Nashville escorted Hornet from the Atlantic coast through the Panama Canal and into the Pacific with sixteen B-25 bombers visible on the carrier's deck. Once destroyers detached because they lacked the fuel for the final high-speed approach, cruisers provided the carrier force's surface protection. Japanese picket boats detected the force, and Nashville helped clear the screen while Enterprise aircraft attacked another contact. The warning forced the bombers to launch about 150 miles early, making cruiser endurance and surface combat part of the Doolittle Raid's survival plan.
Chapter · 42:18-46:18
Nashville escorts Hornet for the Doolittle Raid
Nashville guarded Hornet from the Atlantic coast to the western Pacific and helped clear Japanese picket craft before the early launch of the Doolittle bombers.