Pitch Black - America's Tiny Secret Weapon in the Naval Battle at Guadalcanal

[@chrisrautmann8936]

Drachinel has a good bio of the admiral. Lee's incredible love of target practice meant that his first salvos were scoring hits while the Japanese were still trying to find the range. Preparation wins battles, and Lee's flagship was prepared.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

Drach rules the waves.

[@timf2279]

Lee was a blessing, sad he couldn't been in command for the first battles.

[@drcovell]

That Japanese “Battleship” was actually a Battle Crusier.

[@MARKCARTLIDGE-sm3mz]

Agreed drachs bio is excellent.

[@sheilagibson982]

I am listening to “Battleship Commander”, a biography of Admiral Lee, it is worth reading, (I have an entire new respect for him).

[@tylerfoss3346]

One of my heroes: USN Admiral Willis Augustus "Ching" Lee, Jr.. One hell of a man. A man we needed at the right place and at the right time. Rest in peace. Fair winds and following seas, sir. Thank you, Dark Seas for bringing us the true story of a great battle and the part one hero played in the victory.

[@tommythompsonsurfer]

FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWINGS SEAS............SURFERS AND SAILORS.......COMICS LIFE.

[@corneliuscrewe677]

“Stand aside, I am coming through. This is Ching Lee.” The stuff legends are made of.

[@majorlee76251]

He was an expert rifleman too!

[@Reepicheep-1]

Drach also did a good vid on him.

[@joefaraone977]

if you'd like to learn more about Admiral Lee, I suggest reading "Battleship Commander" by Paul Stilwell. An excellent book about a legendary Naval Officer.

[@75OldsNinetyEight]

Sadly USS Washington BB-56 was scrapped in the early sixties, but her sister USS North Carolina BB-55 is preserved at Wilmington, NC. They have just completed a massive hull restoration in situ using cofferdams to drain the water around the hull for access. It is an awesome ship to tour, and I hope to get back there again in a few weeks.

[@jackmuehlheuser5789]

My family stoped at it on our way back from vacation but sadly we only walked around the board walk around the outside and never went on it

[@Ka9radio_Mobile9]

Yes Brian from and from the USS New Jersey touched on that subject , pretty cool way they're doing it

[@tigertiger1699]

🌹🙏🇺🇸

[@deanwood1338]

I was in the Carolina about 5 years ago, it really didn’t look in the best shape around the water line. Glad to here they have sorted that out now 👍

[@hippiesaboteur2556]

Yeah I live about an hour away from Wilmington now (used to live IN wilmington too tho) but I've been to BB-55 at least a half a dozen or more times over the course of the last 20-25 years, I've been to/thru & explored every (publicly) accessible area of the ship. This ship, the staff and the whole overall project have really done an outstanding job into the maintenance, cleaning, care and restoration of the North Carolina, and I feel incredibly blessed knowing her service history, especially how highly decorated she is and most of all, the impact she had on the War & the difference she made in fulfilling her role and helping us to win that war... And ever since she rests in her rightful berth on the Cape Fear River across from old historic downtown Wilmington, serving as a big, beautiful battleship grey reminder to all of the new generations of where we came from & how we got here... "Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it"

[@reecom9884]

The Japanese had the best night fighting abilities with their tall “Pagoda” like mast with multiple levels with excellent night optics and search lights at the start of the war. The Japanese had been practicing their night battles longer than the American navy had been using their radars. The Japanese would launch their float planes once they had sighted the American ships; the float planes would drop flares over the American ships for ranging their naval guns. The Japanese used the same battle plan that they had used earlier in the battle of Savo Island win over the American and Australian ships. Unlike the earlier Savo Island battle, this time the Americans had an Admiral who knew how to fight using radar.

[@reecom9884]

@Bob Watters Stalin said that the war was won by British brains, American brawn, and Russian blood; Winston Churchill called it the “Wizard War”. Both radar and the proximity fuse were researched by the British and given to the Americans to develop and mass produce. The proximity fuse was so secret that only the Navy was allowed to use it at first over water; it could not be fired over land to keep the enemy from obtaining a proximity fuse that failed to fire. During the battle of the bulge proximity fuses were available for artillery shells, but were not released by Eisenhower. As the German quickly advanced, they were no forward artillery support observers to correct where the artillery shells were hitting the ground. The 406th Artillery Group commander made the decision to fire the proximity fused shells over the heads of the Germans who were advancing in a wide area; the attacked collapsed.

[@roadscholar05]

Yes, BUT, they also had land based bomber whose job was not to drop bombs but flares. They would drop their flares BEHIND out ships so as to silhouette the our ships so the Japanese could see them and their ships who not illuminate THEIR ships. Oh, on one clip their show a BRITISH ship's Pom Pom guns and there were no British ships at this battle. There was some at the Battle of Savo Island.

[@reecom9884]

@@roadscholar05 I don’t remember reading that the Japanese used land based bombers for dropping flares at night over a moving ship. The bombers would have to already know where the moving US ships were before they took off from land. The float planes would be launched at night once the Japanese high quality optics located a possible ship sighting. The Japanese had tall “Pagoda” mast that gave them longer sighting distances because of the tall height with spot lights. The spot lights would illuminate the US ships to get the ranges base on the ship‘s silhouette. The US ships would know the direction of the Japanese ships, but could not get the distance. Firing at the spot lights with a ballistic trajectory shell, the rounds would fall short or long without a silhouette to optically range the ship.

[@richardbourne6743]

@@reecom9884 Nice to see we 🇬🇧 Get a mention. You are quite correct, we did design both items.

[@T3hderk87]

Unfortunately for the Kirishima, Admiral Ching Lee was a gold medal high power shooter, and essentially used the Washington as a huge sniper rifle with nine barrels....

[@bladerunner1458]

Lost my uncle at Guadalcanal. As stated it was a turning point for us and stopped the advancement. The veterans from this war were the greatest generation.

[@littlepeep7380]

The best missed line: " this is Lee, stand aside we're coming thru"

[@elpatron7916]

Ching Lee

[@ArmenianBishop]

Admiral Willis Lee was distantly related to Robert E Lee (1807-1870). His American Ancestry dates back to Charles Lee (1758-1815), a Virginia Attorney General, and a brother of Henry Light Horse Harry Lee (1758-1815), the father of Robert E Lee.

