Comments by "Gregory Wright" (@gregorywright4918) on "Operation C - Nagumo and Somerville dance in the Indian Ocean" video.

Radar MIGHT have made a big difference here, if the two commanders were not so mis-directed by lousy intel on what the other side had and where. The ASVs on the Swordfish could have picked up the IJN ships at night, and the surface sets on the Warspite and other RN ships could have also helped in finding Nagumo. The closeness of the actual fleet tracks just points up that in 1942 air search from land or ships was still a hit-or-miss thing, and both carrier fleets and land air bases could be surprised. Most air searches were focused in a particular direction, and missed things off of suspected axes. 360 degree air search was a myth.
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@juicysushi British battle experience with radar might have made a difference here, as they had found and adjusted to the complexities of using it at night. Getting hit first with air-dropped torpedoes from planes you cannot see or hit back, and then getting hit again by ships that your lookouts cannot see yet might infuriate the IJN. When it happened in the Solomons, after the Americans learned from their bloody noses, the IJN did not react well.
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