[GATOR NAVY]

As it happens, there are two excellent eye witness accounts of the Batle of Vella Gulf in print.

From the American side, there is South Pacific Destroyer by Russel Crenshaw of Crenshaw's Naval Shiphandling fame. Crenshaw was the Gunnery Officer and later XO onboard USS MAURY (DD-401), one of the destroyers of the US force at Vella Gulf.

From the Japanese side, there is Japanese Destroyer Captain by Tameichi Hara, CO of the destroyer SHIGURE, the only Japanese ship lucky enough to escape destruction at the ambush. How lucky was SHIGURE? After the battle it was discovered an American torpedo had passed through her rudder without exploding, leaving behind a substantial hole.

Both books are published by the US Naval Institute Press. Amazon shows Japanese Destroyer Captain as out of print and unavailable. I don't why because the USNI Press edition is new and available at the USNI site.

[GATOR NAVY]

[Billthedrill]

BTT. A lot of 30's futurists were shocked to learn that the naval battles of the Pacific were not fought with battleships but with destroyers and carriers.

It could get a little out of hand, though. You wouldn't think anyone in a DE would be crazy enough to get into a toe-to-toe slugging match with a battleship. Then you read about Taffy 3 and your jaw drops. Those were men.

[RSmithOpt]

W/O a doubt.....best day in history for the ‘Tin Can’. Destroyers then and now can ‘sting’ a battle group into a coma.