The Battle of the Pips was a battle in which a US Navy task forces fired for 30 minutes upon a phantom Japanese fleet. Based on triangulation of the radar on the US ships, there was certainly something there. But what? Your thoughts. Keep in mind, that the nearest Japanese warship was 200 miles away. Was it an I-boat or a group of whales?
Weather phenom will create false radar returns. Usually what creates a false signal return for one ship wont for another several miles distant and at a different angle to the weather feature, but there are exceptions. the operators will learn the tricks of the weather for the region they are operating in, but changing location or seasons with change the nature of the return signals.
