Santa Fe (CL 60) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 45 text:

lfifreeked radar antenna shows Yap has mastered intricacies of Hnzagie eyeh' and due aflowanee must he made znfuture operations. Suceesjzzf invasion ry' Tarawa, supported en- tzrely hy sea power, was U. S. sVavy's answer r' 5. g , Extensive damage to 8-fneh eoasta! defense gun which 7aps had trans- Re-inforrements about to land on portion of island evidentb' not prevfoushv planted from Singapore proves accuracy of SANTJ FEfre. fired upon. Note heads extending over water. 41 , 3 N

Page 44 text:

l ,fz,, 4' ' 1 A-,fi gr -V J, ,. f-'T' , 'NWS 5. 1 V pf , ,,W,4W,, . IL- ,I f f , t- ffl-3 if ,f VW, ' M45 fp p Mp, .,. up . . ' -o. - . Once an Dltlttd' had been seized, the Yapanese immediateb' constructed airjields and aircraft facilities. This was basic tenet Q' their carefully laid naval strategy: for, it was believed, the Imperial 1Vavy plus these uunsinkable aircraft carriers would be impervious to American counter-attack. I , l A s , l I x i Marines are already out of their landing craft and well up the beach in an attempt to ouwank ffaps hidden among the trees. 4-0 s ss- ,s s cs,-i,..,s.c,,,., Eg Low-slang, concrete blockhouses Qf this type caused most Illarine casualties and became primary targets W' the fire-support ships. o Q Q 9 .LJ V . , .vQ8'X,,. -X... 55 Q n

Page 46 text:

Smoke ard ire rzsesfrom Wage Island eastern most ap bastzon, as salvo after salvofrom S.4NTA FE s guns pzn poznt the large! Targets zn the area asszgned are well cover ed and znelude eoaslal aatterzes two air strzps buzldzngs and azr znstallatzons Afmmunztzon dump lzzt but at same tzme heavy returnjirefrom 7ap batterzes zs met, straddlzng llzzs slzzp lzzttzng destroyer ahead Vulnerabzlzty of beaelzlzead zs elearbf outlined as landzng em to ITH Tarawa, Makm and Apamama already con agamst the lap Outer L1ne ofDefense was abOL1f to come ol? The lslands of Wotje, Mill aluit and Vlaloelap ln the Marshalls were the obv1oHs faFgets, but 21 surprlse was 1n store for the Nlps However, the story is gettmg ahead of 1tsell Wlhen Tarawa was firmly ln U S hands the SANTA FE left the Gllbert area wlth the F1fthlFleet and steamed north to launch a carrier plane strlke at the Marshalls O11 4 December and agam on the Sth The SANTA ISE had been unde1WaV almost constantlv slnce 13 Octoberg SO, . I 1 . yy .' I I7 . ' e ' - . - I , . I. . ' , l , . l .. . , , , , .S ,s,.o of V , , , X W' as ff T - tl 'sly verted 1nto formldable a1r bases, the next IHOVC 1 -' ' cc il - - as - ' A ' s l ,L 'xx K I .-W . rn..- A l Ak .. . . TT ' T V 1 . 1 . . 2 . f ' , ' ' . V x ' . . X , ,