Battleships are hedgehogs. For months the U.S. Navy has used battleships as anti-aircraft ships in carrier task-force screens. The Japs know their worth. Last week, when Captain Thomas Leigh Catch's report on his battleship's part in two South Pacific battles was released, U.S. readers learned their worth as A.A. ships for the first time.
Over his ship's speaker system, Oct. 26, Captain Gatch asked his men if they were ready. Bulkheads rattled the shout of 2,000 men: "Aye, aye, sir!" The first attack lasted eight minutes. The enemy threw in 20 dive-bombers. The battleship spoke with all its voices: the...
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