New Aircraft Carrier to be Named After Doris Miller

It was announced that a future Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier will be named after Pearl Harbor  hero Dorie Miller.  It is the first aircraft carrier ever to be named after a black sailor or an enlisted man because of heroic actions.

He was ship's cook on the USS West Virginia when the attack came and manned a .50 caliber Browning anti-aircraft gun until he ran out of ammunition and then helped other sailors.

Later,he died on the USS Liscome Bay when it was hit by a torpedo and sank in 1943.

This is the second Navy ship named for him.  The other one was the USS Doris Miller (FF-1091) which served 1973-1991).

A Well-Deserved Honor.  --GreGen

USS Liscome Bay-- Part 3: The Torpedo Hit the Bomb Magazine

On 23 November 1943, the Japanese submarine I-175 arrived off Makin.  The U.S. Task Force built around Rear Admiral Henry M. Mullinnix's three escort carriers:  Liscome Bay, Coral Sea and Corregidor,  was steaming 20 miles  southwest of Butaritari Island at 15 knots.

At 04:30 24 November, reveille sounded on the Liscome Bay.  Flight quarters sounded 04:50 and crew to routine general quarters at 05:05.  Flight crews began preparing their planes for dawn launching.  Thirteen planes had been readied on the flight deck, including one on the catapult.   They had all been  fueled and armed.

Since this was the Liscome Bay's first operation since leaving Pearl Harbor, she still had her full amount of fuel and bombs.  And, there were a lot of  big bombs on board as well as depth charges and torpedoes.

At about 05:10, a lookout on the starboard side of the ship reported a torpedo headed for the ship.  It struck behind the engine room and detonated the bomb magazine causing a devastating explosion that engulfed the whole ship.

--GreGen

USS Liscome Bay-- Part 2: Capturing Tarawa

Length  498 feet  65 foot beam  (108 foot flight deck)

Crew 910 officers and men

Carried 27 aircraft.

After training exercises along U.S. West Coast departed from San Diego on 21 October 1843 and arrived in Pearl Harbor a week later.  After more drills and operational exercises, she left on her first and last combat mission.  Departed Pearl Harbor on 10 November as part of Task Force 52, commanded by Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner headed for the Gilbert Islands.

This attack was the first major U.S. thrust into the Central Pacific and began on 20 November.  Just 76 hours later, Tarawa and Makin islands were taken.  The Liscome Bay, however, did not take part in it.

With the islands taken, naval forces began retiring from the area.

But....

--GreGen

USS Liscome Bay (ACV/CVE- 56)-- Part 1: Operation Galvanic

From Wikipedia.

Was a Casablanca-class  escort aircraft carrier during World War I.  It was named for  Liscome Bay on Dall Island in Alaska.  the ship was lost in a torpedo attack by the Japanese submarine I-175 during Operation Galvanic (of which the Battle of Tarawa was part), with a catastrophic loss of life, on November 24, 1943.

So, we are at the 75th anniversary of the sad event.

I'd never heard of this ship so am doing some research.  This would be an excellent vessel to locate with all the ones being found in the Pacific Theater these days.

It was laid down on December 9, 1942, by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company in Vancouver, Washington and launched  April 18, 1943.  It was commissioned by the Navy on August 7, 1943.

--GreGen

75th Anniversary of the End of the Battle of Tarawa Today

At 5:10 on November 23, 1943,  one of the 17 aircraft carriers involved in the battle, the USS Liscome Bay (ACV-CVE-56) an escort carrier was sunk by the Japanese submarine I-175 with a huge loss of life.

The loss of life was 687.

I have seen sources that say it sank on November 23 and other sources say November 24.  Not sure which one.

Fighting on the island of Betio was essentially cleanup with very high Japanese casualties on this date.

America paid a big price in casualties, but the island was ours.

--GreGEn

75th Anniversary of the Beginning of the Battle of Tarawa Today

Seventy-five years ago today, Marines stormed ashore on the small Pacific atoll called Tarawa on the island of Betio and met huge Japanese resistance and turned it into "Bloody, Bloody Tarawa."

The battle lasted three days and was the first U.S. offensive in the central Pacific.  Previous landings had met little or no resistance.  This one certainly did not.

Of the 4,000 plus Japanese garrison, just 17 were captured.  the rest died.  Of 18,000 Marines, there were 1,009 killed, 2,101 wounded.  Total American casualties were 1,966 killed and 2,101 wounded.

On November 23, the USS Liscome Bay was sunk with 687 killed.

Like They Said, "Bloody, Bloody Tarawa."  --GreGen