Doolittle Raid: who spotted the Hornet?

[Stephan Wilkinson]

The standard account is that a Japanese picket boat spotted Doolittle's carrier task force and caused the early launch.

I have now read, however, that a scouting SBD Dauntless spotted the picket boat well ahead of the task force and in turn was itself spotted, making it clear to the Japanese that an aircraft carrier had to be somewhere in the area. The SBD, forced to maintain radio silence, flew back to the task force and dropped a weighted message on the flight deck of the Enterprise.

Anybody know if there is any truth to this story?

[Ken]

While I've read tons of Doolittle stuff, I haven't in the past 20 yrs and don't recall if I've heard that nuance before or not. The first question that comes to mind is time of day/daylight. Would an SBD have patrolled at night?

Ken

[dred]

Just curious, is it possible it was simply a lone fishing boat, and the situation required the US force to assume it was a Japanese picket and act accordingly? Is it possible to know for sure?

[RyanShort1]

The standard account is that a Japanese picket boat spotted Doolittle's carrier task force and caused the early launch.

I have now read, however, that a scouting SBD Dauntless spotted the picket boat well ahead of the task force and in turn was itself spotted, making it clear to the Japanese that an aircraft carrier had to be somewhere in the area. The SBD, forced to maintain radio silence, flew back to the task force and dropped a weighted message on the flight deck of the Enterprise.

Anybody know if there is any truth to this story?

Naval aircraft and radar did spot the pickets first, but the actual message the Nitto Maru sent off was the they'd spotted three carriers and the location. There is a work of historical fiction out there that indicates more, but I have my doubts that it's in any way accurate.

http://www.cv6.org/1942/doolittle/doolittle.htm
http://www.combinedfleet.com/Awata_t.htm
https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by- ... -raid.html

Here are the official Enterprise logs:

http://www.cv6.org/ship/logs/action19420418-19.htm
http://www.cv6.org/ship/logs/action19420418-88.htm

"At 0508 fighter patrol and search flight were launched. At 0715 one search plane returned and, by message drop, reported sighting an enemy patrol vessel in Latitude 36° 04' North and Longitude 153° 10' East at 0558 and that he believed he had been seen. Later developments indicate that this vessel made the original contact report.

At 0744 an enemy patrol vessel was sighted bearing 221°T., distance approximately 10,000 yards. There was no doubt now that our force had been detected and almost certainly had been reported. NASHVILLE was ordered to sunk the patrol vessel by gunfire as the carriers turned into the wind (320°T., 26 knots); HORNET to launch Army B-25's for attack and ENTERPRISE to relieve patrol.s The first Army bomber was launched at 0820 approximately 650 miles from Tokyo, and the last one was off at 0921. At 0927 the Force commenced retirement on course 090°T., speed 25 knots."

[RyanShort1]

Just curious, is it possible it was simply a lone fishing boat, and the situation required the US force to assume it was a Japanese picket and act accordingly? Is it possible to know for sure?

No, the Nashville captured 5 of the crew and radar and aircraft sightings indicated quite conclusively that it was a very effective picket line.

[Stephan Wilkinson]

"At 0508 fighter patrol and search flight were launched. At 0715 one search plane returned and, by message drop, reported sighting an enemy patrol vessel in Latitude 36° 04' North and Longitude 153° 10' East at 0558 and that he believed he had been seen. Later developments indicate that this vessel made the original contact report.

Ryan, thank you, that was exactly the answer I needed. (I'm doing an SBD article for Aviation History Magazine.)

[dred]

Just curious, is it possible it was simply a lone fishing boat, and the situation required the US force to assume it was a Japanese picket and act accordingly? Is it possible to know for sure?

No, the Nashville captured 5 of the crew and radar and aircraft sightings indicated quite conclusively that it was a very effective picket line.

Thanks!

[RyanShort1]

"At 0508 fighter patrol and search flight were launched. At 0715 one search plane returned and, by message drop, reported sighting an enemy patrol vessel in Latitude 36° 04' North and Longitude 153° 10' East at 0558 and that he believed he had been seen. Later developments indicate that this vessel made the original contact report.

Ryan, thank you, that was exactly the answer I needed. (I'm doing an SBD article for Aviation History Magazine.)

Then you might like this:

https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-t ... elltitem=5
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/2 ... out-radios
https://www.usapatriotism.org/articles/usn/navy0171.htm

Apparently at 2:48 this is the actual SBD drop on the Enterprise...

https://youtu.be/mE9P6NCFl7o?t=165
https://archive.org/details/NPC-1703

I think I've seen a still photo somewhere...

Last edited by RyanShort1 on Sat Jan 02, 2021 12:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Dan Jones]

So had they not been detected early, was the original plan for the raid to have been for Doolittle to take off from the Hornet on the afternoon of the 18th, bomb Tokyo just at dusk, then have the others launch in the late afternoon, bomb Doolittle's fires in the dark, and then be in China and find their airfields after daybreak on the 19th?

[RyanShort1]

So had they not been detected early, was the original plan for the raid to have been for Doolittle to take off from the Hornet on the afternoon of the 18th, bomb Tokyo just at dusk, then have the others launch in the late afternoon, bomb Doolittle's fires in the dark, and then be in China and find their airfields after daybreak on the 19th?

Well, they might have used Doolittle's fires for navigation, but that wouldn't be a great bet. They actually had quite a list of targets over a pretty good area.

https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/re ... ry_20.html


Source: https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/re ... y_20-2.gif