Aboard Lcs 11 In Ww Ii

Aboard LCS 11 in World War II is a narrative account of the experiences of Lawrence Smith and his shipmates from 1944 through 1946 in the Pacific theater of the war. Their ship, LCS 11, was a small, shallow-draft vessel designed to accompany Marines in Amtraks as they assaulted Japanese-held islands. LCS 11 took part in the Battle of Okinawa which began on the 1st of April and continued through the middle of June 1945. It was the last and largest battle of the war involving almost 1400 ships. More sailors were killed at Okinawa than in any other battle of the war.By the spring of 1945, the Japanese were becoming desperate in their effort to protect their homeland from the advancing American forces. And because Okinawa was just two hundred and sixty miles from Japan, they stepped up their use of kamikaze attacks on American ships. After accompanying the Marines to the beaches of Okinawa, the LCS´s were assigned to picket stations around the island where they watched for and tried to shoot down incoming suicide planes from Japan.The book is a memoir derived from the diaries and letters of Lawrence Smith, but it also includes stories and commentary by other members of the ship´s crew. The skipper and other officers describe ship handling, life aboard a small ship, and riding out a devastating typhoon off Okinawa. The enlisted men, tell about the camaraderie of sailors on liberty in Shanghai and other exotic ports.