.
Five cruisers, The Denver, The Cleveland, The Phoenix, The Montpelier,
and the valiant Boise, stood off several miles in the bay with eight-inch guns
which could out-argue any chatter from Japanese shore emplacements. In
addition, there were a goodly number of destroyers from Destroyer Squadron 21,
who came in to close quarters for point-blank fire down the very throats of
the Jap caves. Then, of course, there were the lesser craft--if you can
call them that�the glorious little ships and barges whose heroic work we
tend to take for granted. Each one of them saw its share of excitement and
more than its share of danger. Let me record a few notes about some of their
doings. Most of what I write is hearsay--possibly inaccurate--but true in the
sense that it outlines the general character of the action. There were the
minesweepers, for instance--the foster-mothers of naval victories. Intrepid
and anonymous, these vessels clear the path for every operation, slightly ahead
of the first wave.
Charles "Doc" Bradford