacts as "bogies", leading to confusion as to whether the contacts were ships or aircraft.
     
  5. USS Washington

    USS Washington Active Member

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    Okay then, choosing one of the other cruisers would've definitely helped Admiral Scott quite a bit, but at least Cape Esperance still ended up being a tactical victory for the US Navy.
     

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