Mikawa launched float planes to scout the locations of the American ships and to provide illumination once the battle began. Chicago fought damage while continuing to engage until contact with the enemy was lost. As a result, tactical command of the Southern Group fell to Captain Howard Bode, CO of Chicago, which was in trail behind HMAS Canberra. Fighters from the nearby carrier Enterprise provided CAP for the wounded cruiser as she tried to make her way away from the battle area. But Bode’s mistakes were still mistakes. While others certainly deserve a share of the blame. At the Battle of Savo Island, Captain Bode commanded USS Chicago (CA-29). No real blame there (at least for Bode). This place seems to be filled with military history experts (buffs?) Did Captain Bode (USS Chicago) really screw up at Guadacanal. They hadn’t done nearly the nighttime training the Japanese had. At the approximate time of the Patterson ’s warning message, Astoria ’s Officer of the Deck Burkey was acknowledging a course change from the Vincennes over TBS radio. It is likely none of this would have mattered. Indeed, as I said in 2012 there was far more than enough blame to go around, but yes, Bode really did fuck up that badly at Savo Island. The American strike was launched at what was identified as “two carriers and four heavy cruisers” and turned out to only be the light carrier Shoho of the screening force. But a US court of inquiry couldn’t very well censure a RN flag officer. Chicago took a torpedo and a gun hit with little damage, and was saved further hits when she saw the trail ship of Mikawa's force and went after it, sailing in the opposite direction of the attacking force. Chicago's captain, Howard D. Bode, was ashore when his ship opened fire. Yes, he really did screw up badly at Guadalcanal. Pearl Harbor at least had the excuse of having occurred during peacetime; at Savo Island the USN allowed itself to be taken completely unawares by the Japanese in a forward combat zone after 9 months of war and lost five heavy cruisers and inflicted negligible damage to the Japanese in return. air recon. Captain Bode (former commander of the USS Chicago: 01/17/1942 - 12/1942 ) shot himself in Panama after being censured by the Navy for failing to take appropriate actions in warning the fleet of enemy contact in the first Battle of Savo Island. But Bode still had a responsibility to the remaining Allied forces that he ignored. Captain Bode of the Chicago was under the false impression that his radar would give away his position. There were communications failures all over the place, both strategic, and tactical. Once the Japanese were spotted and engaged. After coming back aboard on his ship, he initially accused all the officers of being drunk. Chicago then lost sight of the enemy ship and was left without an enemy to pursue. In a position to intercept enemy surface units which attempted to attack Port Moresby, Chicago also provided cover for the arrival of American troops on New Caledonia. Chicago was launched on 10 April 1930 by Mare Island Naval Shipyard, sponsored by Miss E. Britten; and commissioned on 9 March 1931, Captain Manley Hale Simons in command. It is telling that the Japanese spotted three separate individual destroyers (Blue, Ralph Talbot, Jarvis) prior to opening up on Canberra. From 7–9 August, she supported the initial landings on Guadalcanal and others of the Solomon Islands, beginning the US counter-offensive against Japan. [9] Chicago continued to operate out of San Pedro until 29 September 1940, when she sailed to Pearl Harbor. [7] The vessel was repaired at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, departing there on 24 March 1934. One commander (for whatever reason) thinks his counterparts know what he knows (or can see), and doesn’t think to send detailed messages. Was it One became entangled in an anti-submarine boom net, and two were able to pass through. Bode managed not to get a single message out to the group he has in command of, or to any of the other groups. Looking back at this thread one thing I notice was never explicitly mentioned was that in addition to all his other failures in turning tail with the Chicago and running away sailing west for 40 minutes he was leaving behind the transports he was assigned to protect. Bode also had priors- he was a martinet - disliked by his officers and had accused them of being drunk during the midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour. On August 7, 1942, Allied forces (primarily U.S. Marines) landed on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida Island in the eastern Solomon Islands. Early in the engagement a hit from a Japanese destroyer's torpedo caused minor damage to the ship's bow. For all those interested in the titanic struggle between the United States Navy and the powerful navy of Imperial Japan, The Bode Testament is a must read. He ordered the senior skipper of the Southern Force, USS Chicago’s Captain Howard Bode, to take charge, saying, “I may or may not be back later,” and … [18] Details of the battle emerged in US newspapers as early as 16 February 1943. It also doesn’t help that while the Japanese were operating with a preexisting cruiser division with extensive combined training, the Allies were operating with a multinational force of ships that