[Sidebar (page 7):]Naval SupportTheinfantry assault units in the Marshalls operations were carried by an incredible array of ships designed to perform very specialized functions. Also included were converted destroyers. The amphibian tractors carried the invading Marines in to the beaches, supplemented by the older ramped landing craft. Added to these were a jumble of acronyms: LCI, LST, LSM, etc., for infantry, rockets, tanks, and trucks.No landings would have been successful, however, without the crucial support of naval gunfire and aerial bombardment. The fast task force that roamed the Pacific and the support groups which stood off the island objectives were visual proof of the deadly striking power that had been reborn in the U.S. Navy in the two years since the debacle at Pearl Harbor. Nearly all the old, slow battleships which had lain shattered in the mud were back in action, and now were joined by brand new, fast counterparts, and the familiar old peacetime carriers were now supplemented by a steady flow of new fleet carriers and the innovation of smaller escort carriers.This is the roll call of the ships which poured in their fire before and during the landings:Battleships:Tennessee(BB 13),Colorado(BB 45),Maryland(BB 46),Pennsylvania(BB 38),Idaho(BB 42),New Mexico(BB 40), andMississippi(BB 41).Heavy Cruisers:Louisville(CA 28),Indianapolis(CA 35),Portland(CA 33),Minneapolis(CA 36),San Francisco(CA 38), andNew Orleans(CA 32).Light Cruisers:Santa Fe(CL 60),Mobile(CL 63), andBiloxi(CL 80).Carriers:Saratoga(CV 3),Princeton(CVL 23),Langley(CVL 28),Enterprise(CV 6),Yorktown(CV 10),Belleau Wood(CVL 24),Intrepid(CV 11),Essex(CV 9),Cabot(CVL 27),Cowpens(CVL 25),Monterey(CVL 26), andBunker Hill(CV 17), plus six escort carriers.Destroyers: The Kwajalein Atoll landings had 40 in direct support.
[Sidebar (page 7):]
Theinfantry assault units in the Marshalls operations were carried by an incredible array of ships designed to perform very specialized functions. Also included were converted destroyers. The amphibian tractors carried the invading Marines in to the beaches, supplemented by the older ramped landing craft. Added to these were a jumble of acronyms: LCI, LST, LSM, etc., for infantry, rockets, tanks, and trucks.
No landings would have been successful, however, without the crucial support of naval gunfire and aerial bombardment. The fast task force that roamed the Pacific and the support groups which stood off the island objectives were visual proof of the deadly striking power that had been reborn in the U.S. Navy in the two years since the debacle at Pearl Harbor. Nearly all the old, slow battleships which had lain shattered in the mud were back in action, and now were joined by brand new, fast counterparts, and the familiar old peacetime carriers were now supplemented by a steady flow of new fleet carriers and the innovation of smaller escort carriers.
This is the roll call of the ships which poured in their fire before and during the landings:
Battleships:Tennessee(BB 13),Colorado(BB 45),Maryland(BB 46),Pennsylvania(BB 38),Idaho(BB 42),New Mexico(BB 40), andMississippi(BB 41).
Heavy Cruisers:Louisville(CA 28),Indianapolis(CA 35),Portland(CA 33),Minneapolis(CA 36),San Francisco(CA 38), andNew Orleans(CA 32).
Light Cruisers:Santa Fe(CL 60),Mobile(CL 63), andBiloxi(CL 80).
Carriers:Saratoga(CV 3),Princeton(CVL 23),Langley(CVL 28),Enterprise(CV 6),Yorktown(CV 10),Belleau Wood(CVL 24),Intrepid(CV 11),Essex(CV 9),Cabot(CVL 27),Cowpens(CVL 25),Monterey(CVL 26), andBunker Hill(CV 17), plus six escort carriers.
Destroyers: The Kwajalein Atoll landings had 40 in direct support.