American Sea Power In View

Missouri (BB-63) transferring men to Iowa (BB-61) while en-route to Japan, August 1945.

 

Escorted by the Nicholas (DD-449) and followed by the Iowa (BB-61), the Missouri (BB-63) steams up Tokyo Bay on 30 August 1945. Steaming to her anchorage in Tokyo Bay for the formal signing of the Japanese surrender, 29 August 1945. This photograph was flown to Washington, DC, directly from Japan, arriving on 2 September 1945, the day the Japanese surrender was signed.

USS Missouri (BB-63) with Iowa (BB-61), steam into Tokyo Bay.

“The Third Fleet at sea is scarcely ever visible in its entirety to a single observer, either on the surface or in the air. What one sees is the aspect of some of the other ships in one’s own task group. Occasionally, the whole fleet will rendezvous at a prearranged site and then one can see lines of ships disappearing over the horizon in all directions. However, while steaming back and forth some 300 miles southeast of Honshu during the twelve days between 15 August 1945 and the 27th (when the fleet entered Japanese waters) the most impressive sight to this observer was the confident form of the battleship Iowa (BB-61).” Destination Tokyo Bay by Standish Backus, #1 Watercolor on paper, 1945.

Looking down from the forecastle of the Iowa (BB-61) onto her main armament at Seattle Navy Base, October 1945.

USS Oklahoma, BB-37, 1932.

USS Oklahoma capsized at Pearl Harbor, December 1941.

USS Oklahoma during scrapping at Pearl Harbor, 1943.

The Navy attempts to right USS Oklahoma on March 19, 1943.

While observing the Battle of the Atlantic, U.S. Navy combat artist Lieutenant Commander Griffith Baily Coale witnessed the loss of the USS Reuben James, sunk by a U-boat before the United States was officially at war. He depicted the event in Like Black Shiny Seals in the Oil. Naval History and Heritage Command.

USS Cowpens rolls heavily during Typhoon Cobra, December 17, 1944.

USS Yorktown capsized and sinking, June 7, 1942.

USS Hornet in drydock at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Virginia, during completion, 17 September 1941.

USS Hornet, Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, 28 February 1942.

Broadside view of the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Altamaha (CVE-18) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 9 November 1943. USS Altamaha (AVG-18/ACV-18/CVE-18) was an escort aircraft carrier in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for the Altamaha River in Georgia.

Cruisers Astoria and Indianapolis before the war.

Cruiser Indianapolis sailing with President Franklin D. Roosevelt aboard.

Indianapolis at Tinian a few days before she was lost, 1945.

USS Atlanta CL-51.

USS Atlanta CL-51 steaming at high speed, probably during her trials, circa November 1941.

USS Augusta CA-31 anchored off Jolo, in the Philippines, 16 March 1940. Note her accommodation ladder, which faces forward; she was the only ship of the Northampton class that had this feature.

Augusta CA-31 off Normandy, 6 June 1944, while boats from Anne Arundel (AP-76) head for the beaches. A censor has retouched Augusta's radars, as well as certain items of equipment that appear to have been mounted in the landing boats.

USS Augusta CA-31 underway off Portland, Maine, 9 May 1945.

USS Biloxi CL-80. Photo is dated 19 February 1945, but was probably taken during the ship's shakedown cruise, circa October 1943.

Personnel inspection on the afterdeck of the Cleveland-class light cruiser USS Biloxi CL-80, during her shakedown period, circa October 1943. Note her aircraft catapults, with Curtiss SO3C-3 Seamew floatplanes on top, and her hangar hatch cover. October 1943.

USS Biloxi CL-80.

USS Biloxi CL-80 firing her 6"/47 main battery guns while steaming in a turn, during her shakedown cruise, October 1943.

Birmingham CL-62 off Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 21 January 1945.

USS Brooklyn CL-40 firing at German positions at Anzio.

Empty shell cases litter the deck near the forward 6"/47 gun turrets of USS Brooklyn CL-40, after she had bombarded Licata, Sicily, during the early hours of the invasion, 10 July 1943.

The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser Chester (CA-27) at anchor in Hampton Roads, Virginia, November 1930.

The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser Chester (CA-27) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, San Francisco, California, on 6 August 1942, following her first wartime overhaul.

The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser Chester (CA-27) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, after torpedo damage repairs and overhaul, 2 October 1943.

The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser Chester (CA-27) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, San Francisco, California, on 2 October 1943. She was in overhaul following torpedo damage at the shipyard from 15 September until 2 October 1943.

The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser Chester (CA-27) off San Francisco, California, following an overhaul, circa late May 1944. She wears camouflage measure 32, design 9d.

The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser Chester (CA-27) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, San Francisco, California, on 16 May 1945, following her last wartime overhaul.

The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser Chester (CA-27) being towed away from the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, on her way to be scrapped, circa 1959.

USS Chicago (CA-29) underway off New York City, during the 31 May 1934 fleet review.

USS Chicago in Brisbane, March 1941. Chicago, Northampton-class heavy cruiser on a goodwill visit to Brisbane by the U.S. Navy in 1941. This was the first visit of an American Naval Squadron to Brisbane during World War II. This was prior to the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

USS Cincinnati (CL-6) in New York Harbor, 22 March 1944.

Navy light cruiser USS Concord (CL-10) off Balboa, Panama Canal Zone, on 6 January 1943. Concord was assigned to the Southeast Pacific Force, escorted convoys, exercised in the Canal Zone, and cruised along the coast of South America and to the islands of the southeast Pacific, serving from time to time as flagship of her force.

USS Denver (CL-58) in a South Pacific harbor, 1943.

USS Denver, 1943. Taken at the same time as the previous photo.

USS Detroit (CL-8) off Port Angeles, Washington, on 14 April 1944. Her camouflage is Measure 33 Design 3d.

