500,000 Man Increase in Navy in 1944

The Navy will increase in size by nearly 500,000 in the first half of 1944, War Manpower Commission officials have revealed. It was explained that the expansion will be necessary to man the growing fleet and provide a corresponding increase in supporting personnel ashore.

With the projected increase, the size of the Navy's personnel will grow from 1,900,000 at present to about 2,400,000 by next July. The increase in Navy personnel, plus an increase in the Army, will bring the total fighting forces to 11,300,000 men a year from now.

Writer of this information not named.

War Views

Do not write of this offensive (South Pacific) as a minor island hop. This push can reverse the status of the opposing forces in the Pacific War. Salamaua, Lae and Munda are intermediate objectives on the road to a larger objective - Rabaul, heart and center of the Japanese Naval, air and land establishment on the southwestern periphery. North of Rabaul there is only open sea (775 miles of it) between the periphery and the great naval base at Truk in the Carolines. From Rabaul the Allies also could strike behind the Japs' long line, across the inner shipping lanes to India itself.

But this offensive need not fail if it stops short of Rabaul. Nor if the Americans and the Australians do take Rabaul itself, need it follow that Truk must be reduced. The great value of the offensive is the wide range of tactical choice given to MacArthur. He and Admiral Halsey may prefer to deal with Rabaul's air fleets in the air - once the Allies were so close, the Japs would have little choice but to spend their planes and pilots.

Rather than attempt a prodigious expedition against Truk, the Air Forces and the Navy may prefer to deal with the Japanese fleet at sea - once the Allies penetrated the periphery, the Japanese navy would have little choice but to challenge the threat. This initiative, this freedom of action was what the Japs had when they advanced into the Southwest Pacific. It is what the Pacific Allies must have and exploit, on a scale far greater than that of last week's preliminary, before they can advance to Tokyo.

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Salt Lake City added to "Hall of Fame" at Shipyard
Original Newspaper clipping cut down: Paper name: ? Digest
Date: January 31st, 1946, Location not listed.

"One Ship Fleet" in Drydock

The "One Ship Fleet" glided into Drydock 1 at the Naval Shipyard this week. It was the heavy cruiser USS SALT LAKE CITY, which won her nickname during the battle of Cape Esperance in October of 1942. It was there that she interposed herself between the crippled BOISE and the enemy under heavy, accurate fire. She sustained three major hits of eight-inch caliber, but regardless of these, she sank one heavy cruiser, one auxiliary and one destroyer.

This in only one of the 11 star operations which the SALT LAKE CITY has participated in since the outbreak of war in the Pacific areas. She has served continuously on duties which have carried her from the Arctic to the Antipodes and from the West Coast to Japan's own waters.

Her combat score shows 40 bombardments of islands, 12 enemy aircraft downed, 11 auxiliary Naval and Merchant ships sunk and four warships sunk. Her crew of 1100 enlisted men and 90 officers have received four Navy Crosses, eight Silver Star Medals, one Distinguished Flying Cross, one Air Medal, 54 Purple Hearts and 11 Letters of Commendation.

The 17 year old ship, now with Captain John Connor, USN, commanding officer and Commander R. G. Ganahl, USN, executive officer, won numerous honors throughout the 30's in gunnery, athletics and boat racing. Upholding her proud record, her performance was outstanding during the war in her actual contact with the enemy. In the Battle off the Komandorski Island in March, 1943, she engaged a vastly superior Japanese surface force and damaged several cruisers and destroyers.

At Iwo Jima and Okinawa, February through May, 1945, she was outstanding both as to the amount of fire delivered and its effectiveness on the targets. When not in actual contact with the enemy, her performance was just as outstanding, for she was a unit of the task group that carried the "Doolittle" raid into Japanese waters.

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