Comments by "Frank DeMaris" (@kemarisite) on "USS Indianapolis - Guide 191" video.

Raging S a zig zag actually helps prevent a submarine from getting into position to launch torpedoes. The legs of the zig zag are 20-30 minutes in length, and a submerged submarine can only manage 5-6 knots or so, so a submerged submarine can't get into position for a torpedo launch. Hashimoto (I-58's captain) was very lucky and did not need to maneuver to get a good launch position. He also testified that from his position, it would not have mattered if Indianapolis had been zig zagging, because he was right along the ship's base course. Furthermore, Indianapolis's orders were to zig zag at the captain's discretion, weather permitting", so it is not so straightforward a matter as failing to obey standing orders.
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@richardcupp454 primarily because Bode of Chicago shot himself before they could convene a court, the day after the first interview.
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Raging S do you understand this is not a combat infantryman or tank juking every few seconds? A zig zag only changes course every 20-30 minutes in order to prevent an undetected sub from getting a good launch position. As another commenter said, if a submarine is lucky enough to already be in about the right position, it's pretty simple for the sub to wait for the course change, line up the shot, and launch the torpedoes.
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@admiralmack7116 I take it you're asking about the "standard-type battleships". Basically, this is the collection of ships from the Nevadas through the Colorados. These all had the same speed (21 kt), turning radius (700 yards), and cruising range (8,000 nautical miles). In addition, they are all characterized by having four main battery turrets in superfiring pairs and an all or nothing armor scheme. In comparison, the British and Germans built classes of ships with speeds that steadily crept up over time, but which would either have to operate separately as a "fast wing" of the battle line or be tied to the speed of the slowest ships in the line.
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@ET-pd6nc I mentioned on another thread, after Savo Island there were interviews conducted. Captain Howard D. Bode of USS Chicago shot himself the day after his interview. His failings are far more obvious than McVay's.
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@captianmorgan7627 the USN built 18 heavy cruisers in five different classes (counting Wichita as a class) before the war. Seven were sunk during the war, including half from each class except the Pensacolas and the unique Wichita.
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@TraditionalAnglican 6.5 it for I-58. The Gato and Balao class submarines were quite a bit more capable.
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@Billy_Annizarry the Kongos were fast enough to make the trip at night without being exposed to air attack, and fuel efficient enough to limit the strain on Japanese fuel supplies.
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@scubasteve3743 you've never read an American newspaper, have you? Sensationalism and exaggeration is the entire business model of American journalism.
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@scubasteve3743 why? You seem to have misheard. He said the shark attack is were "later possibly exagerated by the media", not that they never happened.
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@scottgiles7546 a lucky hit in the steering prevented Hiei from getting far enough away to avoid air attack. Even the air attacks didn't sink Hiei; she was scuttled late in the day on the 13th.
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@WALTERBROADDUS about? The Kongos making it to Guadalcanal and back at night avoiding air attacks? While those Black Cats arrived in the middle of the campaign, weren't they generally patrolling individually such that their attacks would be more harassment than anything else?
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@WALTERBROADDUS about the Savo Island question? Senior, sure. They can be faulted for specific things. With Bode, it's more difficult to point to anything he did right after going to bed. IIRC, he was awakenes by his own ship's gunfire, ordered cease fire, and took his heavily damaged ship west out of the battle without sending any signals.
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@paulschauer6273 the Atlantas carried torpedoes, but they were designed as destroyer flotilla leaders. Basically, the Mark 15 torpedo for surface ships had a range of 15,000 yards at 26.5 knots, while the 8" guns could reach out to 30,000 yards in mountings that could elevate to 41 degrees. In an open ocean daylight engagement, the Mark 15 is irrelevant and the cruisers expected to smash targets at 20,000 yards or more. The problem that arises is, a) the Type 93 Long Lance had MUCH different speed/range characteristics, and b) much of the surface actions were at night in confined waters at ranges down to as little as 20 feet (but mostly a few thousand yards).
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