Did an Accident Save USS Enterprise From the Pearl Harbor Attack?
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- Apologies for the clickbaity title. Was the most fitting I could come up with, in the long run.
Anyway, in a similar vein to previous videos- Espero and M1, in particular -this is a short video about one story, from one source. In this case, a story from Ian Toll's 'Pacific Crucible'.
As the story goes, Enterprise was delayed from arriving in Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7th...by a complete accident involving USS Northampton and a destroyer.
Is this story true? I can't say for sure, without the same sources Toll presumably had access to.
It does make for an interesting story, though, and one worth a short little video.
Further Reading:
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Since answering this way is easier and more visible:
Yes, I’m aware of the deck logs. However, that assumes those logs are readily available. Perhaps my Google-fu is weak, but I couldn’t find them.
The National Archives website, for instance, doesn’t have Northampton at all. And Enterprise begins at January of ‘42. Presumably, they haven’t digitized the other logs.
As I’m not in a position to just go dig through the national archives, that leaves putting in a request. And I have no idea how long *that* would take.
If my google-fu is too weak and these are floating around out there, by all means, let me know. I’d love to look them over.
But, as it sits, I couldn’t find them.
www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online
^the available logs
“Fate protects fools, children and ships named Enterprise.” - from Star Trek, Next Generation
Stories like this pop up all the time under the headline "For want of a nail, a kingdom was lost". One that comes to mind is the story of the Battle of Midway where the SBDs from Enterprise followed a Japanese destroyer, the Arashi, back to Nagumo's carriers. Why was the destroyer detached? It was hunting a submarine, the USS Nautilus, which had been sighted in the area. So, ultimately, the victory at Midway was due to a old submarine being in the wrong place at the right time.
On a lark I went and checked the deck logs for USS Balch and USS Gridley that were part of Enterprise's Task Force 8. Given that Balch was carrying the head of DesRon 6 and led the Enterprise task force's destroyer screen, something like this would have been noted in the logs. Which it wasn't. I'd say getting a copy of Northampton's logs from December 1941 is your best bet, but this really does sound like one of those sea stories. The Balch's deck logs don't show any stopping, circling, or anything other than a cruise due east with the occasional bout of zigzagging. I do see refueling activities underway on the 6th, when USS Chester was topping up Gridley's tanks. Possibly the 'line' that Toll refers to was a refueling line that got sucked into the Northampton's propeller race.
I also looked at the logbooks that I could find and found the same ones that you did. But I did see that the USS Salt Lake City also refueled the USS Ellet on Dec. 6th that you didn't mention.
That's some excellent research guys! Thank you
The best source would be the Northampton’s logs. For an event like that, if it’s not there it probably didn’t happen.
True enough, but how readily accessible are the logs? If they are not online then a trip to the archives is necessary to review them. Older documents are often 'hit-or-miss' if they are online.
@@washingtonradio quite a few logs are available for many ships but you have to really look around for them. The Northampton's logs that would have had the incident recorded in them are lost to history as they went down with the ship in 1942, and if they were copied at some point, the copies are lost
We all know that Enterprise was delayed returning because she was diverted south to investigate preposterous reports of a mysterious giant aircraft carrier referring to itself as "USS Nimitz," that was possibly testing rocket planes in the area. 😁
This does seem to be the most plausible explanation :)
And to look for a missing motor yacht containing United States 'Senator' Samuel Chapman as a passenger. He was never found.
Obviously, President Roosevelt conspired with Poseidon to whip up a storm to delay Enterprise, but just to be sure, he also had a sailor "accidentally" drop a line, which Ariel the mermaid wrapped around the screw to foul Northampton so the Enterprise could avoid being sunk in the attack he allowed to happen because Roosevelt was not only in league with the Imperial Japanese Navy, but the gods of the sea.
You forgot to mention that it was Hunter Biden's fault.
Love it! 😂
Toll's take on Enterprise's late arrival feels authentic because it's the right mix of plausible and mundane. It's like narrowly dodging a disaster because of a flat tire.
