Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 24:56-25:37

Would Ise and Hyuga fare better than HMS Glorious?

The retained 14-inch guns might help the Japanese hybrids in a sudden surface encounter, but a functioning carrier air group should strike before the battleships can close.

Carrier DoctrineGneisenauHMS GloriousHybrid CarriersIse Class BattleshipsScharnhorst
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Question

Would Ise and Hyuga have done better than HMS Glorious against Scharnhorst and Gneisenau?

Short answer

Probably in a sudden gun action, because their eight 14-inch guns could deter the German ships, but an effective carrier should attack the hybrids before they reach surface range.

Notes

Eight retained 14-inch guns might have allowed Ise or Hyuga to drive off Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in a sudden encounter like the one that destroyed HMS Glorious. In a carrier strike operation, however, Glorious could have attacked the Japanese hybrids before they reached gun range. Carrier reconnaissance and situational awareness also depended on maintaining an air patrol. The hybrids struggled to sustain that patrol and faced the additional interruption of stopping to recover floatplanes.