TiL that Jonathan Parshall, author of "Shattered Sword" ...

[Hutch]

They should have paid attention to the Coral Sea results. 12 TBD's launched Torpedo's at the Shokaku, 0 hits. The SBD's weren't much better 48 Bombers/ 3 hits, but the hits damaged the flight deck beyond immediate repair.
But that may have been overshadowed by the seven torpedo hits on the Shoho the day before.

 

[Sparafucil3]

What's really impressive is how bad Spruance's squadrons were compared to how good Fletcher's were. -- jim

 

[Hutch]

Especially Stanhope Ring’s VS8 and VB8 (Hornet) on their flight to nowhere.

 

[asloser]

The story of US torpedoes in 1942-43 was a sad story.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_13_torpedo

"In mid-1943 an analysis of 105 torpedoes dropped at speeds in excess of 150 knots (280 km/h) showed clearly why aviators distrusted the Mark 13: 36 percent ran cold, 20 percent sank, 20 percent had poor deflection performance, 18 percent gave unsatisfactory depth performance, 2 percent ran on the surface, and only 31 percent gave a satisfactory run. The total in excess of 100 percent proved that many torpedoes were subject to more than one of the defects, just as the bulk of the problems were still due to the effects of poor air stabilization on water behavior. "

A video on submarine MK 14 torpedo problems.

 

[Old Noob]

Admiral Charles Lockwood fought a one-man war against the Bureau of Ordnance, to get them
to recognize that the Mark 14 submarine torpedo had many defects which contributed to the
Japanese getting some grace period to import war materials from the East Indies and Philippines.

 

[Hutch]

He finally took matters into his own hands on the cliffs of Hawaii.

 

[dlazov]

He finally took matters into his own hands on the cliffs of Hawaii.

?

I like his quote here:

"If the Bureau of Ordnance can't provide us with torpedoes that will hit and explode, or with a gun larger than a peashooter, then for God's sake get the Bureau of Ships to design a boathook with which we can rip the plates off the target's sides."

 

[Hutch]

Famous Quotes

 

[GeorgeBates]

I also was amazed that their ships didn't have showers. Actiondebbie found this odd as well given the Japanese love of baths and cleanliness. Very strange.

Being an Imperial Japanese sailor was only slightly less hellish than being a foot soldier. Just another example of mystic beliefs overriding objectivity, practicality and common decency.

 

[pensatl1962]

What's really impressive is how bad Spruance's squadrons were compared to how good Fletcher's were. -- jim

Certainly true for Hornet. But Enterprise and her air group (McClusky) were under Spruance (TF-16).

 

[Old Noob]

Hornet had a very short career:
Delivered Doolittle's Raiders April 1942
Fought at Midway June 1942
Sunk by Japanese destroyers (after being set afire & abandoned by U.S. forces - Hornet being crippled from Japanese airstrikes) October 1942