[@davidian7787]

Very interesting. I have been lucky enough to have sailed in the Solomon Islands and have been to Henderson Field, the war memorial that looks over the twin hills and been on Bloody Ridge. I also went to Red Beach where the Americans made a landing. We sailed over Iron Bottom Sound and spent a week at anchor in the old base at Tulagi where some divers told us out anchor chain was wrapped around a mass of jeeps and other scrap. Apparently there was a sunken Japanese cruiser in the bay as well but despite clear water we couldn't see her from our kayak. I read a really good book on the Guadalcanal campaign and it was amazing to be able to look up and see Savo Island. You read the history whilst sat in the battlefield and could pick out points just by standing up with binoculars or the naked eye. We sailed right over a lot of the sunken ships so I know where they went down. It is a fairly tight area for such a mass of destruction. I think it's about 35 miles from Tulagi, across the Slot to Honiara and there are tons of shipping littering the sea floor. The museum in Honiara has a map of where the ships sank and there are a lot of them. I poured a beer over the side when we went over HMAS Canberra which might seem daft but it felt like the right thing to do.

[@johnutting9615]

My family did the same tour for the 75 anniversary sinking of HMNZN Moa which lies only 200m fron the shore at Tulagi , my uncle and 4 other crew members are still on board. RIP Kiwis

[@vondumozze738]

Fosters?

[@sjonnieplayfull5859]

Not that daft. Maybe a keg would have been even better 😉

[@edmondmcdowell9690]

A tour I would have liked a lot. AN Australian named Peter Flahaven has gone there several times , photoed and created great website called (oddly enough) GUADALCANAL. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in that campaign.

[@mikedo6]

Not daft at all! My Dad was a WW II vet (Canadian Infantry) A few years back I was walking home from picking up some Christmas booze and decided to pay a visit to his grave. Both he and Mom have Veteran headstones. I thought about pouring a little brandy on his grave but I heard a voice in my head saying "Don't waste it, son!" :) One day I will, though!

[@mikebronicki6978]

A little too much emphasis on Kirishima being "a massive Japanese ship." I mean Washington and South Dakota were just as massive and both newer with superior 16" guns.

[@frosty3693]

The Kirishima was, like the rest of the Kongo class, more an up armored battle cruiser.

[@tonymanero5544]

The Kongo Class were WWI vintage while the Washington and South Dakota were the newest battleships in the USN, and almost 27 years younger.

[@stevebloom5606]

@@tonymanero5544 Yes. The point is the US ships were armored against its shells and the reverse wasn't the case. A battleship effectively without armor was going to get promptly blown to pieces in a close action against another battleship.

[@jollyjohnthepirate3168]

The Japanese spent huge amounts of money essentially rebuilding the Kongos into fast battleships but they failed to put on enough armor on them. Kirashima's wreck was found and Washington's gunnery was found to be even better than reported by her crew. They scored multiple underwater hits. They tore that ship up.

[@doctor.davinci.76]

you sound mad bro ... a little bit salty?

[@zackdoc]

Excellent video & narration. I'm a Vietnam nuke attack sub veteran of the Vietnam War, & I still get chills watching stories of the true grit & commitment of our WW2 predecessors.

[@mattwoodard2535]

Admiral (Ching) Lee was not only very well versed in the use of Radar, was was also a world class marksman winning Five Gold Medal in the 1920 Olympics. He treated his ships guns in much the same way and Washington had VERY good gunnery due to his efforts and continual training of the crew. The Kirishima was an older ship being built before World War I, but had been updated over the years. However she only had 14 inch guns which really couldn't penetrate the belt armor of the South Dakota. But Washington's 16/45's could (and did) blow right through Kirishima's armor. The great Drachinifel (kzbin.info) did a whole series on the naval battles for Guadalcanal (kzbin.info/aero/PLMK9a-vDE5zGRthqKrcdizbIrKc-9MQFk) sm

[@stevebloom5606]

Aha, I see you got to these comments first. I like DS's style, but he needs to be more careful with the facts.

[@timgosling6189]

You mean this one kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3qVZa2te7GWq7c. It's long, but accurate, and no Bf109s!

[@joelmccoy9969]

The proximities of the Kirishima to the SD should have made 14" guns devastating to whatever they hit. Duds were not exclusive to the American Navies Torpedoes with their 80% failure rate. Sometimes the gods of war smile on you for no reason. Or maybe they didn't aim/hit low enough. The Japanese saw the effectiveness of their own Long Lance type 93 torpedoes and dutifully wiped out the USN Destroyers first out of respect for a weapon the Americans might have had, had USN Admirals ever tested their kit for functionality.

[@freqmgr]

@@joelmccoy9969 But, but, they were so expensive and we have to be "frugal"!

[@richardcline1337]

@@joelmccoy9969, it was more the NavOrd's fault because the arrogant a-holes just would not listen to the men in the field teling them the torps were nothing but crap. The war was almost half over before they finally extracted their heads from their anal cavities and started working to correct the faults.

[@edmondmcdowell9690]

The South Dakota was brand new but due to a series of mishaps and power failures could not make any worthwhile contribution to the fight other than draw enemy fire away from The Washington. The extensive damage the South Dakota incurred got her a quick trip back home for repairs where she quickly became the hero ship of the engagement and fame under the moniker "Battleship X". The Washington which did literally all the fighting went relatively unknown for her achievement.....and that's how it goes sometimes.

[@Will-dn9dq]

At the time the military needed hero's. Some even more then real ones. Look up raising flag of ewogima they did it twice

[@jamesricker3997]

The captain of the South Dakota was an idiot He could have drawn Japanese fire and suffered less damage by just shooting at the Japanese A Navy Board of inquiry agreed with me and removed him from command

[@edmondmcdowell9690]

@@jamesricker3997 SD had damage from Eastern Solomons and blown circuit breakers on Guadalcanal battle night silenced first her main battery and then her secondary battery the only thing she could shoot was AA 40s and 20s not much use in a big ship brawl. Capt Gatch was seriously wounded as I recall.

[@mochaholic3039]

@@edmondmcdowell9690 IIRC the South Dakota's chef engineer broke several protocols by wiring the entire ship's electrical grid to a single breaker panel, that he thought was the most reliable, for easy troubleshooting but that stressed out the breakers on that panel to the point the vibrations from enemy destroyer shells hitting South Dakota's armor caused the breakers to trip.

[@chaosacsend9653]

@@jamesricker3997 SD literally could not fire back if it wanted to.

[@casparcoaster1936]

I love these narratives of battles that a lot of us know about already bring details and perspectives most books or docs have to summarize- this is such good stuff dude keep it comin!!!!!!!

