I dated a woman whose grandfather was the Captain of the New Orleans at Pearl Harbor and later at Guadalcanal. He wrote an unpublished memoir of the events that I was privileged to read. The perspective from the bridge still gives me chills when I think about it.
I’m amazed that a ship can have its front quarter blown off and still sail around in open water. Quite a testament to the crew who overcame the damage and the designers/builders that made it possible.
Watching how the Russian navy fared in Ukraine it shows just how spoiled we are when it comes to the parts of the ship working like they should, plus excellent crews and leaders who respond quickly an effectively. Seemingly everything about Russian ships and subs fail and their sailors don’t appear to be much better.
“1st Lt. Gregory K. Loesch, 8.5”
Not to mock his accomplishment, but that half a Zero flying around shouldn’t have been hard to shoot down,