Fullbore - the climatic(ish) conclusion to the Forgotten War up north. I’ve always had a soft spot for the IJN cruiser Nachi - probably because Grandpa Scoobs (the brown shoe) helped put her on the bottom of Manila Bay.
My naval history prof. made the Battle of the Komandorski Islands a test question: Q-"What was unique about it?" A- "Last classic gun battle, exchanging salvoes, chasing splashes, no a/c." Apparently Adm. McMorris was known as a gunnery guru in the inter-war period.
Let’s count rounds expended, shall we? USN: 3,385 total. IJN: 1,976 total (plus a few 5” not listed explicitly). Or, we could look at engagement time, a hair over three and a half hours of fairly constant attacks. And, as Sal notes, we see repeated repairs by DC teams that were possible only because those teams still had a deck beneath their feet. Once again, we have more than enough ammunition (so to speak) to make the case for more resilient designs and more capable offensive power. Sailors want and deserve ships they can be proud of, not luxury barges where no one triggers unhappy memories.
"After the action SALT LAKE CITY received temporary repairs in the Alaskan area. From there she proceeded to Navy Yard, Mare Island, where all battle damage was repaired and many authorized alterations were accomplished. SALT LAKE CITY returned to service on 17 May, 1943"
Ah yes. Mare Island. Oldest naval shipyard on West Coast. Established 1853 during California Gold Rush . Three dry docks. Full industrial capability. Actually built Submarines there for a while. Strong submarine repair capabilities in its day. Closed during BRAC 1990s. Much of the real estate sold was off for housing developments.
I don't see much non government housing on the island. Sold yes. I think Hunters Point is slowly being eaten by housing where environmentally feasible.
Note that there was a repair ship in-theater. Temporary repairs then transit to MINSY.
"Upon arrival at a repair ship, a temporary patch,over the hole in the port shell at frame 102, was installed by using a cofferdam. Following the repair of the shell and subsequent plugging of the small hole at frame 98 port, all compartments except the gyro room were cleared with a submersible pump and by bucket brigades. Considerable difficulty was experienced in removing the mixture of oil and salt water which had. congealed due to low temperatures. Four days and nights were consumed at the task."
Very interesting! Did anybody else get strong Nelsonian vibes reading this? It's the kind of story that made me initially want to go to Annapolis back when I was 9 or 10.
Salt Lake City: burners out at 1150, dead in the water 1154. 1159 CO not ready to abandon ship. 1200 making 8 knots. That's impressive DC to me - 6 minutes to understand the problem, figure out / recognise the correct procedure, enact it, and get a 11500 ton cruiser up to 8 knots - the acceleration alone must've taken a good few.
I know I'm just a Marine, but being interested in these topics for the last several decades has left me with profound concerns regarding the Navy's capacity for DC on our current fleet
Coupled with multiple avoidable collisions that seem to stem from poor watch-standing skills, events like Bonhomme Richard leave me wondering if most of our vessels are now 'one and done'
They are out of the fight after the first hit, regardless of severity, repairability etc
Can anyone allay my concern? Is there something, some piece of evidence or anecdote that anyone can contribute to give reason for hope on this topic?
So THAT’S where we’re training today’s naval warfare officers!
I’m only partly jesting: video gaming is an important and integral part of the education process. No live firing, no expensive munitions used, no ships sunk and, most importantly, no lives lost.
Very interesting, thank you!
Fullbore - the climatic(ish) conclusion to the Forgotten War up north. I’ve always had a soft spot for the IJN cruiser Nachi - probably because Grandpa Scoobs (the brown shoe) helped put her on the bottom of Manila Bay.
My naval history prof. made the Battle of the Komandorski Islands a test question: Q-"What was unique about it?" A- "Last classic gun battle, exchanging salvoes, chasing splashes, no a/c." Apparently Adm. McMorris was known as a gunnery guru in the inter-war period.
Let’s count rounds expended, shall we? USN: 3,385 total. IJN: 1,976 total (plus a few 5” not listed explicitly). Or, we could look at engagement time, a hair over three and a half hours of fairly constant attacks. And, as Sal notes, we see repeated repairs by DC teams that were possible only because those teams still had a deck beneath their feet. Once again, we have more than enough ammunition (so to speak) to make the case for more resilient designs and more capable offensive power. Sailors want and deserve ships they can be proud of, not luxury barges where no one triggers unhappy memories.
Thanks much for the FbF tutorial. And, as you say, now we know.
USS Salt Lake City's damage report
https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/rep/WDR/U.S.S. SALT LAKE CITY (CA-25), GUNFIRE DAMAGE - Bering Sea, March 26, 1942.pdf
"After the action SALT LAKE CITY received temporary repairs in the Alaskan area. From there she proceeded to Navy Yard, Mare Island, where all battle damage was repaired and many authorized alterations were accomplished. SALT LAKE CITY returned to service on 17 May, 1943"
Less than two months? Not bad.
Ah yes. Mare Island. Oldest naval shipyard on West Coast. Established 1853 during California Gold Rush . Three dry docks. Full industrial capability. Actually built Submarines there for a while. Strong submarine repair capabilities in its day. Closed during BRAC 1990s. Much of the real estate sold was off for housing developments.
I don't see much non government housing on the island. Sold yes. I think Hunters Point is slowly being eaten by housing where environmentally feasible.
Note that there was a repair ship in-theater. Temporary repairs then transit to MINSY.
"Upon arrival at a repair ship, a temporary patch,over the hole in the port shell at frame 102, was installed by using a cofferdam. Following the repair of the shell and subsequent plugging of the small hole at frame 98 port, all compartments except the gyro room were cleared with a submersible pump and by bucket brigades. Considerable difficulty was experienced in removing the mixture of oil and salt water which had. congealed due to low temperatures. Four days and nights were consumed at the task."
Very interesting! Did anybody else get strong Nelsonian vibes reading this? It's the kind of story that made me initially want to go to Annapolis back when I was 9 or 10.
Good reading! A well run battle by both sides but in the end the USN won.
Salt Lake City: burners out at 1150, dead in the water 1154. 1159 CO not ready to abandon ship. 1200 making 8 knots. That's impressive DC to me - 6 minutes to understand the problem, figure out / recognise the correct procedure, enact it, and get a 11500 ton cruiser up to 8 knots - the acceleration alone must've taken a good few.
I know I'm just a Marine, but being interested in these topics for the last several decades has left me with profound concerns regarding the Navy's capacity for DC on our current fleet
Coupled with multiple avoidable collisions that seem to stem from poor watch-standing skills, events like Bonhomme Richard leave me wondering if most of our vessels are now 'one and done'
They are out of the fight after the first hit, regardless of severity, repairability etc
Can anyone allay my concern? Is there something, some piece of evidence or anecdote that anyone can contribute to give reason for hope on this topic?
I'm really open to being convinced otherwise
“When I say Battle of Komandorski Island, what comes to mind? ”
The early 1990s PC game Action Stations that had a scenario of this battle.
So THAT’S where we’re training today’s naval warfare officers!
I’m only partly jesting: video gaming is an important and integral part of the education process. No live firing, no expensive munitions used, no ships sunk and, most importantly, no lives lost.