[@1chish]

Given its importance in this and other naval battles and especially in the Battle of the Atlantic it has to be mentioned that only reason the US Navy had this sort of radar was because the British gave the USA the Cavity Magnetron in Summer 1940 as part of the Tizard Missions when some major British designs and technology were gifted to the Americans. Long before they joined the fight. The Magnetron allowed smaller mobile radar systems to be built and provide more accurate and longer distance tracking. It was the father of all modern radar systems. As James Phinney Baxter III, Official Historian of the Office of Scientific Research and Development later wrote: "When the members of the Tizard Mission brought one cavity magnetron to America in 1940, they carried the most valuable cargo ever brought to our shores"

[@tylerfoss3346]

1chish, spot on comment! Thank you for the background on this. And thank goodness the USN gave the magnetron and radar to Admiral "Ching" Lee to play with and to figure out how to make it work.

[@PawlSpring]

The British also designed the Kirishima battleship. One Brit invention tracking another.

[@prof_kaos9341]

Yeah, why for free? The Brits gave up their Empire to pay for armaments from America to save France from Germany ... twice. Britain finished paying America for WW2 ~2002 and WW1 ~2015. The last big pile of WW2 rubble in London was only cleared up in the mid 1990s with the Dockland development. Now France and Germany are good buddies. (Oradour-sur-Glane? Too harsh? Still fact.)

[@triple6758]

Sort of like the American gasoline that powered British fighters during the battle of Britton. Higher octane than what the Germans could produce.

[@triple6758]

@@1chish How fast were British fighters? How fast were German fighters? Strike a soft spot in your pride did I? And yes, quite similar scenarios where certain objects allowed victory. I know it's tough to admit that without our help, your Nation would have fallen, but that's what it is. I need only mention one other US contribution to Briton during those times to cement my point. Liberty Ships. There are many others that were carried by said ships. Don't be spiteful, be grateful.

[@model-man7802]

Dad lost the California at Pearl.Next came the Yorktown at Midway. Next the hell is Guadalcanals naval battles.I dont know how he did it.Love and Honor to you pop.I miss you everyday. 😥

[@kitdaberserker555]

It's men like these i model myself after and try to emulate. God speed and god bless.

[@sjonnieplayfull5859]

No offense, just curious: the way you said it made me think he was the captain of The California? Does not matter if he was captain or cook, being there and going on the next trip , and the next, he was made of stronger stuff then most of us.

[@memonk11]

Your dad was a bot?

[@model-man7802]

@@sjonnieplayfull5859 He was an Electrician.

[@sjonnieplayfull5859]

@@model-man7802 Aw man, trying to bring power to the controlls, communications and everything, when some bombs just blasted everything inbetween and you can't tell what cable goes where anymore... And on the Yorktown somehow even making it work again! Those mean really were something!

[@bacarnal]

This was a good tale and the Rod Sterlingesque voice of the narrator always is welcome. What is disconcerting is the use of footage that has absolutely no relation to the subject at hand. One of the commenters cited the U-Boat Captains. I saw the extensive use of Carrier operation and Kamikaze attack footage, British 2pdr Pom Poms and the lone BF-109. This is common with this channel. Sometimes I just want to count the mistakes presented.

[@kitdaberserker555]

Than why don't you start your own channel and then we can find ways to pick your stuff apart over technicalities. Im sure there are hours upon hours of clearly marked footage for you to sift through. Most of us are just appreciative of the beautiful story telling and are willing to forgive a few mistakes used in getting the story across. I didn't realize we are looking at perfection personified in Bruce carnal. Nobody likes a dick he@d Richard

[@reg171reg]

It’s a good channel but I agree, the wrong footage is often a distraction .

[@timgosling6189]

It's the fact that the footage is so random. I particuarly enjoyed seeing the old Queen Mary. You have to remember the guy has no background in this and likely doesn't know what he's looking at.

[@thehobgoblin9790]

@@kitdaberserker555 Yes....nothing like a bit of carnal knowledge. Mwahaha.

[@alanmckinnon6791]

Go to the channel's About page and you will see 3 paras of text. And lo! the middle one says this: "As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Seas sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible." That's what happens with WWII story-telling. Often, there's no imagery left and one has to make do.

[@johnshields6852]

I love his narration, excellent clear speech, it's great to hear English spoken correctly, great to listen to your commentary.

[@ashleymarie7452]

I don't believe I heard the term "Pitch Black" once during this film. Also, it's amazing how many Germans and Brits there were in this film....

[@RCAvhstape]

All of this guy's videos are like this, unfortunately.

[@lancerevell5979]

Yep, love the Bf-109 flying in the Pacific! 😄

[@johnmoran8805]

Doing forget the stuka's making a textbook dive bombing run!

[@TheDarthSoldier]

The reason that is, and you can read it in the about section, is that he uses what footage he can get ahold of to fill in the blanks when not all battles were documented.

[@SotonSam]

These YT channels are better than what we get on TV nowadays

[@bcask61]

“Neptune’s Inferno” is the most outstanding history of this battle I have ever read. And I’ve read a lot of them.

[@martinmiller1087]

It's a great read, as are all of Hornfischer's other books.

[@peterradsliff527]

I’ve been watching your videos for a few years now and they are very well done. Thank you for all the effort you put into them.

[@stephenkwasek1933]

Love your station. The editing, script, and announcing are all top notch. All 'dark ' stations just wonderful. This one 'classic all in its place. Peace and hardwork.

[@JawalaWorld]

Your delivery is impeccable.

[@MakeMeThinkAgain]

After First Guadalcanal there was wreckage of everything EXCEPT carriers in the water. The US forces were coming from the south, not the Japanese, which were coming from the north and west. Someone seems to really love seeing British Pom-Pom guns in action. Too bad there weren't any around the Solomons at this time.

[@navyreviewer]

There was plenty of carrier wreckage in that area. Wasp, Hornet, and Ryujo were all sunk near there. Saratoga, Enterprise, Zuiho, and Shokaku were damaged. And that's not counting the earlier battle of the Coral Sea which had taken place in that area. A battle which saw the loss of Lexington and Shoho and the damaging of Yorktown and Shokaku.

[@sheilagibson982]

Thank you for this, I have gained a whole new respect for Admiral Lee.

[@WildBillCox13]

From what our navy (USN's historical site) publishes, Japanese RaDAR detectors were employed early and effectively. Though her direction finding was minimal, RD equipment was both widely and somewhat effectively employed. It was a back and forth war of valve technology electronics. Germany deployed similar equipment, notoriously the "Biscay Cross" (Metox) and its successor. In this light, use of RaDAR was not always fully embraced by commanders. Ultimately, our RaDAR controlled Fire Directors proved RaDAR was the way to go.

