bigpigeon.us webpage WWII > WWII at Sea, © 2022 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 10 May 2022.
I have listed major US WWII naval losses in a chronological framework in the following reports:
I have listed major US WWII naval losses in a chronological framework in the following reports:
- US Maritime Losses - Japan - major naval losses in the War with Japan.
- US Maritime Losses - Germany - major naval losses in the War with Germany.
- The Sea Dead - Pottawattamie Area WWII Dead Roster members who died on shipboard.
When the United States entered WWII in December 1941, it arguably had the second strongest navy in the world, preceded by Great Britain and followed by the Japanese Empire.
WWII at sea was fought in three dimensions: on the surface, from the air, and by submarine.
The main allied efforts in the War at Sea in the War with Germany were protecting Allied merchant shipping and supporting the large amphibious invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Italy and France. Thus the United States made little use of submarines in the Atlantic and surrounding waters.
The Japan Empire, unlike Germany, relied heavily on merchant shipping. The Pacific fleet of US submarines was the major factor in the destruction of the Japanese merchant fleet. Carrier-based naval aviation supported amphibious operations as Army and Marine ground forces moved in a generally northwest direction towards the Japanese home islands. Surface ships provided antiaircraft protection for the carriers and shore bombardment during invasions, and on a few occasions engaged Japanese surface ships in pitched battles.
Each US Navy ship had a name and a two-part hull number. E.g.:
You can find the different US Navy WWII classification codes such as CA, CL and CVE in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_losses_in_World_War_II, which also lists all the US navy ships lost in WWII.
Sources for the WWII at Sea webpage:
WWII at sea was fought in three dimensions: on the surface, from the air, and by submarine.
The main allied efforts in the War at Sea in the War with Germany were protecting Allied merchant shipping and supporting the large amphibious invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Italy and France. Thus the United States made little use of submarines in the Atlantic and surrounding waters.
The Japan Empire, unlike Germany, relied heavily on merchant shipping. The Pacific fleet of US submarines was the major factor in the destruction of the Japanese merchant fleet. Carrier-based naval aviation supported amphibious operations as Army and Marine ground forces moved in a generally northwest direction towards the Japanese home islands. Surface ships provided antiaircraft protection for the carriers and shore bombardment during invasions, and on a few occasions engaged Japanese surface ships in pitched battles.
Each US Navy ship had a name and a two-part hull number. E.g.:
- The heavy cruiser USS Minneapolis on which roster member Rex Knapp was entombed had the hull number CA-36.
- The light cruiser USS Juneau on which roster member Walter Lueth and the five Sullivan brothers from Iowa died had hull number CL-52.
- The escort carrier USS Nehenta Bay near which Harlan Fisher died while landing had hull number CVE-74.
- The submarine USS Pompano which disappeared while on patrol carrying William G. Messerschmidt Jr. had hull number SS-181.
You can find the different US Navy WWII classification codes such as CA, CL and CVE in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_losses_in_World_War_II, which also lists all the US navy ships lost in WWII.
Sources for the WWII at Sea webpage:
- The webpage header image, Sinking of the USS Houston, depicts the Houston's fate in the Battle of Sunda Strait on 1 Mar 1942. Two roster members, Lester Christensen and Bernard Kaiser, were among the 793 dead. Painting by Joe T. Fleischman, 1950. Courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command. Catalog # 93153.