tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post3326593250520773864..comments2024-03-27T19:30:21.547-07:00Comments on Chant du Départ: In Memoriam: USS Hornet (CV-8)OldAFSargehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-90144645187232852332019-02-15T08:45:01.037-08:002019-02-15T08:45:01.037-08:00I shall take care of that forthwith, I have indeed...I shall take care of that forthwith, I have indeed been remiss in my duties!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-67617546758398789782019-02-14T20:04:47.122-08:002019-02-14T20:04:47.122-08:00"Nice, new acronym. I even understood it!&quo..."Nice, new acronym. I even understood it!"<br /><br />Thanks for the accolade, however I noticed that it is not yet listed on the acronym page.<br /><br />PaulPaul L. Quandthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11734944159912671900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-73446484795544449132019-02-14T16:14:20.447-08:002019-02-14T16:14:20.447-08:00Paul @3:17 - Nice, new acronym. I even understood ...Paul @3:17 - Nice, new acronym. I even understood it!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-22243229165704295252019-02-14T16:13:37.671-08:002019-02-14T16:13:37.671-08:00Paul @3:15 - Gomenasai, I misread that.Paul @3:15 - <i>Gomenasai</i>, I misread that.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-76692797210700406052019-02-14T15:17:09.293-08:002019-02-14T15:17:09.293-08:00"Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is a must ..."Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is a must read on the topic."<br /><br />Y,IHRTB.<br /><br />PaulPaul L. Quandthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11734944159912671900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-19042296644139800762019-02-14T15:15:19.214-08:002019-02-14T15:15:19.214-08:00"Well, some guns ( unless you are counting th..."Well, some guns ( unless you are counting the machine guns on the aircraft )..."<br /><br />Did you not read that as meaning the destroyers screening the escort carriers? Those were the guns to which I was referring. No doubt the few larger caliber guns ( as well as all the other guns of any caliber which could see the IJN ships [ whether or not they were in range ] on the carriers were firing also, but it was the destroyers that I had in mind as I wrote that line.<br /><br />PaulPaul L. Quandthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11734944159912671900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-32871998394496171812019-02-14T05:32:39.749-08:002019-02-14T05:32:39.749-08:00John - She certainly saw her fair share of action....John - She certainly saw her fair share of action. She probably kept us in the war until we could get back on our feet and start punching back.<br /><br />Ships like Hornet paid a heavy price but held the line.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-74260464152401706702019-02-14T05:31:25.138-08:002019-02-14T05:31:25.138-08:00Good eye for detail MrG. I didn't know that.Good eye for detail MrG. I didn't know that.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-62022678652369082272019-02-14T05:30:55.876-08:002019-02-14T05:30:55.876-08:00I am still in mourning over the scrapping of USS E...I am still in mourning over the scrapping of USS Enterprise (CVN-65), my son-in-law did two combat tours on that ship. I saw her arrive at the pier in Norfolk from her last deployment. She looked old and proud.<br /><br />Sad to see them get broken up.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-54107685012633760712019-02-14T05:27:37.783-08:002019-02-14T05:27:37.783-08:00Don't forget the guys on those destroyers goin...Don't forget the guys on those destroyers going in against the Japanese heavies. There was gun to gun action there.<br /><br />Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is a must read on the topic.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-68533202605207516042019-02-14T05:26:28.533-08:002019-02-14T05:26:28.533-08:00Point away, I won't disagree. The Middle Kingd...Point away, I won't disagree. The Middle Kingdom has been pissing me off lately anyway.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-25689571074134615552019-02-14T05:25:28.218-08:002019-02-14T05:25:28.218-08:00drjim - it's good to know that Fort Collins st...drjim - it's good to know that Fort Collins still has a few hobby shops left. The place I used to go was in a residential neighborhood (as near as I can remember) somewhere off Prospect. It's been a long time but I seem to remember going down S. Taft Hill Rd then turning on to Prospect. Seems it was south of Prospect.<br /><br />Like I said, it's been a long time.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-35048525162664446192019-02-13T23:15:27.443-08:002019-02-13T23:15:27.443-08:00Almost as amazing is that she only took 25 months ...Almost as amazing is that she only took 25 months to build. Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13296988746956477216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-76408521208832681682019-02-13T23:07:58.083-08:002019-02-13T23:07:58.083-08:00Somewhat off-topic: I once noted to Dad after a s...Somewhat off-topic: I once noted to Dad after a show about the <i>Forrestal</i> fire that the carrier fires happened years after the vast majority of WWII vets would've retired, and those that were left were so high up they had no real touch with what actual ship crews were doing. He thought a minute, and ventured that that might well have led to the loss of focus on damage control. Peacetime military pays with blood for peacetime ways. That was my big beef with the Philippines when I was there in the Air Force -- it <i>reeked</i> of pre-07DEC41 mentality. As if we wouldn't be hit if it came to war...Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13296988746956477216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-17504032184162938612019-02-13T22:57:58.885-08:002019-02-13T22:57:58.885-08:00They had a tendency to porpoise as well, which cou...They had a tendency to porpoise as well, which could cause the torpedo to broach the surface. There'd be next to zero chance of that torpedo hitting the target and it alerted all and sundry that a sub and running torpedoes were about -- unless you're a modern USN DDG which apparently any old freighter can sneak up on. I fear my father's Navy (shaped by still-serving vets of WWII, refreshed by horrific carrier fires of the Vietnam era, and with an ever-present potential near-peer [in some waters] foe), is dead. I suspect our Navy is setting itself up (if it hasn't already done so) for a repeat of the USN's Asiatic Fleet of WWII, or worse (if the rot isn't corrected) the Spanish fleet of 1898.Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13296988746956477216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-85909734428035055892019-02-13T22:45:26.521-08:002019-02-13T22:45:26.521-08:00After the collision, the damage control officer of...After the collision, the damage control officer of the <i>Mogami</i> made the decision to jettison that ship's Long Lances. The <i>Mikuma</i>'s didn't, and the ship and crew paid the price when the air attack came.Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13296988746956477216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-51602637993473947902019-02-13T20:33:00.514-08:002019-02-13T20:33:00.514-08:00And IJN trained the hell of the crews to operate i...And IJN trained the hell of the crews to operate it at maximum efficiency<br />Tanaka at Tassafaronga probably best showed the deadly proficiency of IJN torps.<br />Paweł Kasperekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17636249014878876718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-40583789243080225972019-02-13T20:30:32.574-08:002019-02-13T20:30:32.574-08:00Oh, most certainly. Total luck that day.Oh, most certainly. Total luck that day.Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-45543870740591699102019-02-13T19:34:07.242-08:002019-02-13T19:34:07.242-08:00"...last real gun vs gun fight."