[@WildBillCox13]

RaDAR detection was one avenue of research for German Nightfighter equipment. Infrared and audio direction, along with wireguided missile technology, were also inspected. Tangentially, the IJN was the leader in Magnetic Anomaly Dectection (MAD), a means of detecting submerged submarines by their magnetic anomalies.

[@robertslugg8361]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIWmkIWujLOSrtE Lots more radar out there than people were aware of.

[@WildBillCox13]

@@robertslugg8361 Yep. Good point. I'd found data on German RaDAR nets, Italian Gufo, and the early French (even Soviet) attempts to independently develop working RaDAR for aircraft and ship detection. With that said, your linked video makes a great primer on topic.

[@robertslugg8361]

@@WildBillCox13 Measure - Counter-measure - Measure - Counter measure. Anything that lasts more than 3 months during wartime is sheer brilliance.

[@WildBillCox13]

@@robertslugg8361 For things that last more than three months there's Penicillin, thank God! ;-)

[@nbaird47]

That was an awesome presentation! Thanks heaps

[@Matt_from_Florida]

8:03 The big story is that Bf-109 flying through the battle! Those Germans, you never know when they'll turn up!

[@rexmundi3108]

4:07 their submarines are spying on the fleet!

[@T3hderk87]

@@rexmundi3108 don't let the Kamchatka hear about that...

[@marko11kram]

Good eye!

[@alantaylor353]

@@T3hderk87 hahahaa... Oh nyet.!! Torpedo boats everywhere.! FIRE.!!

[@3mtech]

@@alantaylor353 Nyet is russian. I think you meant nein

[@alancranford3398]

Back in 1942 the aircraft carrier was a daylight and fair weather weapon--battleships and submarines were all-weather around-the-clock fighting ships. Radar only amplified this advantage--until night carriers were developed.

[@samuelschick8813]

Battleships might be obsolete but nothing beats going to sea on a battleship.

[@zzirSnipzz1]

Strange british carriers had homing beacons for night operations long before and the swordfish did night flying, Taranto being one example they reckon it inspired japan to attack america it was done at night and worked well swordfish later on were sent at night to avoid german fighter planes and arrive in time to attack Italian convoys Also british air search radar was a big help on the aircraft carriers only downside was the admiral was on the battleships and they couldnt launch without permission thankfully we didnt lose HMS illustrious but she took a hell of a beating thanks to this The homing beacon i talked of is the huge dome thing above most british carriers Ark royal and the earlier ones its easier seen

[@alancranford3398]

@@zzirSnipzz1 Yup! But American and Japanese aircraft carriers didn't use them at night. If the Japanese Imperial Navy Air Service had been able to launch a night time raid, they would have--for greater surprise. The homing beacons on British carriers began life as daylight navigation aids. There were homing beacons on both American and Japanese carriers--look for loop antenna on the aircraft--but these were not used by Americans due to fear that Imperial Japan would home in on the carrier and sink it. Later, that wasn't as great a fear and by 1944 dedicated night carriers were in service in the Pacific. Were you aware that on Sunday, 7 February 1932 Pearl Harbor and the Army Air Fields on Oahu were "destroyed" by a surprise attack by the carriers Lexington and Saratoga in a dawn operation? One of the participants was a young naval officer who later became famous for his science fiction novels--Robert A. Heinlein. stationhypo.com/2017/12/07/the-first-attack-pearl-harbor-february-7-1932/#:~:text=On%20February%207%2C%201932%2C%20a%20mock%20raid%20was,the%20U.S.%20did%20not%20have%20a%20two-ocean%20navy. The past didn't happen in a vacuum.

[@samuelschick8813]

@@zzirSnipzz1, Don't forget it was a Swordfish that crippled the Bismarck. But I can tell you from experience that every ship on the water gives a battleship a very wide berth. Did have the honor of sharing Sydney Bay with HMS illustrious (R06) back in 1986.

[@zzirSnipzz1]

@@samuelschick8813 I am Guessing you are a vet if so i thank you for your service always appreciated no matter what military you are from , I am not gainsaying it just stating that there were carriers with night abilities before 1942 Yep swordfish outlasted most of its replacement's from what i have read the pilots loved it and it was very good for its role

[@freqmgr]

Regardless of the "side" using it radar was one the most important technologies coming from the war. It was really interesting to see the radar as installed on the USS Texas.

[@MajorHavoc214]

The Japanese did have radar at the time, but they didn't use it for fire control, or at least not in the same style that the British and Americans did.

[@muskokamike127]

As for tech coming from the war, it's kind of ironic that as a civilian, I can go out tomorrow and buy radar for my boat for about $2000 that can give me pin point accuracy and a detailed image of even the smallest vessel.

[@freqmgr]

@@muskokamike127 Yes, the technology has evolved and part of the evolution was size and cost reduction.

[@muskokamike127]

@@freqmgr Like the scene in the movie 1941 where the japanese are trying to put Hollis Wood's radio into their sub "we have to figure out how to make these things smaller" lol Yes, the first computer filled a room and now we have ones 100,000,000 more powerful in our watches.

[@julieenslow5915]

@@muskokamike127 I started at college and studied basic computers back when input involved card key punches and card readers, and output involved reams of continuous feed computer paper. We could see the actual computer through windows, but were not approved to enter that room.

[@russelldrew6524]

You do an excellent job very intelligent research thank you very much

[@dennisst.pierre210]

16 in. shells and balls of steel!Gives me more appreciation of my father who served in a heavy cruiser in the Pacific theater

[@u2mister17]

My Dad was on the Minneapolis CA-36. He was her first crew in '34 rejoined in '42 and got her back. He was building Guam Naval Base when it was over. I wish I would have asked more questions before he passed but I know he fought her in the North Sea and South Pacific.

[@mykeybarbee2587]

I have subbed to almost all your channels, you're an awesome documentary narrator! *tips my hat*

[@forgottenfamily]

One important factor worth noting: Adm Lee had rewritten the range charts for the Washington. He had worked a bit with the Bureau of Ordinance and had concluded in his time there that they underestimated the explosives on their shells, resulting in their shells firing long and the Washington's gunnery practice supported the new tables. He also literally wrote the book on how to take the rotation of the Earth into account when firing. As such, paired with this new tool to give them accurate ranges, Washington might have just had the most accurate gunnery crew in the war, and they had a good chunk of time to line up their shot on this unknown target on their radar screen.

[@Theearthtraveler]

Thanks!! Admiral Lee was very competent!

[@jamesbaker7112]

8:04 The Bf 109 apparently had a longer range than I had been led to believe.

