December 7, 1941. The Day Japan Attacked the Panama Canal

[Sekhmet_D]

The Zero was undoubtedly better than the P-26, yet the latter had managed kills on the former.

I don't disagree, similar things happened pretty much everywhere, though it depends on the context, in this story's case, a 1v1 where the F1M pilot only has to focus on the SOC so the chances the SOC pilot has to gain an advantage are depressingly low to nonexistent.

In a P-26 I think you would have a similar sustained turn speed as with a A6M2 (as the zero loses its maneuverability at lower speeds) which shouldn't be the case with the SOC-3.

There was only one engagement between P-26s and A6Ms, on 12 December 1941 near Batangas - seven 6th PS P-26s versus nine 3rd Kokutai A6Ms. When the smoke settled, the score was 5-0 in favour of the Japanese.

P-36s versus the A6M, sure. P-26s, no contest. Way too big a tech gap. The Zero's maneuverability was finest at low speeds. I would realistically expect the F1M to trounce the SOC-3. Evidence shows that F1M pilots frequently handled their planes as aggressively as one would handle single seat fighters. Not sure if one could say much the same of SOC-3 pilots.

 

[mtpalmer1]

I would realistically expect the F1M to trounce the SOC-3. Evidence shows that F1M pilots frequently handled their planes as aggressively as one would handle single seat fighters. Not sure if one could say much the same of SOC-3 pilots.

So any engagement with a F1M can only ever end in Japanese victory? I think it is perfectly plausible to have an overconfident and over-eager F1M driver making a complete hash of a run-in, carrying just a little too much speed that he then bleeds off at just the wrong time and give the admittedly lucky SOC crew a free firing pass. Mistakes have been known to happen at 0615! The pilot, not realizing that he has been hit or at least not the extent of the damage, sets up a head-on pass but loses consciousness in the process and gives the SOC crew another free firing pass, this time to terminal effect. C'est la guerre. The SOC pilot, thinking he is untouchable by this point, goes all-in against the Trenton's XO in a game of poker that night and loses the lot! Streak over.

@YYJ I just wanted to chime in and say really enjoyed this. I do concur with others that Trenton seems to close the gap a little fast but if you push the gun duel to a little later in the day it will be all good!

 

[weasel_airlift]

Great chapter. I think the Trenton made 33 knots in trials. I will have to dig my book up. However, I could see the engines being forced, given the situation

 

[jlckansas]

Unless a naval ship has a problem with its propulsion equipment like the North Carolina did with its prop shafts, you can generally get a few more knots out of them for a short time. It is like when you say what is the designed weight of a bridge, you have a certain amount that is actually over but because you cannot depend on that amount you don't use it.

 

[Athelstane]

Nice chapter, but my understanding is that the Omahas were never really capable of 35 knots, and their top speeds had fallen further with age by the start of WW2.

Yeah, I think Chitose still buys the farm, but it probably takes the better part of another day for Trenton to do the deed.

 

[YYJ]

To me this engagement's results seem a bit too optimistic, with Chitose losing all floatplanes (were there any similar engagement like this one?) especially the F1M vs SOC-3 air battle. The F1M is an overall better plane - faster acceleration, more maneuverable, better armament, higher speed, higher rate of climb and has better crew training than the SOC-3, running out of ammunition without severely damaging the plane seems quite hard to achieve as the F1M would most likely remain behind the SOC for most of the engagement.

Maybe. I think the Americans had some luck. My sense is that the F1M has lots of good qualities, but is somewhat fragile.

The F1Ms attacked a fully alert Trenton in 2 waves, and 3 of 9 aircraft survived unscathed, but then chose to come back to strafe. The F1M pilots knew that Chitose could not slow to recover them, so unless Trenton was slowed or disabled, they were not going home.

Note that in the SOC v. F1M air battle, the F1M showed up with its forward guns already empty, and the observer's tail gun low on ammo.

 

[AndrewSt]

Excellent yarn, love it. How many more chapters are there please?

 

[Butchpfd]

Yes deck gun.
View attachment 852140
Here is a picture of Gar, deck gun mounted, in March 1941. So just no ammo.

Submarine Photo Index

As far As I have ever seen , by December 1941, all USN vessels, especially any transiting the Eastern and Caribbean Sea Frontiers were armed, not necessarily full war loads for transiting to the Pacific but basic minimal load out. So IMO, the Gar probably carried half load of ammunition for her deck gun, and most likely stopped at Newport R.I. Torpedo station and was traveling with the amazing(snarc) MK XIV torpedoes in her forward tubes. But don't worry apply gaming probalities,, to Gar firing at Chitose, roll too 2 six sided dice. For an actual hit roll 3 or 12 anything in between is a miss, too deep veers left or right, a straight impact a dud( thunk), roll, a 3 you get a low order detonation, which scares Chitose crew out of years growth and does minor damage to some hull seams, a12 it actually works and Chitose takes a whomp! However roll snake eyes, you get to be a recipient of the MK XIVs infamous circular run!