Well, ... "...last real gun vs gun fight."<br /><br />Well, some guns ( unless you are counting the machine guns on the aircraft ) and some aircraft ( albeit, not armed for anti-ship work ). Nevertheless, the IJN showed a distinct lack of fortitude in the attack on those U.S. forces screening the transports, especially considering the ships the INJ had in that attacking force. I also question your characterization of it as a " suicide run ". <br /><br />PaulPaul L. Quandthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11734944159912671900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-81650006761131212622019-02-13T18:06:39.423-08:002019-02-13T18:06:39.423-08:00The partially empty and poorly equipped carriers a...The partially empty and poorly equipped carriers and their escorts pulled Halsey away north. Leaving the battlewagons, cruisers and destroyers to push for a suicide run in order to try to break the USN. The Jeep Carriers and their escorts paid dearly, but in the end the USN won the day in the last real gun vs gun fight. Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-33350949627375810722019-02-13T17:05:19.804-08:002019-02-13T17:05:19.804-08:00One of the most sobering things about USS HORNET i...One of the most sobering things about USS HORNET is that she was only in commission for 371 days, after taking 25 months to build. An incredible amount of action was crammed into those 371 days:<br /><br />25 September 1939 - Keel of USS HORNET laid down at Newport News, VA. <br />20 October 1941 - Commissioned at Norfolk Naval Station, VA <br />28 December 1941 - Began 1 month shakedown cruise in the Gulf of Mexico <br />04 March 1942 - Left Norfolk for Pacific Ocean, via the Panama Canal. <br />20 March 1942 - Arrived in San Diego for Air Group 8 carrier qualifications<br />21-27 March 1942 - Carrier qualifications for Air Group 8 off San Diego.<br />31 March 1942 - Arrived at Naval Air Station Alameda.<br />01 April 1942 - Loaded 16 B-25 Mitchell Bombers at Alameda.<br />2 April 1942 Departed San Francisco for Doolittle raid.<br />18 April 1942 - Doolittle raid launched in 45 knot winds and 30 foot seas.<br />25-30 April 1942 - At Pearl Harbor for a brief refit.<br />30 April 1942 - Left Pearl Harbor to aid LEXINGTON (CV-2) and YORKTOWN (CV-5) in the Battle of Coral Sea but arrived 1 day <br /> late.<br />26 May 1942 - Returned to Pearl Harbor with damaged YORKTOWN. <br />28 May 1942 - HORNET, ENTERPRISE and YORKTOWN depart Pearl Harbor for Midway Island in anticipation of an enemy attack. <br />4-6 June 1942 - BATTLE OF MIDWAY- <br />1-17 August 1942- HORNET in Pearl Harbor for repairs and modifications<br />17 August 1942 - HORNET sailed to guard the sea approach to Guadalcanal in the Solomons. <br />24 October 1942 - HORNET joined ENTERPRISE and steamed east of the Santa Cruz Islands to intercept a Japanese strike force.<br />26 October 1942 - The Battle of Santa Cruz. HORNET sunk.<br /><br />Many of the pilots and gunners lost at Midway with VT-8 (Torpedo 8) were honored by having Sumner class destroyers named after them.<br />John Blackshoe.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-71117677247142402562019-02-13T15:07:55.819-08:002019-02-13T15:07:55.819-08:00We were extraordinarily lucky (or blessed?) that o...We were extraordinarily lucky (or blessed?) that our carriers were 'out of town' on 7 DEC 41!drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-37107484021664176792019-02-13T15:06:27.139-08:002019-02-13T15:06:27.139-08:00e have a Hobby Lobby and Hobby Town, along with a ...e have a Hobby Lobby and Hobby Town, along with a specialist RC/slot car shop up where the airport used to be.<br /><br />I *think* there's a Mom 'N Pop place in Old Town, but I'd have to look again.drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-14330312078177631502019-02-13T14:28:36.707-08:002019-02-13T14:28:36.707-08:00"...like the IJN did at Leyte Gulf, or do you..."...like the IJN did at Leyte Gulf, or do you play it cautious, thus ending up with Jutland and post Jutland."<br /><br />Andrew; The IJN at Leyte Gulf was the very opposite of bold. They successfully lured Admiral Halsey away, then the force headed to destroy the transports let themselves be turned away by a few of the smallest carriers in the fleet. " Go for it all " my backside.<br /><br />Paul <br />Paul L. Quandthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11734944159912671900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-72209868029818713972019-02-13T13:52:27.901-08:002019-02-13T13:52:27.901-08:00And part of me is glad that Yamamoto never got to ...And part of me is glad that Yamamoto never got to see the Essex horde. In many ways he was truly a gentleman. An enemy, but a gentlemanBeanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.com