[@barryervin8536]

LOL! Maybe it re-fueled on that German carrier they had in the Pacific? I also thought I saw a lone P-63 at one point, posing as a P-39, but it was very brief and I can't seem to find it now.

[@thehobgoblin9790]

james baker Only with drop tanks.

[@rexmundi3108]

4:07 Their submarines had no problem getting there.

[@garyhughes9649]

About the BF 109 the Germans had obviously mastered strategy of air-to-air refueling. LOL that would explain all of it

[@Ronin4614]

Your transition from air operations to that of Naval operations has been superb. Thank you for your research and presentations.

[@brothergrimaldus3836]

2700 pound shells…. Not 2700 ton shells. The electrical problems preventing communication were on South Dakota because somebody had strung up circuits in series rather than parallel and South Dakota was having to re-trip the breakers. She took 30 hits and retreated because of the electrical problems not because of damage. Damage was relatively light because the 14" guns on Karishima were not penetrating.

[@jandedeugd7711]

L ll

[@carolecarr5210]

I met a Naval man who was on one of the Cruisors lost @Sabo island. I'm d hug him and call him my her every time I saw him @ the Senior Center in Mesquite . John is gone now but I'll never forget him.

[@tylerolson739]

my grandpa was on the xo deck on the uss South Dakota and showed me their mission log from that battle. he had some disturbing stories. that ship took a beating. not to mention the crew.

[@navyreviewer]

Yeah South Dakota seemed to have a rough time of it. Never in danger of sinking mind you but she was constantly damaged. No ones fault just bad luck.

[@gstormcz]

Very interesting video. Less stress in voice would not hurt understanding very interesting informations bought.

[@doncarlson4710]

The first battle ( The battle of Savo Island ) may have been the second greatest lost of ships to Pearl Harbor, but by no means a fight that did not help turn history in favor of a USA victory over Japan. One ship stood out, broke ranks out of three and bore down on the Japanese Task Force. Firing with all her might. Fully a flame in the dark of night, her position easy to see. Taking about 36 confirm and unconfirmed hits. Her last shot from her forward guns hit the map/chart room of the Japanese lead ship, killing about 34 men. Commander Ohmae said she was a brave ship... with a brave crew. He credited the last shot as the one that hit his ship, the Chokai. Five meters forward that shot would have killed Admiral Mikawa. That ship whom fought until it was sunk. Who's Captains last words heard from the bridge was the USS Quincy CA -39. That one shot, turn a superior force around. They had no charts to navigate the area. That one shot help save 19,000 men on Transport ships still unloading the First Marine Division. The Quincy was filmed at the bottom by Robert Ballard. She sits up right with her guns still raised to fire. My Uncle went down with her. He had turn 18, 9 days before. Historians like to look at men and equipment lost as to who won, who lost. But it only takes that one shot. One hit to, change the course of history. 370 men died on that ship. 1,000 total men with the other ships 4 ships sunk. Think about all the transport ships. The First Marine Division, those on the ships and those on Guadalcanal. They could see that Naval battle. Major General Vandergrift wrote a thank you to the men who fought that Naval battle. He knew what was at stake. Guadalcanal was the beginning of the US of crossing the Pacific to Japan. I think the Quincy deserved more than a Battle Star for what she did. Common men came together and fought the enemy in an Uncommon Valor.

[@martinmiller1087]

Great information, Don. Thank you.

[@williamscoggin1509]

Now that was a good story. Never knew this about the radar on that one battleship and a large part of my family has always been military. I'm 65 years old and learned something new today, thank you.

[@livethefuture2492]

The Washington in particular also had some of the best gunnery crews in the navy, plus their extremely skilled commander, so that definitely played a part.

[@stephenkeefer3436]

Wow this was a real goody! Fascinating details. Would make a great movie.

[@RayyMusik]

5:38 Sendai wasn‘t a heavy but a light cruiser. It would be ridiculous if the American BBs used AP shells against it.

[@samuelschick8813]

Better to use HEPD from both main and secondary guns.

[@stevebloom5606]

I think the radar of the time would have had a hard time distinguishing between the two.

[@shellshockedgerman3947]

@@stevebloom5606 Yep, and the vintage Japanese light cruiser force had really long ships.

[@KJAkk]

Washington and South Dakota were only carrying 16-inch A.P. Mk 8 shells for the 16-inch guns at the time. The 16-inch H.C. Mk 13 rounds were not yet in service.

[@timf2279]

Even firing a 16 inch AP round at a DD or CL is going to do serious damage. The round will over pen, however the round will just keep going through and with anything it comes into contact with.

[@terrystephens1102]

Thanks for your excellent presentation.😃👌👌👏👏👏👏👏

[@chloehennessey6813]

The USS Washington- because of its Captain were basically just one huge sniper rifle.

[@stevebloom5606]

Normally it's necessary to correct for shell drift. The Kirishima was so close that wasn't necessary, thus the sniper comment. Just point and shoot.

[@chloehennessey6813]

@@stevebloom5606 If you dig a little into Washington’s history, with the captain you’d see they are some of the best gunners in WW2 because of how the captain drilled his crew- hence the sniper comment.

[@Mrgunsngear]

Thanks

[@andrewcox4386]

The fact that Lee was also an Olympic marksman and applied that knowledge to his battleship fire control might also have helped

[@jeffreymartin8448]

The very same thought occurred to me.

[@garymcaleer6112]

"Queen of the oceans." How true. Good post, DS.

[@robbabcock_]

Excellent video! It's hard to overstate how important radar would be from that point on.

[@AmazingPhilippines1]

Watching from the Philippines. I hope to visit more WW2 historic sites when travel opens up.

[@timothycook2917]

Since I can't go to the Philippines again, I will instead buy an RV or travel trailer and go around the country and visit them, this time try to get up to New Jersey and Massachusetts. Last I visited was USS North Carolina and USS Alabama about 15 years ago I think

[@tevlargaming5440]

I agree with the entire last statement except I do recall a remark somewhere idk how official but Lee supposedly had one of if not the best trained gunnery crews. He took a lot of damn pride in his Command and the men under him. An average USS Washington could achieve things. A Willis E Lee Washington can win the day no matter the number. Overall I think Lee downplays his and his crews abilities overall. Even if it was only his ship and his crew they were the best of the best of battleship crews in my book.

[@lachlanbird9688]

Thank you for the video .

[@edwardloomis887]

Lee may have understood radar, but he understood gunnery, ballistics and how shoot even better having earned five gold medals for shooting at the Olympics. Imagine being the PT boat commander who got this message to stay out of the way of USS Washington: "Stand aside, I'm coming through. This is Ching Lee."

