THE WAR AT SEA

in World War two the US Navy made effective use of two powerful weapons which had not their - for been employed to any extent one was the carrier a mobile airstrip from which planes were launched with an easy range of enemy targets in the far corners of the Pacific the other was the submarine the war with Japan across the broad stretches of the Pacific constituted the greatest naval struggle in history that war was fought not only on the surface of the sea but above and beneath it as well advanced techniques for waging war called for improved facilities for treating the men injured in this new kind of warfare the employment of the machines of modern war necessitated not only a drastic change in the strategy of warfare but required streamlined methods for saving the lives of the fighting men who fell victim to this high-speed twentieth-century type of battle in a large percentage of cases the saving of these lives depended directly on quick treatment of the wound in the u.s. Navy ships waging war against the enemy anywhere in the Pacific had to be prepared to deal efficiently with the most difficult cases the maintenance of these shipboard hospitals in constant readiness for any emergency was one small function of the Navy's complex supply system during World War two in the Pacific the US Navy was confronted with a supply problem unprecedented in history to provide desperately needed material to its ships at sea and to bases all over the broad Pacific the Navy went into the exporting business on a large scale at US ports the equipment and supplies found for American fighting men in the Pacific Asiatic theater were prepared for shipment it was no wonder there was a shortage of codenames with so many islands in the Pacific to label a most vital consideration in fighting a war across the pacific was of course the maintenance of u.s. fleets in top condition equipped with every facility necessary to the conduct of a successful amphibious drive westward to Japan in World War two the US Navy grew to proportions never dreamed of by even the most optimistic old-line Admiral but the Navy was concerned not only with war at sea its supply service stored and transported the machines of war needed in the countless land campaigns against the enemy in the Pacific another high-priority cargo on Navy transports was the American fighting man who was in the last analysis the most important factor in the outcome of the war the job of keeping all the navy's warships all across the pacific in fighting shape was in itself the demanding operation the ability of a naval task force to wage war for an extended period was directly related to the speed and efficiency of the Navy's supply service the great cruising range of the US fleets in the Pacific was made possible only by means of regular rendezvous between the warships and supply vessels which delivered everything from aspirin to ammunition in enemy waters particularly nothing which might act as a marker for an enemy ship or plane could be simply thrown overboard of all the items transported to the fighting men from the US Mail ranked close to the top of the list of most important cargo the arrival of a fresh batch of mail always had a tonic effect on the men the armed services soon came to realize there was nothing that could lift a man's morale so quickly as a letter from home right but even the Navy's fleet post office couldn't come through 100% every time sometimes luckily not very often a valuable shipment of supplies would fail to reach its destination due either to accident or enemy action keeping the ships-of-the-line and good repair was also in large measure the job of the Navy supply service at strategic points across the Pacific naval facilities were prepared to put triple ships into top fighting condition in short order to achieve those miracles to prepare some of the Navy's far-flung bases were as well-equipped as Navy yard's in the u.s. one of the most demanding assignments on the Navy supply systems crowded schedule while the transporting of the material needed for the launching of large-scale invasions against the enemy but the movement of vehicles weapons and supplies to bases in the Far Pacific was only part of the job each invasion large and small would involve still another trip across water to the ultimate objective 20th century naval warfare bore little resemblance to the classic sea battles of earlier generations during World War two the submarine was used to good advantage by the US Navy and especially so in the Pacific the departure of a sub on a dangerous mission was always a traumatic moment for everyone involved it might be several months before she'd make home port again if she was lucky throughout the war in the Pacific the submarines of the US Navy were manned by volunteers only the inside of a sub was no place for a man with claustrophobia each sub was a living breathing being for the men on the crew who are fiercely proud of their metal a lot of people used to ask me why I volunteered for the submarine service they couldn't understand anyone wanting to spend months at a time cooped up with little chance for escape if anything happened but it wasn't so bad especially during the early days just out of Port for my money life on a sub at crouching in a muddy foxhole Beach six ways to Sunday after a while there was some point in taking a look around every now and then you never knew when you might come across something interesting overtaking a Japanese junk meant a break in the routine of the patrol it was easy to imagine the excitement the pirates must have had in the old days and after being down below for quite a while we felt as though we're really in the war when we hauled in honest to Pete live Japs we never managed to take many prisoners and it's just as well considering our limited quarters our prize was quickly disposed of any prisoners we took were always given a good going-over every once in a while we actually got some tips on what the enemy was up to it wasn't hard to tell when we moved into enemy waters there was a change in the atmosphere the lookouts kept a sharper watch citing our first enemy ship was one of the most exciting moments of the patrol the lies of the crew depended on how fast the sub got under water moving in on the enemy was a slow careful business but we all had the routine down cold the ideal position was about the thousand yards from the target if it was possible to get that close without being detected it was important that we be patient our position had to be just right for us to score the best possible hit down periscope angle on the bow starboard 15 right full rudder right full rudder all ahead 2/3 Lions there and of course 2 4 0 did question 4 0 the distance to the track 1 7 level of control 6 3 feet fire one chocking up another chunk of enemy tonnage gave us a thrill every time but sometimes that feeling didn't last long if an enemy destroyer was in the neighborhood there was a good chance we'd be detected take her down we could expect a depth charge any second we could be sure that be more asked hands drop than us if we didn't shake him right away needless to say we didn't waste any time doing