# How big of a threat were the American battleships at Pearl Harbor exactly?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-of-a-threat-were-the-american-battleships-at-pearl-harbor-exactly/837527>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 24, 2019, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-of-a-threat-were-the-american-battleships-at-pearl-harbor-exactly/837527 "2019-07-24T03:09:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![sps49sd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@sps49sd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sps49sd)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2019, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-of-a-threat-were-the-american-battleships-at-pearl-harbor-exactly/837527/21 "2019-07-29T06:07:20Z")

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> [@RickJay](#):
>
> … The Pacific War was a war that had to be won with a full fleet; battleships, destroyers, cruisers, minesweepers, submarines, aircraft carriers, support ships, torpedo boats, amphibious support vessels…

The USN used battleships in limited roles because they were extant, but could have done completely without them with the only effect that the Guadalcanal campaign would’ve lasted longer without Washington and South Dakota. In hindsight, of course, but Taranto should’ve been a big red flag. Pearl Harbor and especially Prince of Wales/ Repulse were late emphasis on what the USN should’ve known from the Fleet Problems.

> [@Corry\_El](#):
>
> …

That, too.

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**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2019, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-of-a-threat-were-the-american-battleships-at-pearl-harbor-exactly/837527/22 "2019-07-29T08:03:35Z")

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Agreed, but I’d go further. Without Lee’s battleships, Henderson would have suffered another pounding by Kirishima, but the Japanese supply convoy had already been decimated. The Japanese effort to hold Guadalcanal was already doomed.

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