This week Bill and Seth are joined once again by Naval History and Heritage Command Director, Rear Admiral sam Cox, to discuss the little-known and often-forgotten naval battle of the Komandorski Islands. The trio break down the 4-hour long old school naval gunnery duel in the frigid waters of the North Pacific during the Aleutian Islands campaign of 1943.
source
re unknown Japanese admiral- MAYBE if you asked Japanese sources you might know more???
Great show as always. I always learn a lot more than I thought I knew and again a really good show. I look forward to your show every week. It’s also nice to have a for real submarine captain in the bullpen. Thanks again see you next week.E
Incredible
Cox was a nice addition to the team. My question – why was McMorris flying his flag on Richmond? SLC was the primary vessel, had more room for an admiral and staff, presuming better communications and radar having just come out of the yard, and would be the focal point of any battle. Command from Richmond complicates communications. SLC’s captain Rogers was properly commended after as he was in effective command with Richmond and screen conforming to her movements. Was there any criticism of McMorris for this decision? He was known as Soc due to his smarts but this seems to be an error. Hosagaya was retired, but McMorris didn’t hold another sea command. Nimitz kept him as COS and in plans, but no salt air.
This small gift can contribute to your beer/coffee fund. A great set of videos, thank you.
One pilot recalls seeing his squadron mate splashing just short of the base runway. The plane and pilot came to rest in the cold, clear water and he would salute his friend, still strapped in below the intact canopy, until finally obscured by changing weather. Nothing normal about the conditions in those long forgotten missions. Thanks for your detailed report.
Starting to think that crewing a U.S. heavy cruiser may have been a bad berth….
Amazing action. Actually thought the Salt Lake City was toast – totally.
Another great episode. I've just recently finished the audiobook Thunder Below, and it was an amazingly good book. Just 5 minutes ago I finished the audiobook Race of Aces, the author of which you had on as a recent guest. I'm not embarrassed to say that book left me in tears at the end of it. I will pay special tribute to the P-47 represented as Neel Kearby's "Fiery Ginger" on my next visit to The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton Ohio. We all stand on the shoulders of Giants, no truer words were ever spoken. Never Forget 💝
Very interesting. We finally got the long range gun battle we trained for. Like you say, with luck, a bit of daring, and a lot of hard work deep inside the St. Louis, we got away with a victory by rights we shouldn't have.
This battle reminds me of something I always thought of during my time at sea. The ship is our home and there is no place to go if she sinks. There is no better motivation than having to fight to keep your home under those conditions. The crew of Salt Lake City had true grit that day.
Posting to Alaska for the Navy and Greenland for the AAF were famously used as threats for unacceptable conduct or performance
Outstanding gentlemen!!! Well presented, unknown fight that I personally didn’t know happened. Thank you!
I've previously written on an earlier episode about my father's experiences as a scout pilot on the USS Indianapolis during 1943 and 1944. He ended the war as an instructor at Pensacola which he described as the most dangerous assignment he had during all of WWII. But he also said that flying in the Aleutians was the second most dangerous assignment he endured. He said that the pilot's chances of finding the Indianapolis again once one took off was very "iffy". Flying conditions were always very poor and failing to find your ship would be a death sentence.
I'd love to see an episode where y'all pound some liquor while recording the podcast. 😇
Yet another fantastic episode. Bill and Seth, we don't get to hear about any of these minor battles anywhere, and they're intensely fascinating. Thanks so much for doing this!
I keep wondering if there aren't many distinguished JAPANESE historians and military members that you can't bring onto the show…
Monaghan was lost in Halsey’s typhoon with nearly all hands, right? Didn’t she capsize?
It would be kinda cool… If maybe we could get some links.. or told where we can find Bill talking about the incident… If he doesnt really wanna talk about it on here. Which i get
"Ice Bucket Engine Room Challenge accepted!" – U.S.S. Salt Lake City