0
Why didn't us back of the navy forces of guadacanal with the older battleships to counter the tokyo express in world war 2?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
There were several factors. There were a limited number of ships of all types available, and the Navy was fearful of hazarding them lest they be lost, and not immediately replaced. The US had pushed internationally for limitations on naval construction, and this had led to the Washington Naval Treaty of 1923, which brought a "building holiday". This left the US with 15 battleships, all finished before the Treaty. But the US had two oceans to worry about an the Japanese only the one. The US was committed to a "Germany first" strategy, which had seen an entire destroyer squadron of 15 ships transferred from the Pacific to the Atlantic in the months before Pearl Harbor. The Japanese had announced in 1935 that they would no longer be bound by the terms of the 1923 Treaty, but the US was slow to begin building again in response. It takes several years to build a capital ship. The first of the new"fast battleships" did not arrive in the Pacific until after Midway.
Nine battleships were assigned to the Pacific Fleet at the time of Pearl Harbor, but one was undergoing extensive modernization at Puget Sound. All these nine old battleships had undergone this procedure or would need to do so to be effective. But they would still be slow - their top design speed was 21 knots. The other eight were in Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack and were more or less seriously damaged. Two would never sail again. Others were on the bottom but might be refloated and repaired. Even if they were available the Navy wanted to refit them with modern 5"/38cal secondary battery turrets to give better protection against air attack. The Navy was very leery of hazarding battleships to enemy air attack after Pearl Harbor and the loss of the British Prince of Wales and Repulse to air attack the following day, unless friendly air cover could be given. The Navy only had three carriers in the Pacific, and was almost pathologically reluctant to commit them anywhere near the enemy-infested waters off Guadalcanal. The Wasp was torpedoed and sunk (and the new fast battleship North Carolina also took a torpedo) by a submarine September 15. Carriers were also damaged or sunk in the two carrier battles which ensued when the Navy did commit its precious carriers in the south Pacific near Guadalcanal - the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, in August and October. When the Navy committed its remaining two undamaged fast battleships then available to night action around Guadalcanal, the Washington did sink a Japanese battleship, the Kirishima - the only head-to-head gunnery duel in the war, but the South Dakota was severely damaged.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
The leaders of the convention hoped to hold off invading counter revolutionary forces by?
It was forces for the levee en masse.
What is a counter intelligence agent?
The force or forces used to deny hostile intelligence forces the opportunity to gain information about your plans and operations.
Why did the nazi- Soviet pact happen?
So both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia would have time to build of significant military forces to attack and defend/counter-attack. (Respectively)
Why did the Spanish surrender in the Spanish American War?
They pretty much lost every engagement. Dewey destroyed their fleet in the Philippines. Ground forces were taking over the Caribbean Islands. Spain was unable to counter the American forces.
Battle of the coral sea forces?
The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought between the United States and Australia (Allied forces) against Japan during World War II. The Allied forces consisted of aircraft carriers, cruisers, and destroyers from the United States and Australia, while the Japanese forces included aircraft carriers, battleships, and cruisers. Both sides deployed their carrier-based aircraft in a historic clash where no surface ships fired upon each other directly.
Why allied forces attacked at Guadacanal?
to stop the japanses from advancing
What can be done to counter negative forces?
Positive forces can counter negative forces.
Is pound used to express forces such as weight in SI?
no
What is the answer to Sunday express crossword 12 acrosssqueezes or forces out?
The answer is "extrudes"
The leaders of the convention hoped to hold off invading counter revolutionary forces by?
It was forces for the levee en masse.
What techniques do humans use to counter the effects of these forces?
they use tools.
What is the number of battleships in forces around the world?
None. The last one in service was the USS Missouri, which was decommissioned (for the second time) on March 31 1992.
What is a counter intelligence agent?
The force or forces used to deny hostile intelligence forces the opportunity to gain information about your plans and operations.
Investigate whether the initiation of Japanese forces delegated to raid Pearl Harbor and the us navys battleships to secure the Japanese empires southward expansion?
US carriers and cruisers (destroyers were everywhere) were designated the forces to check the IJN.
What were englands naval losses in world war 2?
british major losses not including Canadian Australian and new zealand forces 5 battleships 10 carriers 34 crusiers 153 destroyers 76 submarines british major losses not including Canadian Australian and new zealand forces 5 battleships 10 carriers 34 crusiers 153 destroyers 76 submarines
Are there any battlegrounds in Alaska?
A small force of Japanese occupied two islands in the Aleutian chain on 3rd of June, 1942. They were removed by US forces in what became known as the 'Forgotten Battle', so-called because it took place at the same time as Guadacanal.
What is one measure ISAF takes in its counter-narcotics role?
Training security forces.
