USS Langley in heavy seas in the South China Sea in the morning of 13 Jan 1945. Note the trailing USS Washington riding the storm much better.

Caption   USS Langley in heavy seas in the South China Sea in the morning of 13 Jan 1945. Note the trailing USS Washington riding the storm much better. ww2dbase
Source    ww2dbaseUnited States Naval History and Heritage Command
Identification Code   NH 89374 & 80-G-305484
More on...   
Raid into the South China Sea   Main article  Photos  Maps  
Washington   Main article  Photos  Maps  
Langley (Independence-class)   Main article  Photos  
Photos on Same Day 13 Jan 1945
Photos at Same Place South China Sea, Pacific Ocean
Added By C. Peter Chen
Added Date 30 Apr 2012

This photograph has been scaled down; full resolution photograph is available here (1,848 by 1,291 pixels).

Licensing  Public Domain



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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Brian (Lofty) Harris ex tankie says:
18 Dec 2013 02:46:05 PM

Amazing a ship that tonnage could be trashed around like that. Imagine the deck cargo, planes etc. I would be badly sea sick. Poor guys. Thanks for the great pix guys. Brian in Australia
2. Anonymous says:
18 Dec 2014 02:03:35 PM

Break out the sea sickness bags��!
3. Commenter identity confirmed David Stubblebine says:
21 Jul 2015 11:09:50 PM

Morison’s “History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II” captions this photo as taking place during Typhoon Cobra, 18 Dec 1944 east of the Philippines, but this is incorrect. The original Navy photo was included in the reports for Operation Gratitude (the Raid into the South China Sea) and is captioned “U.S.S. LANGLEY heels over to heavy seas at fueling rendezvous in South China Sea 13 January, 1945.” Even the Naval History and Heritage Command’s caption has been persuaded by Morison’s misidentification of this photo’s time and place as have many subsequent authors and sources (including Wikimedia).
4. Ray says:
13 Jan 2021 12:41:49 PM

The date on this can't be accurate. The Langley was abandoned and cuttled in Feb. 1942 after sustaining heavy damage by Japanese aircraft. Her escort ships sank her to keep her from falling into Japanese hands.
5. Commenter identity confirmed David Stubblebine says:
13 Jan 2021 03:05:48 PM

Ray (above):
You are absolutely right. America’s first aircraft carrier, USS Langley (CV-1), was sunk in Feb 1942. But then later, in Nov 1942, an Independence-class carrier then under construction as USS Crown Point was renamed Langley (CVL-27). This ship went on to enjoy a very colorful career and it is this second Langley that is seen in this photo.

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Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name South China Sea, Pacific Ocean
Lat/Long 15.0000, 114.2667
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