Japanese "I" Operation, April 1943. Ships of Task Force 18 in Tulagi Harbor, Solomon Islands, shortly before departing hurriedly to avoid the large-scale Japanese air attack that marked the beginning of the "I" Operation, 7 April 1943. Photographed from USS Fletcher (DD-445). USS Aaron Ward (DD-483) is partially visible at left. She was fatally damaged in this air attack and sank near Tulagi during salvage attempts. Light cruiser in center is USS Honolulu (CL-48). USS Saint Louis (CL-49) is behind her, to the right, with a Fletcher class destroyer beyond.

USS Houston (CA-30) ca. 1930.

Captain Albert H. Rooks, USN, Commanding Officer, Houston, photographed circa 1940-1941.

USS Louisville (CA-28) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 17 December 1943. Her camouflage scheme is probably Measure 32, Design 6d.

USS Louisville (CA-28), early 1930s.

USS Louisville (CA-28), 2 February 1938.

The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser Louisville (CA-28) steams out of Kulak Bay, Adak, Aleutian Islands, bound for operations against Attu, 25 April 1943. The photograph looks toward Sweepers Cove.

The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser Louisville (CA-28) is hit by a kamikaze in Lingayen Gulf, Philippine Islands, 6 January 1945.

The U.S. Navy light cruiser Marblehead (CL-12) underway in San Diego harbor, California, 10 January 1935.

USS Idaho fires the 14-inch/50 guns of Turret Three at nearly point-blank range, during the bombardment of Okinawa, 1 April 1945. Photographed from West Virginia (BB-48).

40mm guns firing aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12) on 16 February 1945, as the planes of Task Force 58 were raiding Tokyo. Note expended shells and ready-service ammunition at right.

A U.S. Army nurse surveys the damage aboard the hospital ship Comfort. Following a voyage to Subic Bay and Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, for evacuees in March 1945, the hospital ship stood by off Okinawa from 2 to 9 April, receiving wounded for evacuation to Guam. Returning to Okinawa 23 April, 6 days later she was struck by a Japanese suicide plane. The plane crashed through three decks exploding in surgery which was filled with medical personnel and patients. Casualties were 28 killed (including six nurses), and 48 wounded, with considerable damage to the ship. Comfort had been the first hospital ship with a U.S. Navy crew and a U.S. Army staff.

Enterprise underway toward Panama Canal, 10 October 1945.

USS Halligan (DD-584) slides down the ways at the Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts, 19 March 1943.

Lt. Robert S. Hurlbut, MC-V(G), USNR, Halligan’s medical officer, provides first aid for a pilot —evidence suggests perhaps Lt. (j.g.) Robert J. Currier, USNR — who has been rescued after a water landing (note aviator’s blown-up life vest collar). Hurlbut, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on New Year’s Day 1912, attended Harvard University and Harvard Medical School, and joined Halligan in August 1943. Curious crewmen surround them, while one sailor observes, pipe in hand (lower right).

USS Halligan approaching the USS Sargent Bay (CVE-83) on March 1, 1945, before delivering mail.

USS Halligan refueling from the USS Sargent Bay (CVE-83) on March 1, 1945. The official caption of this photo wrongly identifies this as USS Newcomb (DD-586). Compare details, such as the stains on the haze gray panel below the whaleboat, in this photo with the earlier view.

USS Halligan (DD-584) pulling away after delivering mail to USS Sargent Bay (CVE-83) on 1 March 1945, during the Iwo Jima Operation. Photographer: PH3 John M. Andrews. Halligan is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 1D.

An enlargement from a photo of an officially unidentified Fletcher class destroyer supporting the landing at Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. This is probably USS Halligan (DD-584) since the configuration matches based on analysis by Rick Davis and Halligan's history lists her 2700 yards offshore during the initial landings.

USS Wolverine at anchor in Lake Michigan in 1943.

Aircraft, including the Northrop P-61 Black Widow and Martin B-26 Marauder, being transported on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga.

Intrepid (CV-11) operating in the Philippine Sea in November 1944. Note F6F Hellcat fighter parked on an outrigger forward of her island.

Intrepid (CV-11) off Newport News, Virginia, on 16 August 1943, the day she went into commission.

Part of the anti-aircraft gun crew of the Battleship New Jersey (BB-62), watching helplessly, as a Japanese kamikaze plane prepares to strike the aircraft carrier Intrepid (CV-11) on 25 November 1944.

A kamikaze from Mabalacat in the Philippines strikes the carrier Intrepid (CV-11), 25 November 1944.

Intrepid (CV-11) after being hit by Japanese plane in suicide dive in the Pacific. Taken from New Jersey (BB-62). Smoke coming from Intrepid (CV-11), gunners at 40mm guns on board New Jersey (BB-62) in foreground. 25 November 1944.

Crewmen of the Intrepid fighting fires on the flight deck after a kamikaze strike.

Nov. 25, 1944: Wounded sailors are treated on the flight deck of the USS Intrepid after a Japanese suicide pilot crashed his plane on the carrier’s deck while it sailed off the coast of Luzon, the Philippines, during World War II.

Nov. 26, 1944: Burial at sea ceremonies are held aboard the USS Intrepid for members of the crew lost after the carrier was hit by a Japanese suicide pilot while operating off the coast of Luzon, the Philippines, during World War II. Sixteen men were killed in the kamikaze attack.

Burial at sea for the officers and men of the Intrepid (CV-11) who lost their lives when the carrier was hit by Japanese bombs during operations in the Philippines, 26 November 1944.

Intrepid (CV-11) afire, after she was hit by a kamikaze off Okinawa on 16 April 1945. Photographed from Alaska (CB-1), as a Fletcher class destroyer steams by in the foreground.

