Cunningham, Lee, or Mikawa in a night action

With equal forces and crews, would you rather face Mikawa, Lee, or Cunningham at night?

Mikawa is the preferred opponent, because Cunningham's close-range discipline and experience and Lee's gunnery make the alternatives especially threatening.

Mikawa is the preferred opponent among the three, with Cunningham judged the most dangerous and Lee another unwelcome choice. Cunningham's willingness to wait for a close, decisive firing position would leave little opportunity to recover from his opening salvo. Lee's handling of Washington against Kirishima, once clear of South Dakota, provides another example of effective night gunnery. Cunningham also had more experience of night actions, supported by Royal Navy training that included free-play fleet exercises. American and Japanese prewar preparation had not fully anticipated the conditions they would meet in wartime.