The U.S. Cruiser Japan Couldn’t Explain

Japanese naval intelligence officers stare at puzzling battle reports flooding in from the Solomon Islands. Sailors from multiple ships at Cape Esperance and Guadalcanal swear they’ve witnessed the same incredible phenomenon: an enigmatic American light cruiser unleashing a continuous wall of fire, her muzzle flashes creating an almost solid line of light along her deck. Several of the Imperial Navy’s prized warships lay in ruins on the ocean floor, victims of this mysterious fire-spitting beast. Estimates suggest the vessel blasted over 1,500 shells in less than an hour. The officers exchange worried looks. This is impossible. No naval guns can be reloaded, aimed, and fired that quickly. The fastest rate ever achieved by their own crews is barely half that speed. The mere thought drained the color from their cheeks. The Americans must have developed a naval 6-inch machine gun. Or perhaps something even more deadly.