GregGleason
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On December 23, 1909, the battleship USS Utah (BB-31) was launched from a shipyard in Camden, New Jersey. In the early 1930s, the navy converted her into a target ship. During that decade, the nascent US Army Air Corp was inventing itself on how to be used in combat. In the preceding decade, William Billy Mitchell was an Army general (at that time, of the US Army Air Service) became a zealous preacher of air dominance (and proved it by sinking the German battleship Ostfriesland by aerial bombardment), but his abrasive style of communication was off putting to many and was later court-martialed for insubordination. However, he made a few disciples that believed in his doctrine. One of them being a young army officer by the name of Curtis LeMay. While some cadets learning to fly chose pursuit aircraft (the term of the day for fighters), LeMay saw that the real impact and future were with bombers.
The army wanted to have good publicity about their capabilities. The army thought an exercise to display their offensive skills, since they were primarily viewed in Washington as more of a defensive arm of the service. So in August 1937 an inter-service operation was created and called Joint Exercise Number Four, but became known as the Utah Exercise. The army was to locate the USS Utah in the Pacific between San Francisco and Los Angeles and bomb it water bombs, and do so within a 24-hour span. Robert Olds (who was the father of the legendary pilot Robin Olds) picked Lemay to be the lead navigator on a flight of B-17 sent to locate the ship. It would be a good test of both the navigational and bombing skills of the Air Corps.
The navy radioed the flight of bombers the coordinates and LeMay laid a course to intercept. At the appointed time to intercept, there was nothing but open water. After a fruitless search of the area, darkness fell and the bombers began their return home. During the flight back, Olds communicated his displeasure to LeMay and wanted him to find that ship the next day. But while LeMay was dismayed, he was sure of his calculations and told Olds when they would see the lights of San Francisco. On cue, the lights of San Francisco appeared and then Olds asked why then they hadnt found the ship. LeMay thought they were given the wrong coordinates. As LeMay slept that night, Olds chased down the information that the navy had indeed supplied them with the wrong coordinates, which were off by only one degree. But at that distance, one degree meant a difference of being 60 miles off the mark.
Armed with that information, the planes took off again. The navy gave the coordinates, but by LeMays calculations they would intercept after time had expired. Dejected, they continued on with the exercise to at least intercept the ship. The planes fanned out and with just ten minutes remaining, the Utah was located. After confirmation, the planes bombed the ship resulting in three direct hits before the deadline. It was discovered that the navy had again sent the wrong coordinates to the army, but the degree worked in their favor this time by shortening the distance and allowing the bombers to find their mark in time.
Afterwards, the navy discounted the meaning of the exercise because the aircraft came out of the clouds and did not have time for evasive maneuvers. Olds saw his opportunity and challenged the navy to another contest the following day. The army would give them the exact time they would attack, but this time do so from a higher altitude agreeable to the navy. So the next day the army B-17s took off again and at the prescribed moment at 8,000 feet, the water ordnance left the bomb bays and again hit the Utah while it took evasive action.
That experience left LeMay with bad feelings about the navy that lasted his entire career. Much later when LeMay wrote his memoirs, he could only find two sentences about the exercise in official journals. All the photographic evidence was gone as well.
A little over four years after the Utah Exercise ended, the Utah was moored in Pearl Harbor. Early one Sunday morning, bombs again struck the Utah from the air. But this time they were not water bombs as part of a friendly exercise. They were high explosives dropped by the Empire of Japan.
Today, part of the Utah can be seen above the water as it rests on the bottom of Pearl Harbor.
Distilled from "Curtis LeMay: Strategist and Tactician" by Warren Kozak.
Greg
The army wanted to have good publicity about their capabilities. The army thought an exercise to display their offensive skills, since they were primarily viewed in Washington as more of a defensive arm of the service. So in August 1937 an inter-service operation was created and called Joint Exercise Number Four, but became known as the Utah Exercise. The army was to locate the USS Utah in the Pacific between San Francisco and Los Angeles and bomb it water bombs, and do so within a 24-hour span. Robert Olds (who was the father of the legendary pilot Robin Olds) picked Lemay to be the lead navigator on a flight of B-17 sent to locate the ship. It would be a good test of both the navigational and bombing skills of the Air Corps.
The navy radioed the flight of bombers the coordinates and LeMay laid a course to intercept. At the appointed time to intercept, there was nothing but open water. After a fruitless search of the area, darkness fell and the bombers began their return home. During the flight back, Olds communicated his displeasure to LeMay and wanted him to find that ship the next day. But while LeMay was dismayed, he was sure of his calculations and told Olds when they would see the lights of San Francisco. On cue, the lights of San Francisco appeared and then Olds asked why then they hadnt found the ship. LeMay thought they were given the wrong coordinates. As LeMay slept that night, Olds chased down the information that the navy had indeed supplied them with the wrong coordinates, which were off by only one degree. But at that distance, one degree meant a difference of being 60 miles off the mark.
Armed with that information, the planes took off again. The navy gave the coordinates, but by LeMays calculations they would intercept after time had expired. Dejected, they continued on with the exercise to at least intercept the ship. The planes fanned out and with just ten minutes remaining, the Utah was located. After confirmation, the planes bombed the ship resulting in three direct hits before the deadline. It was discovered that the navy had again sent the wrong coordinates to the army, but the degree worked in their favor this time by shortening the distance and allowing the bombers to find their mark in time.
Afterwards, the navy discounted the meaning of the exercise because the aircraft came out of the clouds and did not have time for evasive maneuvers. Olds saw his opportunity and challenged the navy to another contest the following day. The army would give them the exact time they would attack, but this time do so from a higher altitude agreeable to the navy. So the next day the army B-17s took off again and at the prescribed moment at 8,000 feet, the water ordnance left the bomb bays and again hit the Utah while it took evasive action.
That experience left LeMay with bad feelings about the navy that lasted his entire career. Much later when LeMay wrote his memoirs, he could only find two sentences about the exercise in official journals. All the photographic evidence was gone as well.
A little over four years after the Utah Exercise ended, the Utah was moored in Pearl Harbor. Early one Sunday morning, bombs again struck the Utah from the air. But this time they were not water bombs as part of a friendly exercise. They were high explosives dropped by the Empire of Japan.
Today, part of the Utah can be seen above the water as it rests on the bottom of Pearl Harbor.
Distilled from "Curtis LeMay: Strategist and Tactician" by Warren Kozak.
Greg
