Quote:
Originally Posted by Olefin
I agree with you there - the San Jacinto should have never left Scapa Flow - there is literally no reason to tow it back to the US for repairs given that plan - and its relatively early in the war - i.e. its not like they are all out of parts already
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Thanks!
I envisioned that the damage from the Norwegian Sea and convoy battles was so extensive (as would be fitting a struggle that saw 80% of the Northern Fleet sunk) that the British repair facilities would be overwhelmed. I did have Scapa Flow as a forward repair base, with several USN and RFA depot ships, tugs and repair ships (and probably a floating drydock) stationed there, with the twofold mission of repairing minor damage to get ships back in the fight as quickly as possible and stabilizing heavily damaged ships so that they had enough structural integrity to survive transit to a full-capacity repair yard.
I agree that its risky to tow the ship through sub-infested waters, I'll attribute the decision to desperation to get a semi-premier asset back into service rather than have it languish at a British repair yard waiting for a berth.
And, frankly, I was trying to provide something a little more interesting than "the San Jacinto was sunk while on patrol!"