 

[YYJ]

As far As I have ever seen , by December 1941, all USN vessels, especially any transiting the Eastern and Caribbean Sea Frontiers were armed, not necessarily full war loads for transiting to the Pacific but basic minimal load out. So IMO, the Gar probably carried half load of ammunition for her deck gun, and most likely stopped at Newport R.I. Torpedo station and was traveling with the amazing(snarc) MK XIV torpedoes in her forward tubes. But don't worry apply gaming probalities,, to Gar firing at Chitose, roll too 2 six sided dice. For an actual hit roll 3 or 12 anything in between is a miss, too deep veers left or right, a straight impact a dud( thunk), roll, a 3 you get a low order detonation, which scares Chitose crew out of years growth and does minor damage to some hull seams, a12 it actually works and Chitose takes a whomp! However roll snake eyes, you get to be a recipient of the MK XIVs infamous circular run!

Everything I have read says that Gar was not armed for the journey. She could have loaded torpedoes at the submarine base at Coco Solo, but apparently did not, as she passed through a few days before the war began.

Speaking of torpedoes, the UN Navy did have some perfectly serviceable torpedoes on the first day of the war. The flush deck destroyers carried the Mark 8, and the Omahas carried the mark 11.

Pre-World War II Torpedoes of the United States of America - NavWeaps

www.navweaps.com

Pre-World War II Torpedoes of the United States of America - NavWeaps

www.navweaps.com

1330 hours. USS J Frank Talbot rescued the crew of MV Nairnbank from their lifeboats. Nairnbank was down by the stern but still afloat, so Talbot’s captain decided to sink the wreck as a navigational hazard. Talbot fired two Mark 8 torpedoes from close range. One hit and exploded, but even this failed to sink the freighter in a timely fashion, so the destroyer finished off the stricken merchant with 4 inch gunfire to the waterline. USS Tatnall searched for I-2, but failed to locate the submarine.

Of course Trenton puts hers to good use in the previous chapter.

 

[njslim]

So any engagement with a F1M can only ever end in Japanese victory? I think it is perfectly plausible to have an overconfident and over-eager F1M driver making a complete hash of a run-in, carrying just a little too much speed that he then bleeds off at just the wrong time and give the admittedly lucky SOC crew a free firing pass. Mistakes have been known to happen at 0615! The pilot, not realizing that he has been hit or at least not the extent of the damage, sets up a head-on pass but loses consciousness in the process and gives the SOC crew another free firing pass, this time to terminal effect. C'est la guerre. The SOC pilot, thinking he is untouchable by this point, goes all-in against the Trenton's XO in a game of poker that night and loses the lot! Streak over.

@YYJ I just wanted to chime in and say really enjoyed this. I do concur with others that Trenton seems to close the gap a little fast but if you push the gun duel to a little later in the day it will be all good!

Jefferson Deblanc - Jan 31 1943 Kolombangara Island Medal of Honor combat flight

Deblanc escorting flight of SBD Dauntless dive bombers against Japanese shipping

On 31 January, First Lieutenant DeBlanc was flying a Wildcat over Japanese-held Kolombangara island in the Solomons Islands leading eight F4F Wildcats from VMF-112 on an escort mission for a strike force of 12 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers sent to attack Japanese shipping. En route to the target area, DeBlanc discovered and reported to Guadalcanal that his fighter had developed a serious fuel leak which made return to base unlikely and he requested that rescue forces be alerted.

Leading the escorts directly to the target area, DeBlanc and the other Wildcats observed a pair of Mitsubishi F1M "Pete" float planes attacking the Dauntlesses from above and behind, and he dove to disrupt their attack. DeBlanc's aircraft was fired at by the rear gunners on the "Petes", but he maneuvered evasively and pressed home an attack on the first, exploding it, then maneuvered and took the second under fire, hitting it in the fuel tanks and setting it afire. Although the SBDs hit their targets successfully, and the escort mission was completed, DeBlanc remained in the target area to cover the withdrawal of the Dauntlesses, despite a critically low fuel supply, and began a climb back to altitude.

 

[Butchpfd]

Everything I have read says that Gar was not armed for the journey. She could have loaded torpedoes at the submarine base at Coco Solo, but apparently did not, as she passed through a few days before the war began.

Speaking of torpedoes, the UN Navy did have some perfectly serviceable torpedoes on the first day of the war. The flush deck destroyers carried the Mark 8, and the Omahas carried the mark 11.

