The Battle of Leyte Gulf The greatest naval battle of all time. This page is still under construction. please come and visit again, because there is plenty of good text and graphics to come.

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The Battle of Leyte Gulf website http://www.uconect.net/~bosamar/index1.html General MacArthur and his staff boarded the CL-43 at New Guinea in October. Bound for MacArthurs historic return to the Philippines. On 20 October, the CL-43 steamed through Leyte Gulf, sporting 5 silver stars. This was a proud and historic moment. Tidal waves of landing craft, tanks and the sixth army landed swiftly on Leyte Island. General MacArthur wisked ashore sporting a Phillippines flag that was put together by the crew of the Nashville. With the bulk of the Jap Navy quickly heading towards Leyte, the sixth army dug in to await the outcome of the greatest naval battle of all time. This great battle actually consisted of 3 simultaneous battles: · Battle of Shamar · Battle of Surgiao Strait · Battle of Cape Engano The US 3rd and 7th fleet meet the Jap contingency. Immediately following MacArthurs landing on Leyte, the CL-43 left to join her position in the great battle. She was sent to Surgiao Strait. The jap navy was completly put out of business at the mouth of the entrance to Leyte. She provided fire support for the Leyte landings 20 October and remained on station at the mouth of Leyte Gulf until 25 October, guarding the beachhead and transports. Returning to Manus for brief repairs, NASHVILLE left the Admiralties 28 November as flagship for Commander, Visayan Attack Force, en route to the invasion of Mindoro. On 13 December, she was struck by a kamikaze off Negros Island. The aircraft crashed into her port 5-inch mount, both bombs exploding about 10 feet off the deck. Gasoline fires and exploding ammunition made her midships area an inferno, but although 133 were killed and 190 wounded, her remaining 5-inch guns continued to provide antiaircraft cover. The Attack Group Commander shifted his flag, and the damaged cruiser sailed for San Pedro Bay, Pearl Harbor, and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, arriving 12 January 1945, for permanent repairs.