The keel of the Kentucky is seen being laid on 7 March 1942 at Norfolk Navy Yard. Work progressed until June 1942, when the completed section that would be the base for the machinery spaces was launched to clear the shipway for higher priority construction. This section remained at a nearby dock until work resumed over two years later.

Bottom structure is prepared for launching, at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, 10 June 1942. It was launched to clear the shipway for landing ship tank (LST) construction. Work was not resumed on Kentucky's hull for nearly thirty more months.

11 January 1945 photo of the Kentucky's construction showing a section of the triple bottom. The foundations are for boilers Nos. 5 and 6 in No. 3 boiler room and the bulkhead is located at frame 119.

The Kentucky on 11 June 1945. The carrier fitting out in the background is the Lake Champlain (CV-39).

4 July 1945 photo of the installation of the lower armor belt on the Kentucky. The pin brackets used to attach the upper belt to the lower belt are evident. While the first four ships of the class were completed with their upper and lower armored belts secured by key ways, the Illinois (BB-65) and Kentucky were designed with a pin securing arrangement.

4 July 1945 photo of the installation of the lower armor belt on the Kentucky. The pin brackets used to attach the upper belt to the lower belt are evident. While the first four ships of the class were completed with their upper and lower belts secured by key ways, the Illinois (BB-65) and Kentucky were designed with a pin. The 19 degree slope of the armor can be easily seen here.

7 September 1945 photo of the Kentucky's construction showing the torpedo defense system, as seen looking towards the bow. The lower armor belt has been installed to the No. 1 turret area of the ship, and forms Torpedo Bulkhead No. 3. Torpedo Bulkhead No. 2 is seen further aft (towards the camera) along with the framing supports for Torpedo Bulkhead No. 1.

7 September 1945 photo of the Kentucky's construction showing the 3 inch STS plate for Turret No. 2 lower barbette being fitted to the third deck.

22 October 1945 photo of the Kentucky's forward turrets showing the lower armor belt installed between them. Both barbettes appear to be mostly complete, awaiting the lower roller track and training rack installation while work is progressing on the main armor deck supports at this area of the ship.

4 February 1946 photo of the Kentucky as seen from the bow looking towards the stern. The twin rudder stock housings are easily seen in the foreground along with the port side lower armor belt and the aft torpedo defense system framing.

4 February 1946 photo of the Kentucky's construction looking aft from the bow area of the ship. The forward armor bulkhead is easily visible and consists of five pieces of armor attached to a lower sixth, not visible, horizontal piece. This bulkhead tapers from 14.5 inches thick at the top to 11.7 inches thick at the bottom. The first two ships of the class, Iowa (BB-61) and New Jersey (BB-62), had a thinner bulkhead here, tapering from 11.3 inches to 8.5. inches. Treaty restrictions were responsible for this difference and the armor had already been ordered for the two lead ships when these restrictions were lifted. The original, thinner armor provided only marginal protection at expected battle ranges and then only for oblique, not straight on shell hits.

Kentucky under construction at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia. Photograph was released for publication in February 1946.

The Kentucky's construction as seen on 26 March 1946 looking aft from the forward area of the ship. The lower belt is complete to the forward armor bulkhead and can be distinguished by the holes for the upper armored belt alignment pins.

The Kentucky's construction as seen on 26 March 1946 looking forward from the stern area of the ship. The after portion of the torpedo defense system can be seen here and the lower armor belt has been completed to the after armor bulkhead, just aft of Turret No. 3.

Kentucky under construction at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, 11 September 1946. Her construction was suspended five months later, on 17 February 1947.

The Kentucky's twin skegs as seen on 16 January 1950 just prior to her launching. The skeg mounted inner shaft tubes and the rudder posts are seen in this photo.

Kentucky is moved from her building dock at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia, circa 20 January 1950. The ship, completed only up to her second deck, was launched to clear the dry dock, so that Missouri (BB-63) could undergo repairs there following her 17 January 1950 grounding. Note that Kentucky upper bow section is stowed on her deck, immediately in front of her forward barbette.

Kentucky is moved from her building dock at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia, circa 20 January 1950. The ship, completed only up to her second deck, was launched to clear the dry dock, so that Missouri (BB-63) could undergo repairs for damage received when she went aground on 17 January 1950.

Ship's bow being transported on a large crane barge from Newport News, Virginia, to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, circa May-June 1956. It was used to repair Wisconsin (BB-64), which had been damaged in a collision on 6 May 1956. Tug closest to camera is Alamingo (YTB-227). Tug on other side of barge is Apohola (YTB-502).

Moored at Norfolk Navy Yard on 24 October 1956, the Kentucky is shown 72% complete and finished up to her second deck. She is missing her bow which was used to repair the Wisconsin (BB-64) after her 6 May 1955 collision with the Eaton (DD-510). The salvaged parts of the Wisconsin's bow and unused 5"/38 caliber gun mounts are stored on her deck.

The Kentucky was considered for a number of conversions including an anti-aircraft battleship and a guided missile battleship. She was finally declared surplus and struck from the Navy List on 9 June 1958. She is docking here at Norfolk Navy Yard on 16 July 1958 for removal of her engines prior to scrapping. The upper portion of her bow is forward of No. 1 barbette and the undamaged portion of the Wisconsin's (BB-64) bow is just aft. Note the gunhouses for her entire secondary battery stored on her deck.

Kentucky being moved for removal of her engines prior to scrapping in July 1958.

Kentucky being towed to the Boston Metals Company, Baltimore, Maryland, for scrapping, 31 October 1958. Note bow sections and 5"/38 gun shields on her deck.

Lexington CV-16 photographed from the light carrier USS Cowpens (CVL-25) during raids in the Marshalls and Gilberts Islands, November-December 1943. She is painted in camouflage Measure 21.

