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Pearl Harbor / WW II

Discussion in 'History Forum' started by Salty, Sep 3, 2012.

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  1. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    Suppose the brass at Pearl Harbor had 8-12 hours of solid evidence of the Japanese attack -

    Would the Navy have moved its ships out?
    Would there have been a better chance of the US
    destroying the Japanese air force?

    How would the above action have changed WW II?

    Salty

    NOTE: I know there are theories about the brass knowing about the attack - but if you want that discussion - start a new thread.
    this one is a "what if"
     
    #1 Salty, Sep 3, 2012
  2. Squire Robertsson

    Squire Robertsson Administrator
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    Actually, the defenders at Pearl needed to shift their thinking from strictly peacetime to war at any moment. (But who'd of thunk the IJN could make it across the Pacific unseen, rather than only the Philippines. ) That would have meant:

    • The ships in harbor would have kept one boiler hot to get underway. This would mean being authorized to burn fuel at "other than peace time" levels.
    • Planes at Hickam parked in an anti air attack pattern rather than a anti land sabotage.
    • The incoming Japanese be identified as bogeys not American bombers.
     
    #2 Squire Robertsson, Sep 3, 2012
  3. blackbird

    blackbird Active Member

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    I read somewhere that on that fateful day-----none of the big ships(Battleships & Destroyers) were making steam---which would have meant the inability to get underway anytime soon----and the inability to pressurize the hydrolics that ran the anti aircraft batteries along the lines of the 5 inch deck gun emplacements----although smaller arms such as 20mm and .50 caliber gun implacements could have gotten off some sort of defence----but up against the Jap Zero it would have been like swattin' at predator birds such as Hawks and Owls ----- with fly swatters!!!

    It probably would not have helped much if the battleships were underway at sea in close proximity of each other----or if they were all birthed together at Pearl-----navel history proved rather quickly that surface ships were much more vulnerable to aircraft penetrations as the aircraft were to antiaircraft fire
     
    #3 blackbird, Sep 4, 2012
  4. Squire Robertsson

    Squire Robertsson Administrator
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    Yeup, all of the heavies were on a peace time Sunday routine. Minimal manning, no hot boilers.

    I've also heard (so this may not be all that factual) of Army quartermaster sergeants requiring filled out paperwork for and trying to limit ammo to peacetime quanities.
     
    #4 Squire Robertsson, Sep 4, 2012
  5. Gregory Perry Sr.

    Gregory Perry Sr. Active Member

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    A Question

    How was it that the USS Nevada was able to get underway so quickly if there were no hot boilers being maintained?

    Bro.Greg
     
    #5 Gregory Perry Sr., Sep 5, 2012
  6. Squire Robertsson

    Squire Robertsson Administrator
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    IIRC, the Nevada's CO was a former engineering officer. So, the Nevada had standing orders to have one boiler hot. That was not the case for the other ships.
     
    #6 Squire Robertsson, Sep 5, 2012
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