The One Ship Fleet

“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.