just that on most patrolled we stayed in enemy waters for several weeks before heading back to our base sometimes weeks went by without meeting a thing but every minute we were out we had to be ready to act quick the second we spotted the enemy for American sub crews several months in enemy waters was the longest stretch without a break like the Navy's planes and ships the boats proudly displayed their record against the enemy during World War two in the Pacific submarines were sometimes used to transport army or marine Raiders on fixed strikes against enemy held island whatever the assignment the Submariner could be counted on to do the job well on Oahu at the Royal Hawaiian hotel the men of the submarine service had every opportunity to take their minds off the war the Navy had taken over the hotel and submarine errs had number-one priority the men of the silent service could have almost anything their heart desire usually a submariner sleeve at the Royal Hawaiian was for to carry weeks at Waikiki Beach the war seemed a million miles away on their leave the submarine errs had a chance to navigate above the surface of the water for a change three of their cramped quarters for a few weeks some of the men welcomed the chance to get the kinks out of their legs the US Navy's victories during World War two in the Pacific were due in large measure to the outstanding performance of her carriers and that performance was possible only through a high degree of teamwork on the part of each of the men and the crews of those fighting ships the job of loading the planes with the missiles which would soon be deposited on the enemy was quickly accomplished the men who armed the planes felt just as much a part of the strike against the enemy as the pilots themselves of the carrier's complement the pilots were in one sense the most important members of the team before a mission everything possible was done to help them to relax in the ready room the airmen were briefed for the last time any new bits of intelligence about enemy activities on the target island were included man on like water station as the time for the strike drew near the crew went into action some stood by prepared to cope with a sudden fire others readied the planes for the launching okay fell upon Samantha plane hi sir ready room from flight control pilots man your planes while the flattop turned into the wind the pilots prepared for the takeoff for some of the new pilots this was it with everyone on the mark the strike was officially begun stand by to start engine stand clear of propellers each man on the ship had a specific assignment no matter how small each job had to be performed without a hitch or the entire operation would be upset finally with its wings unfolded and locked into place the lead plane was all set to go sometimes when there wasn't much wind the planes would not be launched in the usual way but there was no need to postpone the strike in that kind of weather a catapult was used to push the planes into the air throughout world war two us carrier-based planes kept up a steady attack against the enemy in the Pacific carrier pilots flew tens of thousands of sorties against enemy shipping aircraft and land bases in a great percentage of cases the enemy targets could be reached only by carrier-based planes returning from a strike the airmen flew the most direct course back to that welcome speck on the sea taking the planes back aboard was an even more exacting operation than the launching once the pilot was given a come ahead he didn't waste any time getting himself in his plane back onto the flight deck the landing signal officer guided him in once again every part of the operation had to be accomplished with great speed while the flattop was taking her planes aboard she was vulnerable to enemy attack as in she could not maneuver the planes had to be landed in the shortest possible space of time once a plane was safely aboard the deck was prepared for the next arrival in a matter of seconds the returning aircrafts were quickly moved to their assigned positions on the flight deck on a carrier in action deck space was at a premium every available square foot was utilized sometimes the landing signal officer had a real cause for worry the firefighters another crewman moved faster an accident really upset the landing pattern especially when there was more than one plane in distress sometimes a pilot in trouble wouldn't even try to make the ship 35 oil pressure zero engine [ __ ] an old altitude I would hit the drink while it's still got power Rockets had to be jettisoned then the airman made ready to leave the plane as soon as it hit this would have to be the most skillful landing of his career the downed pilot was in luck once out of the plane the pilot had a rubber life raft handy to make his stay in the water a good deal safer and more comfortable during World War two in the Pacific Theater hundreds of carrier pilots were able to cheat death thanks to the equipment which the Navy had provided for such situation if necessary the pilot could exist for an extended period on the raft in as much as he was well supplied with food and water as well as preparations for combating the elements but for a pilot who had been spotted by a fellow American airman the stay in the raft would not be a long one the air sea rescue service could be counted on to function quickly in a very short time a Navy patrol plane would arrive and the downed pilots troubles were just about over in some cases depending of course on the location a pilot who was forced to ditch his plane was picked up within an hour and none the worse for the experience in no time at all he would be back at a base ready to become part of another flat tops complement of flyers in late 1943 and early 44 the Japanese wall of defense in the Pacific was punctured by fast US carrier fleets to the north Marcus Island was hit hard a heavy raid was made on the Marianas another carrier Task Force hit truck with devastating results toward the end of 1944 Formosa became a prime target for u.s. Navy carrier forces for several months in late 1944 and early 1945 Navy carriers spanned the Pacific almost to the Asian mainland to get in position for the attacks Marine pilots supplemented regular Navy carrier Airmen in the strikes against the enemy's important island stronghold off the China coast a hundred and twenty miles from the target the planes were ready for the attack the chroman functioned almost automatically so familiar was the pattern of the take-off operation the carrier strikes on important enemy islands helped materially to shorten the span of time involved in bringing the war to the enemy's doorstep the Japanese on Formosa fought back stubbornly but the carrier planes continued to press the attack it is impossible to assess exactly the amount of damage done to the enemy by carrier-based aircraft during World War two but it has been proved beyond any doubt that the flattop was one of the Navy's most potent weapons in the Pacific earlier in 1944 the Marshall Islands were the principal objective for USM fibbies forces in the Central Pacific On January 31st they invaded Kwajalein Oh Oh three to five