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USS South Dakota (BB-57) damage at The Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

Discussion in 'Naval Warfare in the Pacific' started by Slipdigit, Jul 16, 2010.

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  1. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    Jeff, if you haven't already done so, read Neptune's Inferno while looking at the pictures. It really brings the whole scene to life. Some of the pics that Tracy includes are also in the book. Another great read from Hornfischer.
     
    LRusso216, Feb 18, 2011
    #21
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  2. mac_bolan00

    mac_bolan00 Member

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    but i thought the washington crippled kirishima before it could even take action? as i understand, damage on the SD came from the japanese cruisers.
     
    mac_bolan00, Mar 27, 2011
    #22
  3. lwd

    lwd Ace

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    Washington opened fire about the same time as Kirishima. SoDak apparently got hit by at least 2 14" projectiles and several more hits may have come from Kirishima's secondaries.
     
    lwd, Mar 28, 2011
    #23
  4. spark802

    spark802 Member

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    spark802, Oct 30, 2011
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  5. lwd

    lwd Ace

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    My understanding is the CO of SoDak was very protective of his crew. He didn't think any good would be served by pointing fingers at an enlisted man so it was glossed over in the initial report. I'm sure however the word got a round and there weren't any repeat incidents of this type.
     
    lwd, Oct 31, 2011
    #25
  6. spark802

    spark802 Member

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    Yes that would make sense. I've thought about my thread i posted over the last few days and sort of regret secound guessing the way i did. At Guadacanal these sailors/aviators/marines were at the sharp end of battle quite early on. They had their reasons for doing what they did.
     
    spark802, Nov 2, 2011
    #26
  7. steverodgers801

    steverodgers801 Member

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    There was some type of electrical failure on the SD at the start that disabled the firing system and the SD was at the front so it was fired on first. THe Japanese may not have realized the Washington was there until it was too late.
     
    steverodgers801, Nov 14, 2011
    #27
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