Chart room on board Lexington as the ship maneuvers into enemy waters during a strike on the Gilbert and Marshall Islands. December 1943.

Crewmen of the new Lexington sleep where they fell, in this case on the wing of a Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber, during a brief lull during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Lexington underway during the Gilberts operation, as seen from Monterey (CVL-26), November-December 1943.

Lexington after the repair of the torpedo damage sustained on 4 December 1943. The photo was probably taken on the day of the completion of her repairs, on 20 February 1944.

Ships of the Bremerton Group, U.S. Pacific Reserve Fleet, at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington, circa on 23 April 1948. There are six aircraft carriers visible (front to back): USS Essex (CV-9), USS Ticonderoga (CV-14), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Lexington (CV-16), USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), and USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) (in the background). Three battleships and various cruisers are also visible.

Launch of the Lexington at the Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, on 23 September 1942. The carrier was commissioned on 17 February 1943.

Murderers Row: Third Fleet aircraft carriers at anchor in Ulithi Atoll, 8 December 1944, during a break from operations in the Philippines area. The carriers are (from front to back): USS Wasp (CV-18), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Hornet (CV-12), USS Hancock (CV-19) and USS Ticonderoga (CV-14). Wasp, Yorktown and Ticonderoga are all painted in camouflage Measure 33, Design 10a. Another carrier painted in sea blue Measure 21 is visible at left — Lexington (CV-16), as are two Independence-class light aircraft carriers. Photographed from a USS Ticonderoga plane.

A Curtiss SB2C-4E Helldiver of Bombing Squadron 94 (VB-94) in flight over the Lexington. The squadron operated from Lady Lex during August 1945.

A Mitsubishi Ki-51 “Sonia” closing in for a kamikaze strike on the USS Columbia (CL-56) on 27 March 1945. U.S. observers easily mistook Sonias for the more familiar Vals. 

USS Roper, August 5, 1943. 

52 submarines of the Pacific Reserve Fleet laid up at Mare Island. This number represents the number of subs lost in World War II. 1946. 

Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) trim a makeshift Christmas tree as crewmen observe the Yuletide somewhere at sea, December 1944.

USS Antietam (CV-36) underway off Philadelphia Navy Yard, 2 March 1945.

Troop transport USAT Acadia (pictured on May 29, 1942. Acadia was originally built as the steamship SS Acadia by the Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia—the vessel was launched on February 13th, 1932. During Acadia's civilian career, the ship was operated by Eastern Steamship Lines (1932- ~1940) and the Alcoa Steamship Company (1941). From 1941, the vessel was handed back and forth between the two companies with occasional voyages for other services until October 1942 (running VIP transports, special passengers, etc., alongside the usual civilian customers). On the 16th, the ship was acquired by the U.S. War Department and designated "USAT Acadia" for troop transport duties. Come June 5th, 1943, Acadia was converted into a military hospital ship with the "USAHS" designation and served in that role until February 1946. After World War II, the vessel was returned to the (now) Eastern Steamship Company where it carried out civilian operations until being sold to a Belgian location in May 1955. The ultimate fate of the vessel is unknown.

Gunboat USS Vixen (PG-53) pictured during the 1940s. Vixen was originally built as the German yacht Orion in 1929 (Krupp). The U.S. Navy received the ship on November 13, 1940.

American gunboat and former yacht USS Nourmahal (PG 72) at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, sometime between April and December 1943.

Patrol yacht USS Argus (PY-14). Argus originally started out as the American yacht Haida, built in Germany by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft in 1929. The vessel was under the ownership of yeast manufacturer Charles Fleischmann. In October of 1940, Haida was transferred to the U.S. Navy and renamed USS Argus. The ship was used for patrolling the U.S. West Coast, primarily in the waters around San Francisco, CA. Briefly in 1941/42, Argus was transferred to the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey as USC&GS Pioneer. After a short career of survey work, the yacht was returned to the U.S. Navy as Argus and would operate until 1946. During this time, the vessel would help pick up merchant sailors torpedoed by Japanese submarines and also perform meteorological duties. After 1946, Argus returned to civilian yacht duties and would pass from a number of different hands. The ship was renamed quite a few times, but is currently named "Haida 1929". The yacht continues to run today, and is based in England.

Liberty ship USS Crater (AK-70).

On 26 March 1945 Haligan was headed south from Okinawa for independent patrol when she stuck a mine which detonated beneath her forward magazines. PC-1128 and LSMR-94 took aboard the survivors. Halligan then drifted for 12 miles before piling up on a reef off Tokashiki Island. This is an aerial view as she rests on the reef.

A close-up of the destruction to the forward section of the Halligan.

Taken by a member of the inspection party that visited destroyer USS Halligan’s wreck on 28 March 1945, this photo shows the ship down by the bow, the surf breaking over the main deck on the port side, while very little forward of the No. 2 stack (her steaming colors hang limply from the gaff) resembled what had once been a trim destroyer. Note the conical shield for the No.2 torpedo tube has been smashed flat, and that evidently human remains are still on board, as a man’s arm lies over the deck edge near Mount 53, clenched fist clearly visible.

USS Halligan (DD-584): Crew inspecting damage, March 26, 1945.

USS Halligan (DD-584): Only a portion of the stern visible, March 26, 1945.

Stern of USS Halligan (DD-584) visible, with the bow submerged, is aground off Tokashiki Island, Near Okinawa, 26 March 1945. She had been wrecked about twelve miles away on the same day, and drifted ashore after being abandoned. Photograph by USS Rowe (DD-564) according to original caption.

USS Halligan (DD-584).

As the inspection party pulls away from Halligan’s torn and battered wreck (the hole at the fantail from a Japanese shore battery shell), their faces seem to reflect the devastation that they had just seen.

