"Can only make 80% of your max speed due to maintenance? OK. What is your weapons state? Fine? Good. You're good to go." We still have those Sailors, just not enough of them in Senior Command.
As a “Little Beaver” in my staff puke days, I love here stories almost as much as looking at the paintings that lined England Hall, while on roving patrol on the ASW base in San Diego. Full bore indeed!
An interesting contrast to recent posts about optimal manning, deferred maintenance, what can be sustained in peacetime vs wartime etc. It suggests to me that the difference between Fitz/McCain & Norwegian navy outcomes and Desron 23 outcomes may have more to do with the quality of command leadership, than strictly the existence of optempo, manning, and deferred maintenance issues (real though they no doubt are).
“THIRTY-ONE KNOT BURKE GET ATHWART THE BUKA-RABUAL EVACUATION LINE … IF ENEMY CONTACTED YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.” - That's the way to give orders: Tell them what needs to be accomplished, then get out of the way and let them get to it.
One of Grandpa Scoobs' prized possession was a framed photograph of then CAPT Arleigh Burke and VADM Marc Mitscher from when they led TF-38 aboard USS Lexington (CV-16) in 1944. Grandpa Scoobs was a JO in Lex's Air Group 19 and frequently interacted with Burke, including being called to flag plot to brief Mitscher and him on what he had seen during the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea on 24 October 1944. That framed photo, and a handwritten note from ADM (Ret) Burke, proudly hung in Grandpa Scoobs' living room for the remainder of his days - now it's proudly on display at Casa de Papa Scoobs.
Burke was smart enough to learn from his own mistakes and embrace the new technology of radar.
We were fortunate to have adept, aggressive Commanders with ships manned by well trained and motivated crews. (We were fortunate to have the industrial base and logistics train in place to provide even a small percentage of support he needed in 11/43 compared to what it was producing by 11/44.)
I've got a framed and autographed photo of Arleigh on my office wall taken at the commissioning of DDG 51. As an aviator and flag aide at NavSea during the construction I had the great opportunity to talk to him one on one as he waited to get into NavSEA 00's office. He asked me what a pilot was doing at NavSea and I told him (per my Admiral) that I was broadening my far-too-narrow parochial horizons. I got to listen to his comments and criticism of the planned DDG-51, and he would regale us in the conference room with tales of the the Little Beaver squadron.
Alas, we need that kind of leadership again in our Navy. He was a Warrior. He was a Gentlemen.
Arleigh Burke was later the CNO from 1955-61. His first assignment after graduating from the Academy was aboard the USS Arizona. When your home state is Arizona, you get the best history of that wonderful ship.
"Can only make 80% of your max speed due to maintenance? OK. What is your weapons state? Fine? Good. You're good to go." We still have those Sailors, just not enough of them in Senior Command.
As a “Little Beaver” in my staff puke days, I love here stories almost as much as looking at the paintings that lined England Hall, while on roving patrol on the ASW base in San Diego. Full bore indeed!
Sometimes getting your whole force to the objective, albeit at a slower speed, is best move.
Sometimes, like the Mongols taught, having 10 men on the objective on time was better than having 10,000 there later.
The good commanders know the difference.
In my field, Patton was a proponent of:
" A good decision, implemented promptly with vigor, always beats the perfect course of actual, timidly executed, too late"
Hence changing the axis of advance for the 3rd Amy, and attacking 100 miles into the flank of Bastogne in the middle of Winter, in 3 days.
Fustest with the mostest
🫡
Good luck, good decisions, and that led to victory.
An interesting contrast to recent posts about optimal manning, deferred maintenance, what can be sustained in peacetime vs wartime etc. It suggests to me that the difference between Fitz/McCain & Norwegian navy outcomes and Desron 23 outcomes may have more to do with the quality of command leadership, than strictly the existence of optempo, manning, and deferred maintenance issues (real though they no doubt are).
“THIRTY-ONE KNOT BURKE GET ATHWART THE BUKA-RABUAL EVACUATION LINE … IF ENEMY CONTACTED YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.” - That's the way to give orders: Tell them what needs to be accomplished, then get out of the way and let them get to it.
Halsey's mission order was perfect.
One of Grandpa Scoobs' prized possession was a framed photograph of then CAPT Arleigh Burke and VADM Marc Mitscher from when they led TF-38 aboard USS Lexington (CV-16) in 1944. Grandpa Scoobs was a JO in Lex's Air Group 19 and frequently interacted with Burke, including being called to flag plot to brief Mitscher and him on what he had seen during the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea on 24 October 1944. That framed photo, and a handwritten note from ADM (Ret) Burke, proudly hung in Grandpa Scoobs' living room for the remainder of his days - now it's proudly on display at Casa de Papa Scoobs.
Burke was smart enough to learn from his own mistakes and embrace the new technology of radar.
We were fortunate to have adept, aggressive Commanders with ships manned by well trained and motivated crews. (We were fortunate to have the industrial base and logistics train in place to provide even a small percentage of support he needed in 11/43 compared to what it was producing by 11/44.)
I've got a framed and autographed photo of Arleigh on my office wall taken at the commissioning of DDG 51. As an aviator and flag aide at NavSea during the construction I had the great opportunity to talk to him one on one as he waited to get into NavSEA 00's office. He asked me what a pilot was doing at NavSea and I told him (per my Admiral) that I was broadening my far-too-narrow parochial horizons. I got to listen to his comments and criticism of the planned DDG-51, and he would regale us in the conference room with tales of the the Little Beaver squadron.
Alas, we need that kind of leadership again in our Navy. He was a Warrior. He was a Gentlemen.
Do you think there is even 1 squadron today that could carry out this order?
I love Halsey's order. "You know what to do". If only that spirit and trust was around nowadays!
Arleigh Burke was later the CNO from 1955-61. His first assignment after graduating from the Academy was aboard the USS Arizona. When your home state is Arizona, you get the best history of that wonderful ship.