Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!nrl-cmf!ukma!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!cbnews!ssc-vax!wanttaja@beaver.cs.washington.edu From: ssc-vax!wanttaja@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Ronald J Wanttaja) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Yamato's Last Mission Summary: Quotes... Keywords: Mitscher DIDN'T ask Message-ID: <5333@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 3 Apr 89 05:23:54 GMT References: <5005@cbnews.ATT.COM> <5077@cbnews.ATT.COM> Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: Boeing Aerospace Corp., Seattle WA Lines: 73 Approved: military@att.att.com From: ssc-vax!wanttaja@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Ronald J Wanttaja) > From: rutgers!ee.ecn.purdue.edu!rowland (Andy Rowland) > >detected the Yamato task force, Spruance saw this as the final chance for a > >"pure" naval battle, and deployed his battleships to intercept. The air > >commander got wind of this, and assembled a full air strike. Without > >orders, he launched a strike towards Yamato. He then signaled Spruance: > > >"Full airstrike now on route to Yamato. Will you take them, or should I?" > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^(shall)^^^ > I believe that Mitscher asked Spruance before he launched the strike--I don't > think he acted without Spruance's permission, if I remember right. > Now ya done it... you made me dig up my source. From "A Glorious Way to Die," by Russell Spurr: No one could accuse Raymond Spruance of being a romantic. But when the submarine report finally arrived comfirming Yamato's sortie, he made an oddly illogical decison. He ordered Task Force 54, a collection of superannuated battleships, to deal with the Japanese attack force. [...] The order went out well after midnight. At about the same time, Spruance told Mitscher and his aviators to forget Yamato. [Mitscher's carrier task force] should concentrate its "offensive effort... in combat air patrols to meet enemy air attacks." Spruance did not know it, but carriers of the task force were already speeding north to attack positions. (Page 206) ... When the last of his eagles were airborne [approx 1045] Mitscher gave the obligatory order to Arleigh Burke: "Inform Admiral Spruance that I propose to attack the Yamato strike force at 1200 unless otherwise directed. Ask him, 'Will you take them or shall I?'" (Page 220) Sorry to quote so much of that, but the text is quite clear... Mitscher disobeyed the intent, if not the direct orders, of Spruance, in leaving position to move into strike range. The next day, he launched the strike, then placed Spruance in the untenable position of having to call back an enroute air strike if he wanted to let the BBs have their last fling. The air strike was thrown together hurriedly, and it showed. They didn't have an updated position report at the time the strike was launched. Some groups got lost in the bad weather and never did find the sstrike force. The attacks were rather haphazard, and occurred over a period of about ninety minutes. Academically, one wonders how the US Battlewagons would have done against Yamato's task force. Task Force 54 consisted of Idaho, New Mexico, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, and Colorado, with six cruisers and 21 destroyers. I don't have a Jane's handy, but the US BBs are refered to as "elderly." Now, the Yamato strike force consisted of only Yamato, one light cruiser, and eight tin cans. No question that TF 54 would have won... but at what cost? Yamato was probably twice as large as the elderly US battleships. Yamato's 17 inch guns far outranged the US artillery. A naval maxim states that a fleet of ships is only a little stronger than its largest ship... but surely odds of 6:1 in battleships and cruisers, and 3:1 in tin cans must speak for something. Any wargamers out there ever set this one up? One would think the Yamato would have accounted for a couple American destroyers, at least. Instead, the Yamato was hit by Hellcats, Wildcats, Avengers, and Helldivers from Task Force 58... 15 carriers of various sizes. About 200 to 300 aircraft, all told. They sank the Yamato, the cruiser Yahagi, and half of the destroyers. Over 4200 Japanese sailors died; more than 3000 of them on the Yamato alone. Task Force 58 lost 10 planes and 12 men. Ron Wanttaja (ex USAF!) (ssc-vax!wanttaja)