Louisville (CA 28) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 89 text:

Y . Early camps-li ns l Marshall-Gilberi' Raids DEPARTING from San Diego, California, in company with the Yorktown and numerous transports early in the month of January 1911-2, We were an excited lot aboard ship. The short period in Mare Island Navy Yard, visits to our favorite port of San Francisco, and eagerness to get ahead with the task at hand, had in- creased our enthusiasm for the trip south to San Diego and the events which were to follow. Our short wartime experience had been entirely in operations involving but few ships. This force looked to us like a veritable armada. Fuel, stores, and am- munition Were all in company on their special ships. The former luxury liners, bristling with countless small AA Weapons and grim with new war paint, carried the first contingent of United States Marines U. S. S. YORKTOWN

Page 88 text:

p QLA 4-' l N i A , ,s X 55 if ip nj ,W 1 1

Page 90 text:

l 4. 1 4 S i 1 l l l ,s C I r l li gl i X 1 ill ill' li -. .-1 N, X:-g7,1.J...gi, , - -A -M- 2 --x-.. 1-- - .- , , .. --fn . 1 4 .--. - . :lr 13-gi'-s . - - :F Q -- ' 1 E - 5 -': if lr .' G -'5 '5,.--'-5 . -ST' '55,- f.',-eiif' --E 1:14:55 1 , Af -4 - - , ' -. -1- -1 - 'f'T-'Z-I f'5. 5- '- --- ,,q.1i'- - gig--TFS -..yifv 'MCS -'F -fairnes- , ..-:E ,,-s ..- .. 1 35, 1:37 ' --- If - . - -- - - . .f 14- N 4. f . ' -.F -:v, x.-5 s,x-it -,ig 5.5. -,a, .,- ,vs .5 -.. :tt 4-. 2' 'fa-xJ'.'w --,..:ts 1:-, sq-x---I-:5'?f:..: z z,,,-L- ,,--:Qu : :xl-sw. .h dxssh, I . ':.,.., -,.,:15:,Y-'31 QQ. I' 'Sz'- 1 - - ,'n ,.- 3 . gs ' . .'. 18:-5-5,9 ff: ., ' . ,4C':K.,5.. :v:.f'i'.. - L: ,Y .hf 1 - -' - 4 f 'g .- If . . ' -V-:g-.-Y:-I1-.,... '4'1 :- Js'-, : ' i - T ' - ... '-'5',-- - ::,-,- .-,- . , - . -- . I- .5-1:-521, . ,Pri-.Q-'J .- , , . 2 rung-A-3.1. cg., , I . . xi A '. ,A :-I . LQ U Y. --- ez 2- - - M- A .. V-sz..-ff ' -g'4: -12. -L .. -::f -- -113.-1 '?: 53 ' 'L' - If-l- -i-19: .. ' ':- 1.1iL '-,5L':?-5'Ri '- ' -x- 1:-'E -A: ' L- fi Frrgi ' an sf Fill 'e i --k' ': -,ji '- i -' '- i-'Ll ?4f,i7' : T .I--' ' ' to leave the States since the commence- ment of the war. This in itself made it a momentous occasion. The Marines were destined for Samoa, one of the last Pacific strongholds still in our possession, and one that we could not now afford to lose. We were taking the strongest steps open to us to hold this bastion. The Louisville lay off the coast of Samoa while the Lurline, Mutsoniu, and Monterey went in and discharged their precious cargo. And during this period of comparative quiet, we learned that there was to be more to the operation than escorting the Marines to Samoa, for our orders to participate in one of the first large-scale blows of the war were received on board. At home the annoying cry had gone up, Where is the Navy? lt didnat strike appreciative Navy ears anywhere, particu- larly on the Louisville. So the news that something material could be done to stop these unthinking popular blasts was re- ceived with pleasure. The plan provided for a combined operation under the over- all command of Vice Admiral Halsey, and was to be directed against the principal points of the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. Leaving Samoa on January 25, our Southern force under Rear Admiral Fletcher, consisting of the Yorktown, St. Louis, Louisville, and destroyers, moved directly north to the area of action. Mean- while from the north, the second and larger force was moving into position for the coordinated strikes. Prior to the ren- dezvous our submarines completed brilliant reconnaissance missions which revealed un- expected enemy weaknesses, and conse- quently our plans were elaborated. Last- minute changes to the operation plans in- corporated expanded endeavors: Roi, Kwa- jelein, Wotje, Mili, Taroa-Maleolap, Jaluit, and Makin were all to feel the blows of our first retaliation for the raid on Pearl Harbor. Our mission was not to include spectacular amphibious landing which later formed the nucleus of our operations, but was to destroy installations and ship- ping through air strikes. The Southern Forces were to concentrate on Jaluit, Mili, and Makin. The latter, only recently occu- pied by the Japanese, had been taken from the British. The prime objective was to insure the safety of our exposed sea lanes to the South Pacific. All in all, it was a large order for our force of twenty-one ships. Although strong, we were untried.. A few minutes before five oiclock on the morning of February 1, 194-2, the Yorktown began to launch her air group. We were in position not far south of ,Ialuit after a high speed run all night. One after the other of the planes, only their running lights visible, raced down the flight deck of the carrier, and rose lazily in the early morning darkness. We watched all this transpire, wet and tired from the long night of showers and waiting. The weather was generally bad, a factor in our favor during the approach, but against us, now that we were actually within striking distance. Finally, the full strength of the air group seemed to have formed over- head. We subsequently learned that some of the pilots had to proceed to the targets alone due to the difficult visibility. We on the Louisville thought to ourselves of the importance of the occasion, the first of the large strikes against the enemy, and we were scared, scared to the point of thor- ough alertness. Throughout the long day that followed, the air strikes went on Without let-up for