Santa Fe (CL 60) - Naval Cruise Book

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Storled Mount Suribaelzi on wlzoxe summit Old Glory is placed. -4 , - i. A,-, , J' ' A- u f I I . ln' ' A , . f ,M f ., g' ' I . A-Q I' 'I -.- .-A. ,V .. M. ',- , ,,.,,, ,,i OCCUPATION MEANS CLOSE STEP- PING STONE, ALSO B-29 RELIEF BASE . -5 HE opportunity all Navy men had been waiting 'Q .. gn for-a Pearl Harbor in reverse-came in February 1945. Also with the Iwo Jima landing by the Marines another big stride came in the pincer movement against the Japanese Empire. Task Force 58, headed straight for Tokyo, left Ulithi Feb. 9 for the first carrier bombing of the Jap capital since the Doolittle raid in '42. Retiring from the Tokyo area on the evening of the',rl8th, the SANTA FE tem- porarily left her carrier group for duty as a fire support unit in the invasion of the Bonins. This was her 12th and last bombardment of enemy held islands and the third time she had covered lbeachheadsyfor Marine., landings. I-Iundreds. of ships of all kinds could be seen in the early morning haze as the SANTA- FE began enrilading the southern beaches of Iwo Jima at 0645, I9 February. The tempo of shelling increased as a countless number of landing craft edged toward the island. The SANTA EE continued firing with both 5 and 6 l battery until 1000 and then stood by only 2000 yards offshore for call fire. The target assigned for the afternoon was Hot Rocks, or Mount Suribachi, which was honeycombed with sniper holes and mortar emplacements. Eire was difficult because the gun positions were not visible to the ship. One of the OS2U's was in the air to spot and pick out new targets, and while investigating a gun battery located on the airstrip, the rear seat Marine spotter was fatally injured by flak. E . 2 X J . ,X I A Powder .Smoke of SANTA FE'.vjfr.vt D-Day salvo hangs in air as explodzng .vlzells kzfk up black pajs in .vlzzip'5 area fy' rexponxibility. Rocket .vlzips Cabovej, converted LCI'5, stand in eloye to beach. Afmphibioax tanks and myriad landing craft lzead into I'Zll0,.Y .vlzore

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fi- i Mia 1 l Inv , flag lx P X , lg 'I V? I Vg A Q M 1 F I' f fe s A I 4 W fi 51 li E o l e if I r r' 'F' I H Ml 5? 5 I skull I 1 r 1 X55 V uf i i? 1 5 I Wig W! figs 4 ! 1 I 1 V U N 1 4 , Elf ei, N35 5 iles I EM U5 Y 1 ' N III 5 I if Air , 5 1 2 E 4 N Y s ,s . s i I I I Q W ' 1 4 iii il il U QQ Q Q I E E. ...Kung --W-,WW u..n.m1n,:m.,.s.-.. v-fra.: ,, , . fdboveb Wreulhed in smoke, vofednie Mt. Surioezelzi ezndfeznezlieu! fups dug CBe!owD Smulf, swufl, dounffess landing boats, like aroused water bugs, deep in its slopes ure eomplelebz surrounded by eounfless U. S. supporting maintain llzeir regular trujfe lanes as flzey Irezvef from fire forge ships erufl necessary lo eonquer und hold the ugh island. sleznding of-shore Io the bilterbf eontesled, lzeerfe beuehlzeud. 94