The destroyer USS Hammann maneuvers to the side of the fatally-stricken carrier Yorktown at the Battle of Midway. Lashed alongside, Hammann was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine which also put two more torpedoes into the wounded Yorktown.

Heron (AM-10) with an aviation barge alongside, Manila Bay, Philippines, 1933-34. Martin T4M-1 on Heron’s fantail and a Vought O3U-1 from the Augusta (CA-31) on the barge.

Battle of Kula Gulf, 5-6 July 1943. Aboard USS Honolulu (CL-48), Marines fire a salute during funeral services for a casualty of the sunken USS Helena (CL-50), after the battle.

Survivors of USS Indianapolis brought to Guam, Mariana Islands via hospital ship Tranquility, 8 August 1945.

USS Suwanee (CVE-27) after having a kamikaze dive through her flight deck, October 25, 1944. She was back conducting flight operations in two hours but another kamikaze hit the next day forced her out of action for repairs.

Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Harriet Ida Pickens (left) and Ensign Frances Wills close a suitcase after graduating from the Naval Reserve Midshipmen's School (WR) at Northampton, Massachusetts, circa December 1944. They were the Navy's first African-American WAVES officers and graduated with the Northampton school's final class.

U.S. troops head toward the beaches of Leyte island during the amphibious assault to reconquest the Philippines. October 20, 1944.

Pictured here is the New Mexico (BB-40) in the van with other battleships of the Pacific Fleet and a carrier air group, led by the Air Group Commander in a Curtiss SBC Helldiver, during exercises at sea, 1938 / 1939. The aircraft following are: A torpedo squadron of 18 Douglas TBD-1s; A bombing squadron of 18 Northrop BT-1s; A scouting squadron of 18 Curtiss SBCs; A fighting squadron of 18 Grumman F2F-1s or F3F-3s from either the Yorktown (CV-5) or F3F-2s from the Enterprise (CV-6), plus possibly nine additional aircraft. The Yorktown and Enterprise were the only two carriers whose bombing squadrons were equipped with the Northrop BT-1.

A model of the Montana class showing general appearance only. Note the unique and rather strange shape of the radar antenna, the four 16-inch gun turrets, and the single catapult to starboard. The midship section resembles that of the Iowa class.

An artist's impression of the Montana class battleships  (BB-67 thru BB-71) showing their likely appearance had they been completed before the end of the war. These ships were cancelled on 21 July 1943.

New Hampshire, starboard broadside view of the ship model photographed at the New York Navy Yard, 26 November 1941. Ships planned for construction to this design were: Montana (BB-67), Ohio (BB-68), Maine (BB-69), New Hampshire (BB-70), Louisiana (BB-71).

Montana class (BB-67/71) battleship model photographed at the New York Navy Yard, 26 November 1941. It represents the ship with details somewhat changed from the preliminary design. Note rough finish of this model.

Montana class (BB-67/71) battleship model photographed at the New York Navy Yard, 26 November 1941. It represents the ship with details somewhat changed from the preliminary design. Note rough finish of this model.

Montana class (BB-67/71) model. Large official model of this abortive class of battleship, photographed at the New York Navy Yard, 7 October 1944. Construction of the five ships of the class had been cancelled in July 1943.

Battleship Study, BB 65 - Scheme 1 and BB 61-64 (Inclusive). Preliminary design plan prepared for the General Board comparing the outboard profile (including superstructure) of the Iowa class (BB-61 / 66) battleships with the hull profile of the Montana class (BB-67 / 71). This plan is dated 9 July 1940 and shows the Iowa class (BB-61 / 66) outboard profile in solid lines and the hull of the in Montana class (BB-67 / 71) dashed lines. At the time, the Montana class (BB-67 / 71) was planned to begin with hull number BB-65, rather than BB-67 as it became after two more Iowa's were ordered as BB-65 and BB-66. Scale of the original drawings is 1/32" = 1'.

Battleship Design Study, BB-65 - Scheme 3. Preliminary design plan prepared for the General Board as part of the process leading to the Montana class (BB-67 / 71) battleship design. This plan, dated 6 February 1940, is for a ship of 52,500 tons standard displacement and 64,500 ton trial displacement, with a main battery of twelve 16"/50 guns, a secondary battery of twenty 5"/38 guns and a 130,000 horsepower powerplant for a speed of 28 knots. Ship's dimensions are: waterline length 860'; waterline beam 114'; draft 36'. Scale of the original drawing is 1/32" = 1'. Port side 5" gun arrangement is labeled "previous secondary battery arrangement". Starboard side has a "proposed secondary battery arrangement."

Battleship Design Study, BB-65 - Scheme 4. Preliminary design plan prepared for the General Board as part of the process leading to the Montana class (BB-67 / 71) battleship design. This plan, dated 14 February 1940, is for a ship of 54,500 tons standard displacement and 64,500 tons trial displacement, with a main battery of twelve 16"/50 guns, a secondary battery of twenty 5"/54 guns and a 150,000 horsepower powerplant for a speed of 28 knots. Ship's dimensions are: waterline length 870'; waterline beam 114'; draft 36'. Scale of the original drawing is 1/32" = 1'. Port side 5" gun arrangement is labeled "previous secondary battery arrangement". Starboard side has a "proposed secondary battery arrangement.

Battleship Design Study, BB-65 - Scheme 8. Preliminary design plan prepared for the General Board as part of the process leading to the Montana class (BB-67 / 71) battleship design. This plan, dated 15 March 1940, is for a ship of 70,000 tons standard displacement and 82,000 ton trial displacement, with a main battery of twelve 16"/50 guns, a secondary battery of twenty 5"/54 guns and a 320,000 horsepower powerplant for a speed of 33 knots. Ship's dimensions are: waterline length 1050'; waterline beam 120'; draft 35'. Scale of the original drawing is 1/32" = 1'. Port side 5" gun arrangement is labeled "previous secondary battery arrangement". Starboard side has a "proposed secondary battery arrangement."