Enterprise (CV-6) was the closest to the attack, some 215 miles or so off the island of Oahu, HI. Lexington (CV-2) as stated, en route to Midway, and Saratoga (CV-3) was arriving/in San Diego, North Island, CA. Yorktown (CV-5), Ranger (CV-4), and Wasp (CV-7) were in the Atlantic fleet. Recently commissioned Hornet (CV-8) was still pending its shakedown cruise in Norfolk, VA. Langley (CV-1), now a seaplane tender was off Cavite in the Philippines.
Yes in San Francisco. Okay she comes from San Francisco
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing that.
There was an old guy that I worked with 40 years ago. He claimed he was on the Enterprise and he told me the same story. I never heard it from anyone else.
Of the nine destroyers with Task Force 8, I can only find two of their logbooks for Dec. 6th, USS Balch (DD-363) and USS Gridley (DD-380). Neither of them had any notes that reflect anything that could relate to this accident.
Did you try to check the ships' logs? They should be preserved and would clearly answer the question of authenticity. If you have not checked these resources, then you published too soon. Even if the line tangle is not mentioned, noting the navigation positions and composition of ships in formation are additional sources that could confirm or deny the story.
I heard the same story while I was in the Navy. But the North Hampton log would verify that. Like most of the other people have said so far. This was back in the 80s when I heard it. From the guy that was in charge of giving the diver test in Orlando FL. We were talking about what we would be doing at divers when he told the story. I was not able to be a diver do to have knee surgery 2 years before that time. You can not dive from 5 years after knee surgery. So I didn't get any more on this subject.
You often stumble upon, I come to you to find out. It sounds like a common annoyance, so why log it? Although, a ship's log is meant to be complete. Thanks much. Have a pleasant weekend.
The big E. True legend
What a tantalizing video! The title did immediately pull me in, so it was effective at least in my case (though I watch everything you post anyway).
It has me wondering if the _USD Northampton's_ logbooks are available, that would serm the easiest way to confirm the anecdote. Which of course makes me wonder if logbooks are copied periodically or if hers are at the bottom.
More like a simple twist of fate.
My father was on "The Big E" when it returned to Pearl Habor, after the 7th December attack.
I doubt the accident story happened. The logs of Northampton, as well as the logs of the group commander, and most likely Enterprise, would make mention of such an event.
In short, Lucky E.
This is an interesting bit of info and something to search for. There were other factors that happened that weekend that would have kept the task force out of the Pearl area until later in the day, has anyone come across which DD split a seam in stormy seas thus slowing the group?
Logs of ANY ship in that Task Force (16?) would have an answer. Don't limit yourself to NORTHAMPTON since her logs for Dec 1941 might be next to the Indiana Jones Lost Ark of the Covenant.🤣
It would’ve been under Task Force 8.
No accident, just a tiny conspiracy!
Ship's Logs are not available on-line. They must be requested, in writing, from NARA, or researched in person. Either way, it should confirm or refute the story.
This story should be easy to confirm by checking Northampton's and Enterprise's logbooks. An incident like this and a change of scheduling would be mentioned in the ships log. You might also check the logbooks for Pearl harbor operations as they would need to know when to dispatch the tugboats and clear certain berthing docks for Enterprise's task group.
Craven and Northampton collided one Week after Pearl.
it would have been quite impossible. because at that time Pearl Harbor still had a full house. and was still closed. the reason was the Nevada. she had just tried to run out. But this was hardly successful and so she ran aground. because if she were torpedoed right there and sunk there, Pearl would have been tight.
I read once, many years ago, that they slowed down due to bad weather. I can't remember my source I'm afraid & I've never heard the fouled prop excuse.
Enterprise coming home as she sails into Pearl, only to find the harbor on fire, ships sunk, and hundreds dead while Arizona burns and mourns her dead. *readies for war and slowly turns to face west towards the Pacific and Japan across the sea* “You’ll have wished that storm killed me. That I was here to be sunk in your raid. Because Heaven or Hell won’t save you from me”.
So what you're saying is that the Enterprise got shafted.
3:39 You don't know which destroyer dropped the line, but that is checkable, is it not?
You must know, or there are records, of which destroyers (plural) were with the Big E on that mission.
Find the roster and check THEIR records.
Heard two stories, one is weather and second is something about refueling the destroyers.
When I woch battl 360. Enterprise was in a bad storm and a destroyer run out of Fuel enterprise had to stop and read fuel the destroyer