Bob, the big problem I have with the identification of that craft as the Houston is the position of the foremast flag arms. If that blob on top of the foremast is the Houston's covered lookout post, then the flag arms would be directly behind it. The Houston's topmasts were removed earlier, but the picture later taken in Darwin with the Peary (barely -- it must have been a bright day) shows the flag arms on the foremast directly behind the lookout post. The flag arms in this picture are well below the blob. The Houston had no flag arms at that position on the foremast, nor on the mainmast. If that ship is the Houston, those crossing flag arms simply should not be there.
Those flag arms appear to be at a position commensurate with the flag arms on the foremast of the Exeter, particularly when compared with the position of the stacks. If that is the case, then the blob on top of the foremast is not the Houston's lookout post, but probably a flag of some sort.
Agreed that the Houston's aft turret, which was gutted and disabled in this attack, was trained to port. The picture later taken of the Houston from the passing Marblehead at Tjilatjap shows the turret trained to port at about 45-60 degrees to the vertical, using the stern as the vertical. The Houston had tried to use its main armament to drive off her tormentors and detonate torpedoes in the water, which is why the turret was trained to port when the bomb struck. Given the damage to the turret (I can't quite tell, but the photos might show some major holes in the turret hidden by shadow) and its loss of electrical power (as related by Winslow), I can think of no reason why the crew would have tried to move the turret between the attack and arrival at Tjilatjap.
But if this picture shows a ship with a turret trained to starboard, could that also suggest that this ship may not be the Houston? I don't have the photo enhancement software, but is there any way to tell if the possible guns in the picture are from a 3-gun or a 2-gun turret?
Don't get me wrong. I WANT this to be a pic of the Houston, just because I'd appreciate a picture of the Houston in action, but I just don't see it here.