Montana class (BB-67 / 71) inboard profile as designed, 1941. Note the navigational range-finders atop turret No.3 and the bridge. The dashed lines indicate radar antennas as then planned.

Montana class battleship.

Oil on canvas painting by the artist Wayne Scarpaci showing the probable appearance of the Montana (BB-67) arriving in New York Harbor as flagship US Fleet with Flt Adm Nimitz aboard in the autumn of 1946 after the invasion and defeat of Japan.

The U.S. Navy Construction Battalion (Seabee) advance base in Iceland.

SPAR (Women’s Reserve of the United States Coast Guard).

S.S. Elihu Yale (Liberty Ship) off the Anzio Beachhead, 2 March 1944, as men of Company B, 540th Engineers, salvage undamaged supplies from her forward holds. A German guided bomb had blown her stern off on 15 February. Note DUKW amphibious truck alongside the hulk.

Sub Chaser SC-772, Newport Beach, California, March 1943. Laid down 23 May 1942 by the Peyton Co., Newport Beach, California. Launched 7 September 1942. Commissioned SC-772, 15 April 1943. Displacement 95 t. Length 110.’ Beam 17.’ Draft 6' 6" (fl). Speed 21 kts. Complement 28. SC 772 was commissioned April 15, 1943, at the Peyton Company, Newport Beach, California. It initially did patrol duty near Seattle, Washington, Astoria, Oregon, Neah Bay, and the Columbia River area. In mid-August 1944 SC 772 was deployed to the South Pacific for patrol duty near Saipan and Tinian, where on June 8, 1945, it rescued two survivors from a downed plane. Decommissioned December 7, 1945 at Bellevue Washington.

Sub Chaser SC-772, Newport Beach, California, March 1943. Armament: One 40mm gun mount, one/two twin mount .50 cal. machine gun(s), two/three depth charge projector "K Guns," 14 depth charges with six single release chocks and two sets Mk 20 Mousetrap rails with four 7.2 projectiles. Propulsion: Two 1,540bhp General Motors (Electro-Motive Div.) 16-184A diesel engines, two shafts.

Sub Chaser SC-772, Newport Beach, California, March 1943.

The former SC 772 as USCGC Air Mallard (WAVR 437) off San Diego, California, circa 1946. After the war SC 772 was transferred to the US Coast Guard as an "Air Class" cutter, Air Mallard, hull WAVR 437. In 1948 it was sold and went through several owners and names; Joan Lindsay, Maplewood, and Lady Goodiver. For several years it operated in British Columbia as a live-aboard dive boat and later it was a party fishing vessel. It is now available for charter in Scappoose, Oregon, under its original name, SC 772.

PC 536 commissioned April 23, 1942, later reclassified as SC 536. Served in South Pacific, doing patrols in Saipan, Tinian and Guam. On February 19, 1946, SC 536 was transferred to the US Coast Guard as Air Cormorant (WAVR 415), an “Air Class” cutter to be used for air-sea rescue duties, one of 70 subchasers transferred. In 1951 the vessel was sold to Murray Suthergreen of Seattle, Washington and renamed Moonlight Maid. Eventually it was bought by Pat and Kelley Warga, a husband-wife team from Bainbridge Island, Washington. Each year from March to September they took her to Valdez, Alaska, where she was used in the fishing industry as a packer boat and tender. The Wargas kept Moonlight Maid in excellent working condition. It was later sold to Nathan R. Tueller of Girdwood, Alaska. On Sept. 20, 2012 the Moonlight Maid sank 30 miles south of Resurrection Bay, Alaska.

U.S. Navy Subchaser SC 718 swung out toward water by floating crane from deck of Liberty Ship “Willard Hall”.  Pollock Dock, Belfast, Northern Ireland, October 7, 1943. SC 718 became a Norwegian Royal Navy vessel, the HNoMS Hitra. During the war the U.S. loaned three American-built subchasers to occupied Norway under the Lend-Lease program and late in the war transferred ownership of the three vessels to Norway permanently. Throughout the war they were used in an operation called the “Shetlands Bus”, a ferrying service between Norway and the Shetlands Isles which, at high risk, transported secret agents and communications equipment into Norway to enable them to keep track of German navy movements all along the Norwegian coast. On return trips the subchasers would take key Norwegian personnel back to the Shetlands and to freedom. After the war the three subchasers eventually disappeared. But in 1981 the 718 named Hitra was accidentally discovered half sunk in a Swedish ship’s graveyard. A movement began to restore her and this was eventually done. Today the Hitra operates as a full-fledged subchaser fitted out and equipped exactly as she was during the war, and used for exhibit, education, reunions, etc. Her ship’s bell still carries the faint engraving of “SC 718” as a reminder of her American roots. She is based in Bergen, Norway and is well worth visiting.

SC 1013 was built by Luders Marine Construction in Stamford, Connecticut, commissioned on September 21, 1942. It served in the South Pacific and was transferred to the US Coast Guard on October 23, 1945. For many years after the war SC 1013, converted to the Mount Independence, was a familiar sight as a sightseeing and tour boat on Lake Champlain in upstate New York. In 1989 Bruce P. Keller of Baltimore purchased the Mount Independence, her topsides in poor condition but her hull still sound, and brought her to Baltimore where, after refurbishing, she was kept moored. Since early 2007 the Mount Independence has been grounded near Baltimore in a dilapidated state; however, there is a campaign to raise and restore her.

