The One Ship Fleet: USS Boise―WWII Naval Legend, 1938–45

The story of the light cruiser USS Boise (CL-47), one of the most famous US combat ships of World War II.

The Brooklyn-class light cruiser USS Boise (CL-47) was one of the most famous US combat ships of World War II, already internationally renowned following her participation in the naval battles in the Solomons in 1942. After repairs and modifications, in 1943 the Boise was sent to the Mediterranean theater, there to participate in the invasions of Sicily, Taranto, and Salerno, and 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 1943–44 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. She also fought off the suicide planes known as kamikazes at Leyte and later at Lingayen Gulf during the invasion of Luzon. 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. This tour was interrupted for the invasion of Borneo, but completed when the beach was secured. 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 11 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

Part I: A Sea Story: A Georgia “cracker” meets the USS Boise
1. Prologue.
2. The USS Boise, 1938–1942

Part II: Through the Gates of Hercules: The Mediterranean Theater 1943
3. Operation Husky: The Invasion of Sicily
4. Operation Avalanche: The Invasion of Salerno

Part III: With MacArthur’s Navy in the Southwest Pacific, 1943–45
5. Playing Leapfrog with the Japanese in New Guinea, 1943–44
6. Return to the Philippines: The Battle of Leyte Gulf
7. Kamikaze: The Divine Wind sweeps across the Philippines
8. The Invasion of Luzon: The Battle of Lingayen Gulf, January 1945
9. The Battle of Corregidor and Manila

Part IV: Wrapping it Up in the Southwest Pacific
10. Wrapping it Up: Mindanao, Borneo, and California, March–June 1945
11. Farewell to a Navy Legend

Appendices
Glossary & Acronyms
Photographs
Sources: Documents and Bibliography