Destroyer Division 46 received clearance to attack, but USS Foote interpreted the order to break into a torpedo position in the opposite direction from the rest of the division. While trying to rejoin, she repeatedly had to avoid contacts whose identity was uncertain in the darkness. A torpedo then blew off her stern, killing nineteen sailors and wounding seventeen. What began as a small communications misunderstanding kept the destroyer out of the planned attack and turned her crew's task into keeping the ship afloat. The episode shows that a night-fighting system depended on shared maneuvering language and disciplined formation work as much as radar or weapons.
Notable Point · 1:57:02-2:05:57
How one misunderstood order sidelined USS Foote
USS Foote broke in the wrong direction while assuming an attack position, became separated in the night action, and then lost her stern to a torpedo.