If every Taffy 3 escort apart from the carriers were replaced by Tribal-class destroyers, how would the Japanese force fare?
Short answerJapanese cruisers would retain an advantage, but the Tribals would hit them with much more shellfire; no exact survival time is given.
NotesReplacing Taffy 3's escorts with Tribal-class destroyers would leave the Japanese cruisers with an advantage in size and armament. The Tribals would nevertheless deliver a much greater volume of shellfire than the historical escorts. No survival time or guaranteed outcome is assigned to the Japanese force. A story about Tribals firing baked beans at Italians supplies the accompanying joke about what they might fire at Japanese ships.