[@timgosling6189]

There were no PT boats in this action, just the SD and 4 destroyers. But the radio call was great!

[@BuzzSargent]

Thanks for a good story. Very interesting.

[@windborne8795]

@5:21, 7:55 and 6:02, are British 40mm pompom mounts... 🤔

[@rexmundi3108]

4:07 is a German U Boat!

[@stuartharper3968]

Great Channel, always well done and great history lessons!

[@scottadler]

So, what was that little thing that you used as clickbait while I watched a collection of clips that had nothing to co with the first Battle of Guadalcanal? Jeesh.

[@eshskis1]

Fantastic video !

[@dave8599]

8:05 When did the German Me 109 join the battle?

[@centurion262]

I was just about to say that!!!😄

[@jrc8466]

"The Germans bombed Pearl Harbor" - Bluto

[@eduarddoornbos2409]

Maybe a Hien?

[@crewsgiles9499]

It flew off of the aircraft carrier- that also wasn’t there.

[@rexmundi3108]

4:07 just after the U Boats

[@christianzilla]

That was awesome. Thanks.

[@Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

That Luftwaffe Bf-109 at 8:04 was a long way from home.

[@christisgod3354]

It had extra long range fuel tanks.....

[@rexmundi3108]

4:07 so was that U Boat.

[@Tool-Meister]

I love that at time mark 5:25 when the firing is about to commence, the Golden Gate bridge in the background. Now there is a hell of a range on a naval gun.

[@trollking202]

The range is 11,000 miles 🤔😳😈

[@Backwardlooking]

My father was seconded to the U.S.N.from the Royal Navy. That was to the South Dakota which with it’s sister ship Alabama served as distant cover to convoys to Russia. He was told that Japanese survivors from the Kirishima attempted to knife their U.S. rescuers. 👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@Mrfjm1]

Can/Will you do a video about the Convoy ON-92 ? Also great Video ^^

[@hadesdogs4366]

The problem was that radar was well know an was used to a certain extent however for the most parts most engagements were through visual or range finders and trying to spot a small one man plane above the horizon isn’t the easiest thing as well as having to watch out for enemy submarines, and so the closest to any warning a ship had was usually via signal, radar on the other hand could not only detect the enemy but also do ten other calculations at the same time and whilst most of the equipment was manual and so had to be calibrated manually, radar can detect enemy movements, it’s range, angle of approach and compass bearing before the enemy has any visual contacts on you, you can see where the enemy are and how far away from you.

[@kennethbolton951]

My Uncle Gerald was a scout sniper in the Marines from Macon Island to Iwo Jima at 17yrs old recalled sitting on the beach under a palm tree drinking from a canteen watching at night the shootouts among the big guys thinking it was like watching the end of the world.

[@CoffeeMug2828]

An interesting fact. The aftermath of the battle caused major conflict between South Dakota and Washington. Due to heavy damage, South Dakota had to return home and upon getting back, her crew was greeted with a heroic welcome and the civilian populous gave South Dakota and her crew all the credits for the battle believing that the badly damaged battleship did all the hard work. Washington on the other hand got nothing. Her crew felt that South Dakota and her crew stole all credits of their hardwork despite the fact that Washington saved the battleship that barely had any contribution to the battle. As a result, fights would broke out between the crew of the two battleshios whenever they are docked together. The conflict between the crew of the two battleship was so severe that the two battleships were not allowed to be at the same dock at the same. The two ships were never allowed to be docked together for the remainder of the war.

[@georgeherod4252]

What an awesome video. Another example of outstanding leaders leading with outstanding courage a crew of men who trusted them in horribly outmatched conditions and emerged victorious. I am referring tothe battle off Samar during the battle of Leyte. A hand full of escort carriers and destroyers fought ferociously with uncommon Valor and drove of a much superior enemy task force.

[@donalddowning4108]

Forward thinking Admiral. Wondering if someone could do a piece on the Navy squadron HA(L)-3 in Vietnam? Most decorated Navy squadron in the war.

[@sailorman7616]

Check out the video: "Scramble the Seawolves!"

[@jakerazmataz852]

It's always amazing how such a small instance in time could have changed history so much.

[@HollisonHusky]

Document the time HMS Warspite fired a full broadside in the Norwegian Fjords that resulted in a German battleship (I forget her name) exploded and physically left the water. OR just more history and trivia surrounding Warspite as her legacy is amazing in the UK!

[@timgosling6189]

I don't think there were any battleships present at Narvik but she did account for 3 of the 8 german destroyers sunk, and one U-Boat that was bombed by her spotter plane.

[@HollisonHusky]

@@timgosling6189 I stand corrected. I'm not sure it was a destroyer she fired all her guns at once at though. I should read more, it's been too long since I've read about her so I'm going to go shuffling through the bookshelf again.

[@timgosling6189]

@@HollisonHusky I just love the balls of sailing a battleship up a fjord and letting loose at everything in there!

[@HollisonHusky]

@@timgosling6189 Aye! Must of been an amazing experience to see and hear her throw a barrage of shells at anything her crew didn't like the look of!

[@barryalderson3081]

My father, Harvey "Aldi" Alderson served on the USS Washington. He was a 20mm gunner. He only started talking about his war experiences during his later years. Honor to all who have served, and are currently serving.

[@stevenwolfe7101]

HONOR INDEED - to those who formed the Greatest Generation.

[@windborne8795]

"Battleship At War" is a fantastic book about the USS Washington. Highly recommended, a "must read"!

[@alfavulcan4518]

Agreed. I read it several years ago, very entertaining the rivalry between Washington and South Dakota

[@windborne8795]

@@alfavulcan4518 I personally, am a "Washingtonian", in regards to that beef between those beautiful battlewagons. 👍🏻😎🇺🇸

[@alfavulcan4518]

@@windborne8795 yep, the book was definitely slanted in that direction! Hope to see her sister ship North Carolina soon

[@windborne8795]

@@alfavulcan4518 USS North Carolina is a beautiful ship! Although, New Jersey, Missouri and Alabama gives her a run for her money...

[@alfavulcan4518]

@@windborne8795 I’ve been on the Alabama and the Wisconsin ( also the Texas in my neck of the woods). Beautiful ships, and so much more modern than the Texas 🇺🇸

[@-CLUMSYDIYer-]

Thats a brilliant story! Oh and your welcome for the radar!

