Aaron 'Tip' Merrill is credited with being the first admiral to use radar alone for wartime fire control without visual confirmation. His earlier commands included destroyers and the battleship USS Indiana. After completing the Naval War College senior course in 1938-39, he commanded Destroyer Division 8 and then taught naval science and tactics at Tulane University. That background combined modern destroyer experience with sustained study of science and tactics. His technical enthusiasm makes him a useful comparison with the better-known radar-gunnery specialist Willis Lee.
Chapter · 53:39-56:23
Aaron Merrill's path to radar-directed gunnery
Merrill's destroyer service, war-college study, teaching, and battleship command explain why Task Force 39 had an admiral prepared to fight wholly by radar.