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Originally Posted by seafarer
The valor at sea web site refers to WWII US naval charts this way:
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The navigational charts of the Pacific Ocean used by the U.S. Navy during WWII were old, outdated and often badly inaccurate. ONI (the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence) did however have fairly reliable information regarding the enemy's military and merchant shipping lanes.
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We know that many of the charts of the Atlantic were miles out of whack with reality, and even much of it had not been properly sounded for depth surveys. I'd image the Asia-Pacific waters were largely effectively uncharted, at least for the near-shore areas. |
Wow. I always figured the vast Pacific had some poorly charted areas, but the Atlantic too.:hmm:
It's interesting to note that the Solomons were so much fighting took place was virtually terra incognito prior to the war. Good maps and charts were hard to come by. Not surprisingly, it pretty quickly lapsed back into being a strategic backwater after the war.