Tennessee (BB 43) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 50 text:

The TENNESSEE's main baTTery began firing aT 0555. bombarding The Town oT Garapan Trom a posiTi0n SOFTIS 6,000 yards OTF shore while The island was yeT deep in The purple morning shadows. DusT and smoke rising Trorn The shaTTered Town made hiTs diTTicuIT To see and iT re- sembled Tiring inTo The AleuTian Tog. The TargeT was shiTTed To The bony ridge norTh oT IvlounT Tapochau where The main and secondary baTTeries unlimbered againsT designaTed pillboxes and gun emplace- menTs. From baTTle sTaTions on sky aTT, observers could waTch insfallafions being reduced, logs, concreTe, sTeel. armamenT pieces and human bodies being hurled high in The air amid a cloud oT smoke and dirT. The shells Then landed in a ravine on The wesTern slopes behind Tanapag I-larbor where I4-inch shells undermined a cliTT unTil iT slid across a road, blocking The highway. For The nexT 60 minufes, guns raked The Tields, The hills and The valleys, Tearing up The roads, desTroying pillboxes and sTarTing a Tire which burned Tor many hours. TENNESSEE guns knocked ouT an enemy arTillery piece while iT was engaged in shelling American Troops who were Then working Their slow way inTo The souihern ouTskirTs of Garapan. Sweeping back To Garapan, The north beach was walked wiTh gunfire and aT l2I5 baTTeries were working over a wooded area in The viciniTy oT The observaTion Tower To The norTh oT The Town. The TENNESSEE Then anchored oTT The wesT coasT oT Saipan, where iT was joined by The baTTleships CALI- FORNIA, PENNSYLVANIA, IDAI-IO and NEW MEXICO. Also on hand were The MARYLAND and COLORADO which had been on The bombardmenT line since mid- morning. From prepared posiTions on commanding Terrain, The enemy had oTFered sTubborn resisTance To The advancing Americans on The beach. Enemy arTiIIery and morTar Tire was inTense aT Times, and iniTiaI deep peneTraTions by The Troops were someTimes erased by The TanaTical Japanese. The slopes oT IvlounT Tapochau was reached and The advance became more rapid. By July 9, all organized enemy resisTance on The island had disappeared, al- Though Nippon's snipers were To harass The conquerors Tor many monThs. Long beiore ThaT The TENNESSEE's services were in demand aT anoTher parT oT The lvlarianas, where anoTher invasion had been planned. Leaving baTTered and bleed- ing Saipan on June 23, The TENNESSEE reached EniweTok June 25 where iT remained unTil July lo, geTTing underway on ThaT day Tor Guam. Number oi OperaTions AgainsT Enemy The BaTTle of Pearl Harbor. BombardmenT of Kiska in The AleuTians. Assaulf and CapTure oT Tarawa. AssauIT and CapTure of Kwaialein. AssaulT and CapTure of EniweTok. BombardmenT of Kavieng, New Ireland, AssaulT and CapTure of Saipan. AssaulT and CapTure of Guam. AssauIT and CapTure oT Tinian. Assaulf and CapTure oT Angaur, Palau Islands. AssauIT and RecapTure oT LeyTe, Philippine Islands. I Ba++Ie oT Surigao STraiTs. AssaulT and CapTure oT Iwo Jima, Assaulf and CapTure oT Okinawa, OperaTions in The EasT China Sea,

Page 49 text:

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Page 51 text:

embers of DD NORMAN SCOTT Aginqan Poin'l'. Renamed Tennessee Poini' by Graieful Crew M Af'I'er Main Baffery Silenced Coasial Guns Splashing 1'he Desiroyer. k 'NV-'4 V1 Ah-h-h! How Romaniic Thai' Moon Makes This Soufh Pacific.