Pacific distances and generally favorable visibility encouraged long-range gunnery and made early contact especially valuable. That advantage remained conditional before radar: darkness, storms, and even moderately rough seas could deny the visibility and platform stability required for such shooting. The US Navy created a scouting force first associated with Lexington-class battlecruisers and later centered on the converted aircraft carriers. Eight-inch-gun cruisers and their floatplanes expanded the number of eyes searching across the ocean. Doctrine preferred several aircraft shadowing a contact so commanders could build a reliable picture of each enemy formation. That information told the navy which force to send and where to send it. The slower standard-type battleships could then arrive as the battle force's hammer instead of searching blindly for a faster opponent.
Chapter · 55:14-58:11
US cruiser scouts locate targets for the battle force
American cruiser aviation expands the scouting force's search area so slower standard battleships can be directed toward a known enemy.