[@warringtonwilliams464]

I always enjoy and usually learn something new when watching the Dark (Whichever) military history videos. That said, I also understand that a lot of each video is stitched together stock footage. It's a necessary compromise and relatively harmless. There is a gaffe in this one you might want to fix though. At 5:24 we see the battleship Washington arming itself for battle off Guadal canal. An officer is using very powerful binoculars to spot the enemy, These binoculars are so powerful, he can do this from San Francisco Bay. Treasure Island and a section of the Golden Gate bridge are easily seen in the background. I don't see this as a problem, more an amusing footnote, but you might want to address it.

[@robozstarrr8930]

....always enjoy those occasional clips of the SS Minnow cruzing by with Gilligan at the helm!

[@Perktube1]

Ah, dark seas. Good to see you expanding your content.

[@James-gj2lo]

Would have been nice to have a video from Washington during this engagement. Marines watching from beach said it was an incredible sight 2 battleships dueling at 3miles.

[@wokohedgehogs]

Please could you cover the Battle of Trafalgar. The tactics used by the British Navy were ingenious.

[@HarryWHill-GA]

My uncle was a gunnery officer in the A-turret of USS Washington when it savaged IJN Kirishima. His father, Adm. Harry W Hill, is my screen namesake. My aunt was the ship's sponsor when USS Harry W. Hill (DD-986) was launched. All three are buried next to the US Naval Academy Chapel.

[@brianjones7660]

Beautiful storyline…thanks!

[@richardpowell7530]

American firepower an technology with American Bravery

[@timbaumann9046]

I'd like to hear more about the very beginning of WW2 and the Graf Spee Please!

[@tomlee7651]

Battle ships, were a symbol of a nation Army? Really, I would think, they would be a symbol of the Navy.

[@matthewcullen1298]

I worked as a carpenter in Guadalcanal in the 90s. The property I worked on was on a small hill at the end of Henderson airfield. We dug some long trenches and it was always interesting digging . We found a lot of unexploded ordinance. Artillery projectiles and bullets mostly. A local come back from plowing a paddock with a live hand grenade stuck between plough blades and a lady found a Japanese bomb whilst trying to dig a vege garden beside her house. The people I stayed with had half a dozen artillery projectiles stored under the house when I got there the first night. They were waiting for the bomb disposal Unit to come pick them up.there was still plenty of evidence of this battle evident.

[@joelmccoy9969]

The fact that the Americans' Torpedoes aboard Destroyers, PT Boats, Avengers, and Submarines were all out of date, too slow, under ordnanced with defective contact exploders, Magnetic exploders that often caused ignition too early to effect damage, and worst of all the Torpedoes ran deeper than programmed passing under the ships. The Admiralty never seemed to get around to 'Live-Fire' testing the torpedoes until some hero took it into their own hands to test them on August 31, 1943 by firing four into the underwater cliffs of the Hawaiian Islands and retrieving one of the duds for analysis and discovering a cheap fix that improved performance slightly. Nevertheless, at Surigao Strait, 78 Torpedoes were fired with no hits from PT boats, continuing the trend of platform inefficacy as in the Battle of Blackett Strait, where 30 were salvoed off to zero effect. 24 salvoed off at the Battle of Tassafaranga from Destroyers, zero hits. A disgusting waste of mens lives and extending the war by 18 - 24 months. A victory for the 'Gun club' and Aviation engineering. F35 a Trillion dollar platform.

[@Grimmwoldds]

FWIW, it was BuOrd. The "Admirality" actually hated BuOrd. Seriously, they fucked Admiral King(COMINCH-CNO) out of royalties on a new rangefinder he invented early in his career. He personally hated BuOrd with a passion like the sun(he hated many things, but BuOrd was at the top of his list along with incompetent RN officers) Also, Tassofaronga wasn't the torps fault. It was all on RADM Carleton H. Wright who forbade the destroyers from firing at the optimal time stating "Range excessive" when it wasn't. They failed to hit because they were fired at a time when it was unlikely they would hit.

[@joelmccoy9969]

@@Grimmwoldds The torps. washed up on the beaches of Guadalcanal unexploded, probably after passing too deep under the ships they were aimed at. The IJN torpedoes seemed to work just fine though they were shot even later.. See Wikipedia

[@Grimmwoldds]

@@joelmccoy9969 You're the one who needs to study up. The torps fired at the battle of Tassafaronga by USS Fletcher, USS Perkins, and USS Drayton were fired on an overtaking course while the IJN ships changed course/speed to evade. This means that they were simply used improperly and had little to no chance of hitting.

[@Grimmwoldds]

@Bob Watters No. BuOrd made them, refused to let them be tested, caught heat for it eventually, and was dissolved/absorbed about a decade later due to this and other issues. Also, look up the battle of Tassafaronga. It doesn't matter if they were defective or not, Adrmiral Wright ensured they wouldn't hit. They were fired late so they had to overtake their targets, who had been alerted immediately(one minute) after launch by Admiral Wright allowing the cruisers to open fire. He had no idea about the specs of the torps, and no clue how to use them. He lied about the outcome of the battle to deflect blame, but was replaced by more competent commanders.

[@koriko88]

1:37 - Look at that guy running around on the bow as that ship jumps around. Wow! What a ride that must have been.

[@Quenstar]

The USS WASHINGTON suffered her only damage from enemy fire in this battle. Ironically, she received a 5" shell hole in a targeting radar.

[@frosty3693]

Seems to have left out the South Dakota"s electrical failure and that Lee was not only a Redar expert but was even more a gunnery expert. The Sendai was a light cruiser not a heavy cruiser. The Washington also got lucky due to an over sensitivity of the Japanese torpedo warheads. Instead of hitting the Washington they detonated on the knuckle of water caused by a hard turn made by the Washington.

[@bernarrcoletta7419]

He briefly mentioned South Dakota’s electrical failure.

[@josephahner3031]

I was listening to him mention the electrical failure as i was reading your comment.

[@dutchhoke6555]

Rather fantastic that long Lance's all missed the battleships, after decimating the destroyer screen.

[@frosty3693]

@@dutchhoke6555 It seems that Japan had issues with it's torpedo detonator as did about everybody else. The Type 93 detanators early on had issues of being too pressure sensitive. So at least two of the torpedoes launched at Washington may have detonated early on the knuckle, or wake, made by the Washington in the hard turn it made.

[@jefffeudner408]

My best friend's Dad was one of those Marines there..He Lived thru it..one tough no shit SOB ;) Honor to have known him.

