World Battlefronts: BATTLE OF THE SEAS: The Little Ships

The Navy last week totted up its losses off Okinawa: 4,907 men killed or missing, 4,824 wounded—nearly 20% of its total casualties in all oceans for the entire war. Okinawa was also the war’s costliest operation for ships, according to the Navy’s own figures: 33 ships sunk, more than 50 damaged.

One of the big reasons for this damage was finally passed by censors: the gallant little ships (destroyers, destroyer escorts, LCSs) which formed the “picket line” 25 to 50 miles above the main anchorage had been severely mauled. By staying out front, the little ships with thin hulls had been able to warn the big transports and gunnery ships of approaching Jap planes. But they became the first Okinawan targets in the sights of the Jap suicide planes, . and they took the greatest concentrated damage, plus more than 1,000 casualties.

But the little ships stuck to their picket line, and the men stuck to their guns. They set a world’s antiaircraft record by shooting down 490 planes during the 82-day battle. They went to “general quarters” 150 times. The picket linemen’s spirit was set down for history in a message sent by one little ship in April: “Have been hit by two suicide planes; shot down the third; am taking damaged destroyer in tow.”