Comments by "Sar Jim" (@sarjim4381) on "The Drydock - Episode 066" video.

Halsey was a great public relations guy. He was never involved in a battle that he didn't win. and he won it because he was in command. He got the nickname "Bull" not only because of his imposing bulk but also because he was like the bull in the china shop. Up until his death, he never really took responsibility for the Battle off Samar or his predilection to sail into typhoons. He was a prefect admiral for 1942, when a no fear attack was the only way to survive. By 1944, he was one of the worst admirals the USN could have in charge.
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Hooray. This time the episode hit on time change Sunday. That means it now "only" 3:45 instead of 4:45. I feel so much more awake than I would have without that extra hour. :-)
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@leops1984 Yes, when I'm asked about Halsey I reply "1942 Halsey or the 1944 version of Halsey?". They were different enough a casual observer could be forgiven for thinking they were two different persons. The 1942 model was was able to spin bilge water into gold, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, and stopping what seemed to be the inexorable advance of Japan by late 1942. He ran over or irritated anyone who got in his way to get to the goal of saving the allies. Every second counted, so there was no time for elaborate planning or getting permission from those far away in Pearl or Washington. Unfortunately for Halsey, he continued to operate the same way into mid-1944, when the allies were no longer on the knife's edge of defeat, and time was no longer as important as it was two years previously. This was also the time when the bills came due from all the officers run roughshod over in 1942. Halsey continued to make mistakes, and it took higher and higher level; of brass to get his butt out of his scrapes. The end of the war came none too soon to save what remained of Halsey's battered reputation.
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@glennricafrente58 Thanks. I agree about Admiral Jack Fletcher. Even though he won a Medal of HOnor at the same Battle of Veracruz as his uncle Admiral Friday Fletcher, he always seemed to live in his shadow, and that was only made worse by having the most numerous class of destroyers in the navy being named after his uncle. He did finally get a ship with his name on it with the DD-992 commissioning in 19080, but his never writing his own memoirs and refusing to be interviewed by Morrison postwar has left him as the forgotten admiral while being responsible for the sinking of six carriers.
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Assuming I really one the big money, I'd reproduce a somewhat smaller version of the USS Erie. She was handsome with her raked bow and cruiser stern, yet still modern looking. Much of the internal space was devoted to large admiral's and captain's cabin as well as staterooms for visiting dignitaries to complement her role as a floating embassy. That would make her a comfortable vessel for almost any reasonable size party. She was also built to allow canvas to be spread over the entire length of the ship, a necessity for comfort while sailing the tropics, and that's sure where I'd be. Maybe reduce her to about 200 feet from 327 feet since the need for armament is, unfortunately, obviated, but still have space astern for a helicopter deck and hanger. What kind of proper megayacht today doesn't have a helicopter?
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Yes, the Argentine Navy always patterned itself on the RN, trained with the RN, and had a modern fleet heavily tilted toward British ships. This split in tactics between how Germany or Britain would conduct a battle was one of the predisposing causes for the loss of the Falklands War.
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@RonJohn63 Not old doctrines, just their philosophy of organization, equipment, and battle tactics. The army and navy pretty much ran their own shows with almost no coordination, and the air force didn't much care for either of them. For example, the navy had more of a traditional RN style of conservatism when it came to battles while the army was more of a blitzkrieg force. Put those two different ideas together along with an almost complete lack of coordination and cooperation and you stand a good chance of losing a war.
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@alecblunden8615 RN conservatism has nothing to do with the occasional aggressive commander. RN technological innovations are now few and far between. Read https://www.maritime-executive.com/editorials/the-decline-of-the-royal-navy for a perspective on the modern RN and https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0968344515580492 for some perspective on turn of the 20th century problems and issues.
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