Traditional night steaming in line ahead helped ships follow one another, but it left only the leading destroyer free to fire directly forward. A plan-position indicator could track friendly ships as well as targets, allowing Jones's force to spread into paired line-abreast formations while maintaining station in darkness. Four Tribal-class destroyers abreast could point sixteen 4.7-inch guns toward the enemy. Radar now controlled the formation and concentrated its forward firepower as well as detecting targets. The display and its station-keeping method mattered as much tactically as detection range.
Notable Point · 8:23-11:22
Radar enables a line-abreast destroyer attack
Plan-position radar let Jones's destroyers keep station abreast at night and bring far more forward firepower onto an approaching enemy.