[@timgosling6189]

Some odd video again all the way through. There were no P-38 Lightnings at Henderson Field, or engaged at all in this action. Why not show F-4F Wildcats, which made up the bulk of the Cactus Air Force fighter force. No carriers were sunk in these two Guadalcanal actions. USS Enterprise was present and added air power to that supplied by the Cactus Air Force but this was not part of the naval engagements discussed here. I don't believe US cryptographer decoded Japanese mail; mail would be an inefficient way to control ships at sea. They more likely worked on intercepted Japanese radio traffic. The Japanese airmen you show are Kamikaze; no Kamikaze, or indeed any aircraft on either side, took part in this battle. However the USN did lose 2 floatplanes which were set on fire and then blown overboard from their launch rails by the blast from South Dakota's rear main guns. Stop showing us short-range AA batteries; there were no air attacks! I'd have swapped the clips round so you show battleships when talking about battleships and then carriers when you talk about carrier taking over as the prime weapon. One of Adm Lee's innovations was to give headsets to the radar personnel so they could talk direct to the fire control staff; well, baby steps. Another odd clip when talking about Lee and radar: that's RMS Queen Mary which at the time was acting as a troop ship bringing US forces to England. Bizarre! Show us a picture of an SG radar, preferably on South Dakota or Washington. I doubt Lee was as confident as you say. Although he had been training Washington's crew to a fine pitch, none of the vessels in this 6-ship 'TF64' had worked together before and the USN had had a severe drubbing in past night actions in the area. But he had a job to do and worked out a way to give him the best tactical position he could get. Given that this action took place at night, some night-time video would have been better if you could find any. The gunnery crew on Washington would not have 'headed to the main deck to load their weapons'. I don't know if you've ever been on a real battleship (Texas and Old Mo are well worth a visit) but the main battery turrets are like high-rise building with many floors and just the last few feet poking above the deck. There are lifts for the ammunition but the several dozen sailors manning a turret would have mostly been in the bowels of the ship, reaching their action stations via multiple cramped ladders. They would not have been ready in 15 seconds from leaving the mess. Again, why all these shots of air attacks! And aircraft carriers! Comms with South Dakota were intermittent because the shock of her first salvo had disrupted her power and tripped all the breakers, losing comms, radar and gunnery control. An enthusiastic chief tried to remedy this by wiring one of the main breakers closed but this turned out very much not to be the answer and South Dakota remained out of the fight for some time. Of course South Dakota's pounding by Kirishima had the byproduct of the Japanese forgetting that Washington was still around and it was that which allowed her to get to very close range before opening fire. I think Lee claimed 24 hits from his main battery in the first 5 minutes but in fact it was much worse than that as the 5" guns were firing too and wrecking the enemy's superstructure. The true extent of the damage is still visible on the wreck, 4000 ft down but discovered and photographed in 1992. Perhaps the most bizarre clip, when discussing the abandonment of Kirishima we see a Luftwaffe Bf109. Must have had to work hard to get that one in! I'm sure Lee gave hearty thanks to the 'special relationship' with the Brits and the consequent access to the cavity magnetron technology that allowed radars to be fitted to almost all US Navy ships from early 1942.

[@dutchhoke6555]

...didnt the p38s that got Yamamoto fly from Henderson, or elsewhere ?

[@timgosling6189]

@@dutchhoke6555 The guys that got Yamamoto in Apr 43 flew from Kukum Field, which was started in late 42 as the Japanese were being finally ejected from Guadalcanal. Kukum was just down the road from Henderson. It was closed in the '60s and is now under a golf course. Henderson remains as Honiara Airport.

[@alecfromminnenowhere2089]

Outstanding again. I've never heard of this battle.

[@Will_CH1]

The USS Washington was a generation newer, significantly more powerful, heavier and better protected than the pre WW1 vintage battlecruiser Kirishima. On any given day, this ship will win over the Japanese rival.

[@ss442es]

What an amazing gift to America, these amazing men who did the impossible. A pure gift from God. From Battleship Captains to Destroyer Skippers, they all performed perfectly at seemingly unimaginable odds to win the day and night. Thanks for the review of the Battleship Washington.

[@1chish]

Not to mention the gift of that crucial radar to the USA by the British in 1941. Right?

[@devo1977s]

Could you imagine a modern battleship equipment with the most modern technology, automatic lasers, and rail guns for point defense and light offense, Missiles, and Radar for OTH and Orbital attacks, Thousands of Micro drones for swarm attacks, defense, long range real time surveillance. Minimal crew of less than 100 personal. Something like that would be very durable because you would have less space for human needs so you can allocate more room for damage and AI systems. Just imagine going to battle and seeing A cloud of drones protecting the ship and swarming enemy vessels. I've been reading too much science fiction books 😂😂😂

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

What if one of those Kevlar reinforced concrete submarines were deployed? Not even God's rods could touch one.

[@louiswilkins9624]

Interesting very interesting

[@devo1977s]

@@realWARPIG believe it or not I actually know about nuclear weapons, I know that America understands how Nuclear weapons work and how Emp works, we also know what happens when you detonate a nuclear bomb in space, Technology will eventually make nuclear weapons less or completely ineffective, eventually Ai will be able to destroy a nuclear weapon before it is in range to be lethal. So Nuclear weapons become a irrelevant weapon, just a becomes a Expensive missile when used against a technology superior opponent.

[@navyreviewer]

With all do respect that sounds very expensive and very useful. The navy did look at putting Polaris (ICBM) on surface ships. Ultimately it was scrapped because it was too dangerous if the ship got hit (radioactive clean up) and greatly *reduced* the fighting ability of the ship. It would have taken up a lot of room and only been usable in very specific circumstances.

[@jbrobertson6052]

Just to let you know and maybe people should check but for some reason I was unsubscribed. I have been subscribed to this channel ever since it started

[@TheRealRedRooster]

It really starts to hurt to see that the Dark *** channels quality is slipping more and more and resort to include totally unrelated video footage, like German submarine(r)s, depth charge explosions and even a Messerschmitt Bf-109.... :(

[@Otokichi786]

The "Dark" channels, where Historical accuracy is an afterthought. (After all, who's going to notice a slip up or ten?;)

[@johnnyswatts]

I was honestly hoping for more on the technology in the title.

[@JamesSavik]

USS Washington should have been preserved as a museum ship.

[@ernestweaver9720]

Wow. I love learning the history of ww2. And you guys are excellent.

[@Prolificposter]

I wonder if the modern U.S. military has any senior leaders that could win a battle outside of that for power and prestige in the bureaucracy.

[@JackGordone]

If there still are any, Obama got rid of them. His DoD only promoted traitors and perverts, faithful reflections of their commander in chief.