Of course Trenton puts hers to good use in the previous chapter.

Yes the MK 8, 10, and 11s were perfectly serviceable. They were designed and produced at a time, when Commander later Admiral Tommy Hart commanded Newport. The Mk 8s and 10, did very serviceable for the S-boats and 4 pipers of the Asiatic Fleet in the early days of the war.

 

[njslim]

There was only one engagement between P-26s and A6Ms, on 12 December 1941 near Batangas - seven 6th PS P-26s versus nine 3rd Kokutai A6Ms. When the smoke settled, the score was 5-0 in favour of the Japanese.

P-36s versus the A6M, sure. P-26s, no contest. Way too big a tech gap. The Zero's maneuverability was finest at low speeds. I would realistically expect the F1M to trounce the SOC-3. Evidence shows that F1M pilots frequently handled their planes as aggressively as one would handle single seat fighters. Not sure if one could say much the same of SOC-3 pilots.

On December 7 1941 2 SOC floatplanes from heavy cruiser NORTHAMPTON were attacked by a ZERO The pilots by skillful handling of their planes were able to keep the ZERO out of a firing position while giving rear gunners clear field of fire One of the gunners was able to get a good shot on the ZERO and damage it so it crashed off Kauai

INCIDENT OFF NI’IHAU – December 7, 1941

Shortly after 0800 on December 7, 1941, word was received aboard the heavy cruiser USS Northampton (CA-26) that Pearl Harbor was under attack. Northampton was part of a task force which had just delivered a US Marine fighter squadron to Wake Island and was enroute back to Pearl Harbor. At about 1115 two Curtiss SOC scout floatplanes (5CS-2 and 5CS-4) were launched off Northampton after their crews had been assigned a search sector which took them near the Islands of Kauai and Ni’ihau. At about twenty minutes after launch and at a position approximately fifteen miles west of Kauai, the two search aircraft were attacked by an enemy IJN Zero, described in the Northampton after-action report as being grey, or light khaki in color with a “wide red band” on the fuselage and a “large red ball” between the cockpit and the tail.

This description would have described an aircraft from the IJN Akagi Air Group, but subsequent investigation convincingly suggests that it was from the Kaga Air Group, rather that Akagi. The enemy aircraft repeatedly attacked the two scout aircraft from Northampton (seven times), all unsuccessful due to the flight discipline of the Northampton pilots, and on the seventh attack Northampton gunner RM-1 Rob’t. P. Baxter hit the attacker with defensive machine gun fire which caused the Zero to break off the attack and retreat toward the Island of Ni’ihau, apparently crashing into the sea just offshore. It is believed that this is the aircraft which was seen in the company of another Zero (from the Hiryu Air Group) over Ni’ihau somewhat earlier. The extraordinary story of the Hiryu aircraft and pilot, Airman First Class Nishikaichi Shigenori’s crash landing and subsequent actions on Ni’ihau have already been well-documented, but the Kaga Air Group pilot’s identity and the location of his final resting place so far remains uncertain.

 

[njslim]

Everything I have read says that Gar was not armed for the journey. She could have loaded torpedoes at the submarine base at Coco Solo, but apparently did not, as she passed through a few days before the war began.

Speaking of torpedoes, the UN Navy did have some perfectly serviceable torpedoes on the first day of the war. The flush deck destroyers carried the Mark 8, and the Omahas carried the mark 11.

Pre-World War II Torpedoes of the United States of America - NavWeaps

www.navweaps.com

Pre-World War II Torpedoes of the United States of America - NavWeaps

www.navweaps.com

Of course Trenton puts hers to good use in the previous chapter.

Witness the sinking of the USS HORNET (CV 8) following Battle of Santa Cruz (October 26, 1942) Left damaged and Un maneuverable by numerous Japanese air strikes decision was to sink the HORNET 2 destroyers , MUSTIN and ANDERSON , were detailed to sink the HORNET after expending 9 torpedo, some of which missed or failed to explode resorted to gunfire , dumping some 400 rounds of 5 inch into HORNET Even then would not sink The destroyers were forced to flee by approach of Japanese forces The Japanese found the HORNET still afloat and burning bow to stern Eventually the Japanese destroyers, MAKIGUMO and AKIGUMO fired 4 24 inch Long Lance into HORNET sinking her

 

[GTStinger]

Now when the movie comes out in 1942 will John Wayne be captain of the Trenton?
What actor plays the SOC pilot single handedly holding off an entire squadron of Japanese planes?
How will they write in a romantic interest back at the canal?

 

[rascal1225]

The deck had a set of tracks that allowed them to move the floatplanes around and onto elevator to the hanger deck. The carriages for the float planes allowed them to be loaded on the catapults at the same height and did not need cranes to lift them onto them. The IJN had this sort of system on their seaplane carriers and even the Tone and Chikuma scout cruisers.