SC 1372 at launching, Terminal Island, California, June 8, 1943. SC 1372 was placed in commission at Fellows & Stewart Shipyard (Terminal Island, California) on November 1, 1943 and was used for patrol and escort duty on the west coast before departing for Pearl Harbor in August 1944. From Pearl she escorted a convoy to Eniwetok and from there picked up another convoy to Kwajalein and then another for Guam. She spent the remainder of the war in patrol and escort duty among the islands of Guam, Saipan and Tinian. On October 9, 1945 she went aground during the big typhoon at Okinawa but suffered no damage and was refloated when the tide rose and proceeded under her own power. In 1949 SC 1372 emerged as a company yacht named Cairdeas (Gaelic for Friend or Friendship) for General Construction Company. Then in 1967 she was sold to Patrick and Maureen Dickson, who lavished twenty years of loving care on her while making her available for charter in the San Juan Islands area. Actress Julie Andrews and her family used Cairdeas several summers for relaxing and fishing in Desolation Sound. The Dicksons sold Cairdeas to George Baxter (circa 1987), a hands-on builder and restorer of wooden boats on Orcas Island. Mr. Baxter remodeled the interior quarters extensively, adding a library room, a dining salon, a main salon, five staterooms each with heads and showers, and crew’s quarters forward with six single bunks. A helipad was mounted on her afterdeck. For causes not known the interior of Cairdeas was apparently gutted or destroyed.  It happened either in the late 90’s or early 2000s. In June 2005 Cairdeas was sold to Rod and Pam Stroud of Santa Paula, California. The Strouds brought her to Bellingham, Washington for purposes of refinishing it for charters and personal use. As of September 2008 Cairdeas is still moored at Seaview North, a boat building firm, in Bellingham.

PC 815, trial trip, Columbia River.

An American torpedo boat marksman behind his machine gun off the coast of New Guinea, July 1943.

Original caption: “Seaman Barrett C. Benson who was a Methodist minister with two churches at Dalton and LaFayette, Georgia, saw the men of his churches going off to war. Deciding to follow them, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard.” Note his flat cap with Coast Guard band, the distinctive USCG shield on the sleeve of his winter jumper, classic 13-button trousers, 10-pocket M1910 belt with M1905 bayonet hanging from its side, and an M1903 rifle with stripper clip of .30-06 M2 ball at the ready. If you are curious, the photo even caught the rifle’s serial number (587211) which makes it a circa 1914 Springfield Armory-made weapon. While there is no date on the photo, the craft behind the good SN (Rev.) Benson is, judging from the number and the shape of the wheelhouse, likely the 38-foot “cabin cruiser” type picket boat CG-38387, or possibly CGR-387, a Coast Guard Reserve “Corsair Fleet” picket boat (formerly the 37-foot pleasure craft Contact, #22H158) taken into service in the 8th Coast Guard District in February 1942 and then disposed of in June 1946. As both vessels were active throughout World War II, that doesn’t narrow it down very much, but, judging from the uniform and equipment, the image was likely snapped in the winter months of 1942.

Original caption: “An alert Coast Guardsman leaps into action as he covers his patrol. The anti-saboteur patrolmen of the Coast Guard also protect vital cargoes on the piers awaiting shipment to the far-flung battle lines.” Note the shore duty leggings, M1903 Springfield, and its attached 20-inch M1905 bayonet. Formed from scratch in 1942, the Coast Guard Beach Patrol employed about 24,000 men, aged 17 to 73, protecting 3,700 miles of coastline from potential enemy invasion during World War II.

Original caption: On the target are these alert, fighting Coast Guardsmen aboard a Coast Guard ‘Sub-Buster’ somewhere on the Atlantic. Discharged shells fall to the deck from their spitting gun. From the looks of that bronze one-piece deckhouse and the water-cooled .50 cal, the vessel in question is one of the early 83 footer “Jeep of the Deep” patrol boats used by the Coast Guard in World War II.

Official Caption: Sunday Services on board a Coast Guard destroyer escort in the Atlantic, during the Easter Season, in 1944-45. Here, the ship’s Chaplain leads the crew in prayer. For reference, among the myriad of Army- and Navy-owned vessels the USCG operated during World War II in addition to their own, the Coasties ran no less than 30 destroyer escorts in five divisions, including the ill-fated USS Leopold DE-319, the first of its type to be lost in combat.

Four black American soldiers from the US Coast Guard Equestrian Patrol are riding along the beach in New Jersey. Left to right: 1st class sailor C. R. Johnson; Jesse Willis; Joseph Washington; Frank Garcia.

A formation of aircraft led by Douglas TBDs followed by Northrop BT dive bombers flies over U.S. Navy ships during exercises at sea, 1938-1939.

Aerial photograph from 2500 feet altitude, looking southward, showing the U.S. Fleet moored in the harbor on 3 May 1940. This was soon after the conclusion of Fleet Problem XXI and four days before word was received that the Fleet was to be retained in Hawaiian waters. There are eight battleships and the carrier Yorktown (CV-5) tied up by Ford Island, in the center of the harbor. Two more battleships and many cruisers, destroyers and other Navy ships also present, most of them moored in groups in East Loch, in the foreground. A few of the destroyers are wearing experimental dark camouflage paint. In the distance, center, is Hickam Army Air Field. The Pearl Harbor entrance channel is in the right distance.

Vertical aerial photograph from 17,200 feet altitude, looking directly down on East Loch and on the Fleet Air Base on Ford Island. Taken on 3 May 1940, after the conclusion of Fleet Problem XXI, and just prior to the 7 May receipt of word that the Fleet was to be retained in Hawaiian waters. There are eight battleships and the carrier Yorktown (CV-5) tied up along the island's southeastern side (toward the top), with two more battleships alongside 1010 dock at top right center. Two light cruisers and two destroyers are among the ships moored along Ford Island's northwestern side. Seventeen other cruisers and over thirty destroyers are also visible, mainly in East Loch. At the seaplane base, at the southern (top right) tip of Ford Island, are at least 38 PBY patrol planes.

