The One Ship Fleet

USS Boise—WWII Naval Legend, 1938–45

Phillip T Parkerson, Phillip T. Parkerson

• Publisher: Casemate
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781636243009
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

"If the doings of the U.S. Navy in World War II are of any interest to you, the book is worth a read." — PowerShips

Already internationally renowned following the 1942 naval battles in the Solomons, the Brooklyn-class light cruiser USS Boise (CL-forty-seven) was sent to the Mediterranean theater to participate in the invasions of Sicily, Taranto, and Salerno, enhancing her fame by destroying enemy tanks during armored counterattacks in both Sicily and Salerno.

From the Mediterranean, Boise was sent to the Southwest Pacific theater to join the US 7th Fleet for the campaign in New Guinea in 1943–forty-four and then the invasion of the Philippines. She fought in the battle of Leyte Gulf, notably in the night engagement in the Surigao Strait, where battleships faced off against each other for the last time in maritime history. Boise was credited with helping to sink a Japanese battleship. MacArthur used her as his flagship for the Luzon attack, thereby adding to her already considerable fame, then after helping retake Corregidor and other islands in the Philippines, Boise carried the general on a triumphant tour of the islands. After MacArthur left the ship in June 1945, she returned to the US for overhaul which was just complete as the war ended, by which time she had been awarded eleven battle stars, more than any other light cruiser in her class.

This full account of USS Boise's war not only gives us an insight into how one ship navigated a global conflict, but also an insight into the experiences of the men who served on her, and a new perspective on the naval campaigns of the war.

Table of contents

• Cover page
• Title page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Prologue: A Georgia “Cracker” Joins the USS Boise
• 1 The USS Boise (CL-47), 1938–42
• 2 Operation Husky: The Invasion of Sicily
• 3 Operation Avalanche: The Invasion of Italy
• 4 Leapfrogging the Japanese in New Guinea, 1943–44
• 5 Return to the Philippines: The Battle of Leyte Gulf
• 6 Kamikaze: The Divine Wind Sweeps Across the Philippines
• 7 The Invasion of Luzon: The Battle of Lingayen Gulf, January 1945
• 8 The Battle of Corregidor and Manila
• 9 Wrapping it up in the Southwest Pacific: Mindanao, Borneo, and California, March–June 1945
• Epilogue: The Final Years of the USS Boise
• Appendix I: USS Boise (CL-47) General Description
• Appendix II: USS Boise (CL-47) Commanding Officers, 1938–46
• Appendix III: Aviator’s Report, Gela, Sicily, 10 July 1943
• Appendix IV: Description of the Battle of Surigao Strait by Boise XO Commander Thomas Wolverton Posing as a Journalist
• Appendix V: Battle of Surigao Strait: CTG 77 Message and Poem
• Appendix VI: World War II Aircraft Designations
• Glossary
• Abbreviations and Acronyms
• Sources
• Index
• Backcover