Salt Lake Telegram | 1942-11-19 | Page 1 | Cruiser That Sank Six Jap Ships Back in U. S. from Solomons

Cruiser That at Sank Six Jap Ships I IBack Back in U. U S. S From Solomons I WASHINGTON Nov 19 P Battered lP Battered and torn by many Japanese shells find nd once given up for lost the Americ cruiser Boise ca came e home from from the Solomon islands battle zone Thursday with the extraordinary record of having been chiefly instrumental in sinking inking six Japanese Japanese Japanese Jap Jap- anese warships in In a 11 single engagement en en- nt i The ton ton O vessel classed ad as a Alight light cruiser because she bears only six inch guns docked at the the Philadelphia navy yard where her skipper Captain E. E J. J J Mike Moran of San Francisco was greeted by Admiral Ernest J. J J. J King commander chief of the United States fleet King had made a special trip from Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington to welcome the heroic vessel vessel vessel ves ves- sel and its crew The Boise lost three officers and 10 1 men killed in the violent I night battle which occurred off Cape Esperance Guadalcanal on October 12 11 when a cruiser- cruiser destroyer task force intercepted a Japanese trans destroyer I I port force bearing troops to the I southeastern Solomons island I The Boise was lead sl ship p of the American group and bore the i brunt of the fighting in which which the Japanese lost two heavy cruisers cruisers cruisers cruis cruis- I ers one light cruiser and three destroyers In the course of the battling i ithe the American vessel received many hits including what the navy called 11 straddles and andone andone andone one blow from an inch eight-inch shell which pierced her hull nine feet I below the water line Well out in front of her accompanying accompanying accompanying vessels the Boise took brutal punishment from the eight- eight inch armament or of the enemy's I heavy cruisers Flames that leaped mast high I Continued on Puce Pace Three Column five CRUISER BACK FROM BATTLE from Page Pace One enveloped her and roared deep in her hull The other vessels in the American flotilla gave her up for lost and continued on their course But two hours later the undaunted undaunted undaunted un un- daunted Boise came steaming toward toward toward to to- ward them out of the darkness at 20 knots to resume her assigned station in the column The Boise will be repaired and andin andin andin in time will steam off to war again the navy said whereas two heavy Japanese cruisers one light cruiser and three destroyers which faced her swinging guns never will The navy said that the ship was saved by the swift skilful I and heroic actions of Captain Moran and his crew who flooded her exploded exploded exploded ex ex- magazine put out her fires shored up her wavering bulkheads and plugged up her shell holes with bedding