USS Antietam (CV-36) underway off Philadelphia Navy Yard, 2 March 1945.

Augusta at anchor in Bermuda waters, September 1941, while serving as flagship of the Atlantic Fleet.

Augusta in a Far Eastern harbor, circa 1936.

Augusta “dressed overall” in honor of King George VI’s coronation while at Hankow, China, May 12-14, 1937, while serving as flagship, U.S. Asiatic Fleet.

Augusta anchored off Pootung Point, Shanghai, China, during Sino-Japanese hostilities, circa August 1937. Fires from combat action are burning ashore, beyond the ship.

Augusta steaming off Portland, Maine, on 9 May 1945.

Augusta anchored in the Hudson River, off New York City, at the time of the Navy Day Fleet Review, circa late October 1945.

Asiatic Fleet Change of Command, 25 July 1939. Admiral Thomas C. Hart, incoming Commander in Chief Asiatic Fleet (left center), his predecessor, Admiral Harry E. Yarnell (right center), and members of their staffs salute as Yarnell’s flag is taken down and Hart’s is raised, during ceremonies on board Augusta off Shanghai, China. Black armbands are worn in mourning for the late Secretary of the Navy, Claude A. Swanson, who had died on 3 March 1939.

View looking toward Augusta’s bow from her foremast, with a rangefinder and her two forward triple eight-inch gun turrets in the lower half of the image, circa 1936. Augusta is dressed with flags for a holiday or other celebration.

USS Boxer CV-21.

USS Buchanan (DD-131),one of six destroyers leaving Boston 6 September 1940 for delivery to Great Britain, under Lend-Lease.

USS Buckley (DE-51).

USS California (BB-44) taken on 25 January 1944 after her overhaul at Puget Sound Navy Yard.

USS Charger was an escort aircraft carrier during World War II. In 1949 the USS Charger was converted to a passenger ship, called the Fairsea with the intention of transporting people from Europe to Australia.

USS Colorado (BB-45) in action off the Philippines, October 1944.

USS Higbee (DD-806).

Bombs rip through the decks and explode deep inside aircraft carrier the USS Hornet. Painting by Tom Lea.

On 21 October 1942, Lea left the Hornet, pulling away on a fleet oiler that would land him back at Pearl Harbor. The cleared sketches would appear in Life in March and April 1943, sadly, after the carrier had been sunk. The ship in which Lea had spent those hectic two months was sent to the bottom, sunk in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, 26 October 1942– just five days after he left. Back at Pearl Harbor, Lea showed Admiral Nimitz some of his drawings. One of them was the one above. Underneath the drawing, he inscribed a quotation from Deuteronomy: “Moreover the Lord thy God shall send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.” Admiral Nimitz looked at the drawing for a long time, then turned his head to Lea, and said: “Something has happened to the Hornet.” That was how Lea found out that the aircraft carrier he had been on, together with his friends, perished.

A captured member of the crew of the sunk German submarine U175, the senior motor engineer Otto Herzke (maschinengefreiter Otto Herzke), lifted out of the water, aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Duane. Atlantic, April 20, 1943.

With ships out to the horizon as far as the eye can see, landing craft of the massive U.S. invasion armada pour out supplies and military equipment onto the beach at Okinawa in April 1945. From late 1944 into 1945, U.S. naval forces unleashed a “dazzling display of maritime power” while advancing toward Japan “with hardly a pause and without an important defeat.”

At the Battle of Tassafaronga, last of the night battles off Guadalcanal, the U.S. Navy suffered the loss of a number of ships—but succeeded nonetheless in thwarting the Japanese goal of resupplying troops on shore. Credit: John Hamilton, Battle Of Tassafaronga, Navy Art Collection, Naval History And Heritage Command

The ships of Task Force 64 vie for dominance with the Imperial Japanese Navy off Guadalcanal in the 11 October 1942 Battle of Cape Esperance—one of a series of challenging nocturnal engagements. While the U.S. Navy could claim victory, the battle failed to thwart Japanese control of the sea. Rodolfo Claudus, Battle of Cape Esperance, Navy Art Collection, Naval History and Heritage Command.

Admiral Chester Nimitz (left) awards the Navy Cross to Messman Third Class Doris “Dori” Miller. Naval History and Heritage Command.

Admiral Nimitz, Sandy Walker, and Admiral Raymond Spruance at a party in the naval yard. In Makalapa, Nimitz was required to entertain VIPs, both civilian and military, with dinners often stretched late into the night. Having Sandy and his wife, Una, to round out his dinner table ensured lively conversation.

Admiral Nimitz enjoys some time on the beach with the Walker’s daughters, Maile and Sheila, who Nimitz nicknamed Major and Minor Gremlin spent so much time at Muliwai that he became more like family than a friend.

Closing in on the finish line: With the wall map of the Pacific Ocean and East Asia as a backdrop, Nimitz is seated in his office at CINCPAC Advanced Heaquarters, Guam, in July 1945. National Archives.

November 1943: On an inspection tour of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands in the wake of the hard-fought U.S. success there, Nimitz is shown the damage done by U.S. naval gunfire. In the fight for the Gilberts, “surprise and deception had enabled another crucial victory.” Naval History And Heritage Command.

Nimitz points on the map to the unwavering ultimate goal of the hard-fought trek across the Pacific: Tokyo. Naval History and Heritage Command.

2 May 1942: Nimitz inspects the defenses at Midway during the buildup to the decisive battle that at last would curtail the Japanese juggernaut. The admiral’s “calculated risk” of concentrating his forces along this line would change the trajectory of the war. National Museum Of The Pacific War.

Throughout his celebrated leadership during the largest-scale naval war in history,  Admiral Chester W. Nimitz cannily relied on “an aggressive theory of combat . . . to shape the conflict in the Pacific.” Nimitz Library, U.S. Naval Academy.