Independence soon after completion, circa early 1943Light Carrier USS Independence in port, 1943Aviation Ordinanceman poses aiming the twin Browning M1919 .30 caliber machine of an SBD Dauntless scout bomber aboard light carrier USS Independence during her shakedown cruise to Trinidad, 30 Apr 1943.Gun crews on a twin 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft mount take their meals at general quarters aboard the Light Carrier USS Independence in the Caribbean Sea, 30 Apr 1943.
Independence soon after completion, circa early 1943Light Carrier USS Independence in port, 1943Aviation Ordinanceman poses aiming the twin Browning M1919 .30 caliber machine of an SBD Dauntless scout bomber aboard light carrier USS Independence during her shakedown cruise to Trinidad, 30 Apr 1943.Gun crews on a twin 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft mount take their meals at general quarters aboard the Light Carrier USS Independence in the Caribbean Sea, 30 Apr 1943.
Note the broad wings of the TBF Avenger, the largest US carrier plane of WWII, as it makes its take-off run down the flight deck of the Light Carrier USS Independence, Caribbean Sea, 1 May 1943.Carrier Independence under overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, United States, 11 Jul 1943; note hulls of submarines Spadefish and Trepang nearbyIndependence off Mare Island Navy Yard, 13 Jul 1943, photo 1 of 3Independence off Mare Island Navy Yard, 13 Jul 1943, photo 2 of 3
Note the broad wings of the TBF Avenger, the largest US carrier plane of WWII, as it makes its take-off run down the flight deck of the Light Carrier USS Independence, Caribbean Sea, 1 May 1943.Carrier Independence under overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, United States, 11 Jul 1943; note hulls of submarines Spadefish and Trepang nearbyIndependence off Mare Island Navy Yard, 13 Jul 1943, photo 1 of 3Independence off Mare Island Navy Yard, 13 Jul 1943, photo 2 of 3
Independence off Mare Island Navy Yard, 13 Jul 1943, photo 3 of 3Independence in San Francisco Bay, 15 Jul 1943, photo 1 of 2Independence in San Francisco Bay, 15 Jul 1943, photo 2 of 2Aerial view straight down onto Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, 18 Aug 1943.
Independence off Mare Island Navy Yard, 13 Jul 1943, photo 3 of 3Independence in San Francisco Bay, 15 Jul 1943, photo 1 of 2Independence in San Francisco Bay, 15 Jul 1943, photo 2 of 2Aerial view straight down onto Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, 18 Aug 1943.
Damaged aircraft on the hangar deck of the USS Independence, 6 Oct 1944 following heavy seas 3 days earlier. Note the hand-tied rope lashings to secure the aircraft. Note also the AIA radar antenna in the damaged radomeUSS Independence anchored in Bikini Atoll as a target ship for the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests, Jul 1946.Independence showing atomic bomb damage off Bikini Islands, 1 Jul 1946, photo 1 of 2Independence showing atomic bomb damage off Bikini Islands, 1 Jul 1946, photo 2 of 2
Damaged aircraft on the hangar deck of the USS Independence, 6 Oct 1944 following heavy seas 3 days earlier. Note the hand-tied rope lashings to secure the aircraft. Note also the AIA radar antenna in the damaged radomeUSS Independence anchored in Bikini Atoll as a target ship for the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests, Jul 1946.Independence showing atomic bomb damage off Bikini Islands, 1 Jul 1946, photo 1 of 2Independence showing atomic bomb damage off Bikini Islands, 1 Jul 1946, photo 2 of 2
USS Independence, damaged in atomic bomb tests, in San Francisco Bay being prepared for sinking after efforts to wash off the radioactivity were unsuccessful, Jan 19512015 computer enhanced sonar image of the sunken USS Independence in 2,600 feet of water off Half Moon Bay, California. Note that the colors are to better show the features and are not the true colors of the wreck.
USS Independence, damaged in atomic bomb tests, in San Francisco Bay being prepared for sinking after efforts to wash off the radioactivity were unsuccessful, Jan 19512015 computer enhanced sonar image of the sunken USS Independence in 2,600 feet of water off Half Moon Bay, California. Note that the colors are to better show the features and are not the true colors of the wreck.
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Track of Beach Approaches for the Western Task Force during Operation Torch, 8 Nov 1942, prepared for the United States Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Combat Narrative report.




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"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us... they can't get away this time."

Lt. Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, at Guadalcanal