bigpigeon.us webpage WWII US > WWII at Sea, © 2023 by Robert A. Christiansen, links checked by RAC 15 Aug 2022, updated by RAC 10 Jan 2023.
The United States Navy in World War II - a Brief Summary
When the United States entered WWII in December 1941, it arguably had the second strongest navy in the world, preceded by Great Britain (the Royal Navy) and followed by the Japanese Empire (the Imperial Japanese Navy - IJN).
WWII at sea was fought in three dimensions: on the surface, from the air, and by submarine.
In the War with Germany, the Allied navies focused on 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 area.
The Japan Empire, unlike Germany, relied heavily on merchant shipping. US submarines in the Pacific were 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 northwesterly 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.
WWII at sea was fought in three dimensions: on the surface, from the air, and by submarine.
In the War with Germany, the Allied navies focused on 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 area.
The Japan Empire, unlike Germany, relied heavily on merchant shipping. US submarines in the Pacific were 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 northwesterly 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.
Some Links for Better Understanding WWII at Sea
- List of shipboard deaths of Pottawattamie Area WWII Dead Roster members - Roster > Deaths > The Sea Dead.
US Navy ships possessed both a name and a two-part hull number, with the first part identifying the type of ship and the second a serial number. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Navy_losses_in_World_War_II lists the different WWII ship type identifiers along with the navy ships lost.
Some examples of hull numbers using personnel in the Pottawattamie Area WWII Dead Roster:
- The heavy cruiser USS Minneapolis, on which Rex Knapp was entombed, had the hull number CA-36.
- The light cruiser USS Juneau, on which 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 attempting a 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.
Sources for Big Pigeon's WWII US > WWII at Sea webpage:
- The webpage header image, Sinking of the USS Houston, is taken from https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-93000/NH-93153.html - c/o Naval History and Heritage Command, catalog # 93153, 1950 painting by Joe T. Fleischman. This painting depicts the fate of the USS Houston (CA-30) in the Battle of Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra on 1 March 1942. Two roster members, Lester Christensen and Bernard Kaiser, were among the 793 dead in the loss of CA-30. A second USS Houston (CL-81) was nearly lost after the carrier raids on Formosa in October 1944.