OBBs as picket ships at Okinawa?

"3. It is this officer's opinion that the OBB's should be used as radar pickets when their bombardment assignments are completed. Experience has indicated that suicide bombers favor DD's and similar types over the larger, more heavily armored ships. OBB's could be especially fitted out for RP duty and given a small craft A/S and A/A screen. These ships could "absorb" several planes without great loss of life much better than destroyers - as the saying goes, "Don't make a boy do a man's work."

HyperWar: Battle Experience--Radar Pickets & Kamikazes

Erm, I'm thinking they'd be Baka magnets. Thoughts?

 

They certainly drew the attention. And I'm thinking the OBBs would draw even more. ("Hey, Tokyo, the first thing we see is a battleship. Send more love!")

 

Yes, but could you imagine the major efforts were one to take a significant hit in a tender spot? Regardless of the armor, the whole ship was not armored and while the ship may not sink, it still could take damage that woul affect it's ability to fullfil it's mission.

 

Taking a Baka to the bridge would hamper the fighting ability of most ships, regardless of size.

A better plan, IMHO, would have been to strengthen the "first line of defense" and use more small boys. Six destroyers, separated enough to present individual targets but close enough to provide mutual support, would have been vastly better than one lone picket. I think the assumption was that the Japanese would fly over the picket and proceed to better targets. They didn't allow for the pilots who just wanted to get it over with and struck at the first target they saw. RP1 needed a squadron of destroyers, not just a single ship.

Another possibility would have been offsetting pickets that would deflect the attacks from the main fleet at Okinawa. Lure them away from their chosen line and into a kill box.

Ah, I love Monday Morning Quarterbacking, it's far less hazardous.

 

that it is!

That picture of the Aaron Ward always gets me.

I had a patient years ago who's brother was killed when the midship quad 40 was swept over the side.

 

My first Chief was a bosun on the Hugh W. Hadley. He was singled out on the 25th Anniversary of the attack at a formation. He'd never mentioned it to us.

 

Layton concurs in And I was There! regarding Turner. It's scary what a monumental ego combined with considerable power can do.

 

I once saw an estimate that decided that New Guinea was "something to keep MacArthur busy." I have wondered the same myself more than once.