US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

Save—The Galling Defeat 401
against hope that Ghormley would say ‘No’ to Fletcher and tell him to stay
around for another 24 hours. I had no idea that Fletcher had been heading
southeast all late afternoon and evening and was well south of San Cristobal
by 2300. That information would have been most valuable to me and to all
the Screening Group. But Fletcher didn’t send it to me, Ghormley’s reply
approving Fletcher’s withdrawal didn’t come in until about 0330, and by
that time Iron Bottom Sound had its first contingent [of our ships] .’2”
Admiral Turner believed that the major effect of Vice Admiral Fletcher’s
announced intention of withdrawal on the actual Battle of Savo Island was
that it resulted in Rear Admiral Crutchley not being with his Screening
Group at the particular time the Japanese struck. It was his opinion that
this was a serious loss of command ability, command cohesion, command
knowledge of the situation, and command offensive response,
As for the effect after the Battle of Savo Island, Rear Admiral Turner
had said frequently during the war, and the man continued to say in 1$)60,
that the withdrawal permitted Mikawa’s Cruiser Force “to live and enjoy
their victory.” ‘“
Admiral Turner thought that there were a number of major lessons which
he had learned out of the WATCHTOWER Operation, but that not every-
body would agree with him. His key thoughts in 1960 related to organization.
The basic task force organization established by COMSOPAC placed Commander
Expeditionary Force and the Commander Aircraft Force, South
Pacific at the same level in the command echelon. At the next lower level
were Commander Air Support Force and the Commander Amphibious Force.
Over the years, Admiral Turner came to believe that the basic task organization
established by COMSOPAC was faulty in at least one respect and
that was:
at the top level, where the major element of air reconnaissance in the SOPAC
area was not under the operational control of the Commander Expeditionary
Force.
To this was added a grasping at might-have-been straws:
Had TF 63 [the air reconnaissanceforce] been included in the Expeditionary
Force, perhaps Frank Jack {Fletcher] would have felt more like an Expeditionary
Force commander and assumed a greater responsibility for sticking
with the whole Force through to a success.
Finally, Admiral Turner commented:
Unity of command increases the chances for victory. The shore-based aircraft
under General MacArthur’s commmd was ir large percentage of the total
‘a Turner.
‘q Turner.