Today in 1943 Battle of the Komandorski Islands - one of the last pure gunnery duals in naval history

[a425couple]

>From elsewhere:
Today in 1943 Battle of the Komandorski Islands
- one of the last pure gunnery duals in naval history

"Jonathan" <Wr...@gmail.com> wrote in message...
> "Because of the remote location of the battle and chance
> encounter on open ocean, neither fleet had air or
> submarine assistance, making this one of the few
> engagements exclusively between surface ships in
> the Pacific Theater and one of the last pure
> gunnery duels between fleets in naval history."
>
> Battle of the Komandorski Islands
> from Wiki
>
> The Battle of the Komandorski Islands was a naval battle between
> American and Imperial Japanese forces which took place on 27 March 1943
> in the North Pacific, south of the Soviet Komandorski Islands. The
> battle was a daylight surface engagement in which air support played a
> negligible role and in which the inferior force escaped complete
> destruction mostly by luck.

As Samuel Eliot Morison says,
"No operations in this region of almost perpetual mist and snow
accomplished anything of importance or had any appreciable effect
on the outcome of the war. It was a theater of military frustration.
Both sides would have done well to leave the Aleutians to the few
Aleuts unfortunate to live there. ---
gunfire at ranges of 8 to over 12 miles ---

> 0910: Salt Lake City was hit by an 8 in (200 mm) projectile fired by
> Maya. The starboard observation plane caught fire and was jettisoned.
> 0920: Salt Lake City was hit by an 8-inch projectile fired by Maya. Two
> men were killed.
> 1010: Salt Lake City was hit by an 8-inch projectile fired by Maya.
> 1059: Salt Lake City was hit by an 8-inch projectile fired by Maya.
> 1103: Salt Lake City was hit by an 8-inch projectile fired by Maya. Salt
> Lake City transferred water to correct a list caused by flooding.
> 1152: Salt Lake City was hit by an 8-inch projectile fired by Maya.
> 1153: Salt water entered a fuel tank in use and extinguished Salt Lake
> City's boiler fires.
> 1154: Salt Lake City slowed to a stop. Bailey, Coghlan and Monaghan
> approached the Japanese cruisers for a torpedo attack while Richmond and
> Dale made smoke to shield Salt Lake City.

Then as Morison says,
"what looked like a miracle occurred. Admiral Hosogaya broke off action ----
Hosogaya really funked out. He was anxious to get home: smoke
concealed from him Salt Lake's deserate plight, and he feared that
American air bombers ----
It is no wonder that this Japanese admiral was shortly put on
the beach."

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Komandorski_Islands