World War II Pacific Theatre Operations USS Pinkney (APH-2)

1 world war ii pacific theatre operations

1.1 invasion of philippines
1.2 okinawa operations
1.3 struck kamikaze
1.4 return stateside repairs

world war ii pacific theatre operations

following extensive fitting out , shakedown, uss pinkney, evacuation transport, departed san diego, california, pearl harbor , south pacific ocean, 27 january 1943. in mid-february, arrived @ espiritu santo, whence sailed purvis bay deliver reinforcements , replacements veteran units of fight tulagi , gavutu.

throughout remaining battles solomon islands, among them munda, vella lavella, shortlands, bougainville, , numerous engagements in slot , brought men, food , ammunition forward , evacuated casualties field hospitals better facilities on new caledonia , in new zealand. transported american , new zealand nurses , between various southwest pacific ocean hospitals.

by august 1944, island hopping had carried allies , past marshall islands , mariana islands. on 8 september, uss pinkney departed guadalcanal palaus, next group en route philippine islands. on 15th, delivered passengers, men of 1st marine regiment, lvts, took them on beaches @ peleliu. took position 6,000 yards off assault area expedite offloading of equipment , embarkation of casualties. on 20th sailed manus island, whence returned palaus, again , again, evacuate wounded.

invasion of philippines

in october, returned briefly solomon islands, sailed hollandia, philippines. november, evacuated leyte casualties hollandia, mantis, , new caledonia. in december, prepared luzon invasion. on 9 january 1945, landed army troops on lingayen beaches, and, once again, assumed responsibilities care , evacuation of casualties, time leyte.

in late february, while en route solomons, diverted guam, thence iwo jima. on 28th, returned guam, disembarked patients , began preparations last campaign, okinawa.

okinawa operations

on 1–2 april, uss pinkney participated in feints against southern okinawa, shifted hagushi assault area landed u.s. marine combatant , hospital units on 10th. casualties, ships , ashore, filling hospital wards. caring patients , expediting transferral of others hospital ship uss samaritan, dodged enemy shells , kamikazes until 28th.

struck kamikaze

viewing damage, electrical cables , hoses support ships across hole.

on day, @ 1730, low-flying kamikaze spotted closing ship. seconds later uss pinkney rocked explosion , after-end of superstructure walled sheet of flame. ammunition began explode. water lines, electrical conduits, , steam pipes ruptured. crew formed rescue , damage control parties. live ammunition thrown overboard. 16 patients, killed in initial explosion, transferred safety.

rescue tugs , landing craft moved in assist in fire fighting, flames continued 3 hours, time uss pinkney had lost 18 of crew , had taken on heavy list port. jagged hole, 30 feet in diameter, extended bridge deck bulkhead deck. wards in amidships hospital area burned out.

return stateside repairs

temporary repairs took 8 days. on 9 may, uss pinkney got underway saipan en route united states. arrived @ san francisco, california, 8 june, , underwent repairs.