Thanks for that info ... didn't know that the Japanese used such a tall cradle to move their floatplanes to and fro ...

 

[rascal1225]

You can see the route the tracks take quite well on the base drawing I marked up and used to show how the flying boats were loaded.
View attachment 852101

Blueprints > Ships > Ships (Japan) > IJN Chitose [Seaplane Carrier]

www.the-blueprints.com

Thanks for another Chitose URL ... and this one seems to show a pair of small cranes located on either side of the ship, roughly adjacent to the base of the main mast, which would appear to be well positioned to lift a floatplane off the surface of the sea, and up onto the nearby front pair of catapults ... problem solved.

 

[rascal1225]

Dec 10, 1941. Office of the Governor, Administration Building, Quarry Heights, Canal Zone.

“Go light on the numbers, will ya,” joked Lt. General Frank Maxwell Andrews. “I’m just a simple airplane pilot.” Andrews was Commanding General of the Panama Canal Department, so was technically in command, as the wartime Canal was under military control. Egerton was Governor, and managed the civil operations of the Canal Zone, but he was also a General himself.

I'm surprised that the Senator wasn't attending this meeting ? Perhaps the PH attacks resulted in his being called back to Washington, DC earlier ?

The young engineer reading the damage report noticed a break in the cross-talk, and continued. “The fourth torpedo would have impacted on Gate Six, but since that gate was open it passed through the spillway, became airborne, and struck the side of the concrete training channel below water level. The explosion displaced an amount of concrete, and the spall damaged the powerhouse on the other side of the channel.”

“Ironically,” said the lead engineer, “what started out as a miss was actually the most damaging of the torpedo impacts. The blast against the spillway channel training wall shattered the concrete all the way to the fill behind. We are not sure if the explosion broke clean through, or if it was the erosive action of the discharging water, but the Chagres River is now scouring material away from behind the training wall. A sinkhole was observed to form against the back of the training wall, in the top of the dam, yesterday at about 0100 hours. A couple of Army sentries almost fell in the hole. We now have a team of dump trucks dropping rubble into the sinkhole, but it is a losing battle. I won’t say the Gatun Dam itself is endangered. This breach would probably have to be left unattended for years for that to happen. But the scouring effect is creating a cavity behind the training wall, and that could lead to the wall eventually collapsing, which would in turn deposit more rubble into the channel which would increase the erosion. It is a dynamic situation, because the volume of the cavity affects the flow, which affects the rate of scouring.”

Would it be possible for you to post a photo of the Lower Gatun Spillway with a large red "X" marking the impact location of your "flying IJN torpedo" ? Such would make imagining its damages much easier ...

 

[Butchpfd]

Now when the movie comes out in 1942 will John Wayne be captain of the Trenton?
What actor plays the SOC pilot single handedly holding off an entire squadron of Japanese planes?
How will they write in a romantic interest back at the canal?

Perhaps Humprehy Bogart He just came off Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, OTL he does a spy movie about protecting the canal from a secret Japanese air attack " Across the Pacific" This time he is the competent long serving cruiser captain pushing his old girl above and beyond. ( Perhaps earliest candidate for Presidential Unit Citation.)
Give John Wayne the SOC. Captain has a young wife (Bacall) waiting in Coco Solo.

 

[muskeg13]

1208 Chitose capsized. Trenton closed to 1000 yards and began rescue operations. These efforts were made more difficult by the fact that most of Trenton’s boats had been damaged by strafing or shell fragments. Some boats and rafts were successfully launched, but a large number of Chitose’s survivors scrambled up cargo nets that had been thrown over the cruiser’s side. 279 of the seaplane carrier’s crew of around 800 were ultimately rescued, among them the civilian torpedo technicians from the Mitsubishi factory, but her captain went down with the ship. Trenton suffered 15 dead and 35 wounded in the engagement, the majority from her port 3 inch anti-aircraft crews that had been caught in the blast from a seaplane’s bomb.

I question the account of large numbers, ultimately 279, of the Chitose's crew willingly allowing themselves to be rescued and taken as POWs. Historically this did not usually happen, with most Japanese survivors preferring to take their chances and die at sea rather than becoming prisoners. There are many accounts of Japanese ship sinking survivors waving off would be rescuers, attempting to engage rescuers with small arms and grenades and officers threatening to shoot any seaman showing signs of giving up.

 

[arrowiv]

And Slim Pickins as Hollis Wood - signature role is Major T J "King" Kong in DR STRANGELOVE

His full name was Hollis P "Holly" Wood, as spelled out on his truck. The Japanese landing party leader must have thought Wood had something to do with the actual Hollywood!