Word: ton
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Clinging resolutely to the strategies of the past, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had recently sent to Singapore one of Britain's newest and biggest battleships, the 35,000-ton H.M.S. Prince of Wales, with the battle cruiser Repulse and the new carrier Indomitable. But the Indomitable ran aground off Jamaica, so when Admiral Sir Tom Phillips proudly set forth from Singapore to break up the Japanese invasion to the north, he scoffed at the critical need for air support, following his antiquated conviction that "bombers were no match for battleships...
...absurd errors. Several Japanese planes tried unsuccessfully to land on the deck of the Yorktown; several American pilots tried unsuccessfully to bomb the cruiser Australia. In the first U.S. attack on a major Japanese warship, though, bombers from the Lexington and the Yorktown trapped and sank the 12,000-ton light carrier Shoho; nearly 700 of her 900 crewmen went down with her. Lieut. Commander Robert Dixon triumphantly radioed, "Dixon to carrier, scratch one flattop...
...dawn the next morning, both fleets sent off their planes again. The Yorktown's bombers started a fuel fire on the Shokaku, but were chased by fighters. Though the Lexington and the Yorktown similarly fought off Japanese bombers, a mysterious explosion in the generator room crippled the 42,000-ton Lexington. THIS SHIP NEEDS HELP, said the banner run up her mainmast. In late afternoon, the captain gave the order to abandon ship...
Yamamoto, who had stayed in Japan during Pearl Harbor, took personal command of this huge armada. His flagship was the largest battleship in creation, the 64,000-ton Yamato, whose 18.1-in. guns had a range of more than 25 miles. His carrier chief was once again Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, the Pearl Harbor commander who had gone on to wreak havoc on the British fleet. With virtually no losses, Nagumo's planes had bombed British bases at Darwin, Australia, and Colombo, Ceylon; sunk the carrier Hermes and two cruisers; and driven the Royal Navy all the way across...
...from Santa Fe to Washington this week, heads may turn. After all, it's not every day a gargantuan blue spruce is moved from the forests of northern New Mexico to the groomed lawns of Capitol Hill. This is the first year a living tree -- complete with a 40-ton root ball -- will serve as the nation's Christmas symbol. The 60-ft. giant will be garnished with strings of chili-pepper lights and 10,000 handmade ornaments from New Mexico, including silver coyotes, miniature pueblos, tin stars and brass jewelry...