had never sailed together and commanders who had never operated with their subordinates. As will be shown later, this would turn out to be a crucial mistake. by so many officers that it is unfair to assign so much of the blame to Captain Commander Walker on the Patterson, put his crew on condition 2, just like most of the rest of the fleet. But yes the nighttime engagement made things a lot worse for the Allies. [5], After a shakedown cruise to Honolulu, Tahiti and American Samoa, Chicago departed Mare Island on 27 July 1931 and sailed to the east coast, arriving at Fort Pond Bay, New York, on 16 August. After the battle, upon learning that he was to be censured for his actions, Captain Bode shot … On 7 May, she proceeded, with the Support Group, to intercept and attack the Japanese Port Moresby invasion group. On 27 January, she sailed from Nouméa to escort a Guadalcanal convoy. He gave no orders regarding dispositions for the night. Mikawa withdrew. Former Captain Howard D. Bode's actions during the Battle of Savo Island were questioned in a US Navy inquiry headed by Admiral Hepburn. (This accounts for a lot of commanders assuming that there was no surface action imminent.). late night meeting back at the transport anchorage just as the Japanese Significantly, Captain Bode never warned--11-- The bridge of any ship is where the captain commands the rest of the crew. [16], The Japanese widely publicized the results of the engagement, claiming to have sunk two battleships and three cruisers. On the night of the 29th, as the ships approached that bitterly contested island, Japanese aircraft attacked the force and the Battle of Rennell Island was underway. USS Chicago is a Los Angeles-class submarine, the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city of Chicago, Illinois. Captain Howard Bode of the Chicago, left in charge of the south force by Crutchley, failed to send out a warning to Captain Riefkohl aboard the Vincennes. But he specifically warned his night crew to expect combat, and personally took the night watch. Chicago received three battle stars. As it did so, both Chicago and Canberra were illuminated by aerial flares. Crutchley probably did not leave much of a “pass down” for Bode before he (Crutchley) left the area to go meet with Turner. McCain, commanding the land based air assets in the Solomon’s area, didn’t conduct the air searches over the Slot on the previous afternoon as requested, and didn’t tell anyone that he couldn’t. But Allies still had 3 cruisers and 11 destroyers unengaged. Chicago did not get to fire her 203mm guns either, when she began a series of maneuvers undertaken to evade torpedoes. Even as aircraft flares blossomed over the Southern Group, and Canberra started her turn, few on Chicago figured out the facts. [10] Three Japanese midget submarines had attacked Sydney Harbour. This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. identified the Japanese strike force (they underestimated it’s strength). [15] A final attack force of Japanese torpedo bombers failed to find the remaining U.S. (Crutchley doesn’t escape either). Crutchley in particular should shoulder a lot of blame. Alas, confusion reigned on her bridge. The entry can be found here. I consider him to be the most culpable. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled. [19], Chicago received three battle stars for World War II service.[4]. By the time the first alert went out from the Patterson - “Warning! He was at a party. If you’re the only one who screwed up, you’re 100% responsible, but if someone else also screwed up, that doesn’t make you any *less *responsible. Captain Bode, (USS Chicago Actual) the guy left holding the bag in Crutchley's absence, was no Schley. Fletcher (carrier group admiral) withdrew his carriers for refueling, but his message didn’t reach Turner (supply transport admiral off Tulagi). ... USS_Chicago_(CL-29).jpg-- 89.199.55.113 13:20, 2 November 2008 (UTC) Return to "USS Chicago (CA-29)" page. You may want to re-read the original poster’s handle…. I came a way with the feeling that their were so many screw ups The last sweep before the engagement was too early to detect the Japanese forces. Associated Press, "Cost of Repairs to Cruiser $200,000", CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, "US Cruisers List: Light/Heavy/Antiaircraft Cruisers, Part 1", Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-c/ca29.htm, "Battle of Rennell Island: Setback in the Solomons", "US Destroyer, Cruiser Sunk in Solomons Battle", USS Chicago (CA-29, originally CL-29), 1931–1943, NavSource Online: Cruiser Photo Archive USS CHICAGO (CL/CA 29), List of cruisers of the United States Navy, Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1933, Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in January 1943, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_Chicago_(CA-29)&oldid=1003615607, World War II cruisers of the United States, World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean, United States Navy Illinois-related ships, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 8 × 5 in (127 mm)/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns, 2 × 3-pounder 47 mm (1.9 in) saluting guns, This page was last edited on 29 January 2021, at 21:07. 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