A shame Cleveland was't available till later. Sadly, lack of ship battle knowledge by USN commanders, lack of training for the crews, and failure of the "commanders" to appreciate or rely on the new technology (ie radar) caused many deaths. No US ships were involved in naval battles since 1898! Funding for the Navy for 15 years was a joke. Green crews and skippers were the norm. So was underestimating Japanese equipment and abiity.
It's easy to monday morning quarterback, so I have to think that the leaders did the best they could, made the best decisions they were capable of and Ghormley and Scott among them paid with their lives. Japanese accounts of the friday November 13, 1942 battle showed that the US cruisers/DDs did pepper the upper works of the BB Hiei with over >>100!<< 5, 6 and 8" hits. 15-20 rounds per minute for the 5' 38s astounded the Japanese. The BB's heavy armour saved the vital spaces, aircraft got her the next day.
Radar usage and seasoned commanders might have saved some US ships, but it was not to be.
The failure to provide adequate anti sub screening shows how far behind the US was in 1942, but looking to the Atlantic in the same timeframe, I guess we were just average, not having equipment, training or being put to the test like the Brits/Canadians for 3 years. It seems the neutrality escort knowledge learned in the Atlantic stayed there.
That failure caused losses until the end of the war. Why did Indianapolis sail ALONE?
