Night bombardment geometry creates a torpedo hazard

The cruisers planned to navigate by SG radar, form a column, and fire nearly simultaneously so their own gun flashes would not silhouette adjacent ships. Screening destroyers were assigned to suppress shore batteries and protect the bombardment force from submarines and patrol craft. Concentrated fire shortened the time spent in confined waters, while reports of enemy shipping led planners to prepare star shells before reaching the firing line. Yet the same straight firing run and shared turning point created exactly the predictable geometry a Japanese long-range torpedo attack could exploit.