US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

382 Amphibians Came To Conquer
batteries of the cruisers, and an early alert to the presence of the enemy ships.
In his 21 February 1943 report on the defeat of his forces, Rear Admiral
Crutchley listed four radio message alerts from higher authority in regard
to submarines in the area prior to 7 August, three more alerts on 7 August,
and three further alerts on 8 August.B5
That those on the spot were convinced of an increasing submarine menace
is indicated by CTF 62’s first post-Savo report in which, based on a Mozmen
report, he reported that one enemy submarine was probably sunk.B6 Rear
Admiral Crutchley in his report to Admiral Hepburn wrote:
from information available, submarines appeared the greater menace
~~han a surface ship attack].”
*****
. . . The submarine menace was considered so serious that, by order of
Admiral Turner, all cruiser planes except those assigned to liaison duties with
troops were used on the 8th for A/S screen and search for su~marines.es
A survey of all TF 62 action reports indicates that four submarine contact
reports were made in TF 62 on 7 August and six on 8 August 1942.’g
FIRST REACTION TO DEFEAT
Sometimes first reactions are bitter but truthful. In Rear Admiral Turner’s
files, there is the first letter to his immediate senior following the defeat,
written by the Rear Admiral Commanding H. M. Australian Squadron which
contains this paragraph:
Having been placed in charge of the screening forces by you, I have naturally
been searching for my mistakes which may have led to, or contributed
to, this great loss. I feel that undoubtedly there must be some, but there are
to my mind two main points that stand out-one is that fatigue to personnel
caused lack of warning, In an operation of this kind, this is almost inevitable.
The other is, that we, U. S. and British, must have practice in night fighting
‘s (a) Crutchley to Turner, report, 21 Feb. 1943, pp. 4, 5, Hepburn Report, Annex B; (b)
COMSOPAC 071142 Aug. 1942; CINCPAC 062336, 080141 Aug. 1942, Hepburn Report,
Annex C.
m (a) CTF 62 to COMSOPAC, 090815 Aug. 1942, Hepburn Report, Annex T; (b) itfot?JJetz
and San ]uan. Action Reports.
e?HePbu~n Report, Para. 82’
w Hepburn Report, para. 89.
69Action Reports of ColbOUn, MonJJen, San Juan, Mtigford, Wihofr, cre~cent CitY> PreJident
Adamj, Little, Neville.