Evening star., 1950-09-18
Short-Nofice Massino
OF Armada in Korea
Now Can Be Told
300 Ships Gathered
To Protect Landing
Of z Full Divisions
By David Laurence

By Davfd Laurence
Now it can be told-the story of
Q great armada of more than 300
ships assembled on short notice
and delivering two full strength
divisions of troops at Inchon for
o successful landing under the
protection of American naval guns
and naval airpower.
One Of the two divisions, COM
posed Of Army troops, was trans
ported by the Navy from points in
the Pacific. But to land the other
division, composed of United
States Marines, necesSitated a
movement virtually around the
world. From, the Mediterranean
and through the Suez Canal went
Marines protected by United
States cruisers and destroyers.
Just before the naval forces and
Marines started from their sta
tions in the Mediterranean, rein
forcements of Marines likewise
went from the United States to
replace the Mediterranean forces
that had been ordered to the Far
East so that the departure and
replacement movements occurred
simultaneously.
Didn't Need Training.
But this feat-a conspicuous
demonstration of the mobility of
the United States Navy-was not
the only example of mobility: The
same Marines who were fighting
in South Korea on Monday were
on Friday fighting their way into
Seoul from Inchon. They had
been withdrawn from the front
line. replaced by Army troops and
loaded on ships at South Korean
port and brought together on the
west coast of Korea with other
Marine units from the Mediter-
ranean and the United States ana
then put into action as full
strength division. They did not
need any new training or maneu-
vers. It now turns out that the
Marine brigade fighting in South
Korea for the last several weeks
went there merely as a stopgap to
help plug the line but was de.
signed from the beginning to join
other ur.itS in the amphibious or
ship-to-shore operation just COM
pleted at Inchon though planned
last June.
1t can now be told also what
the meaning of the naval opera
ton is on the east coast of Korea.
Here the battleship Missouri is
pouring 16-inch shells up and
down the coast. She had been
hastily brought back to Annapolis
q few weeks ago to unload the
Midshipmen she had been carry
ing on training cruise. The IA
NOUS battlewagon was sent full
speed by Admiral Sherman to the
Far East. Her ammunition and
supplies were sent ahead of time
to Pacific bases. The Missouri
packs a powerful wallop. Each of
her 16-inch shells is the equival-
ent of two 1,000-pound airplane
bombs and can be fired in all
kinds of weather steadily for days,
horizontally and at other angles,
within a range of 18 miles inland
along the coast.
South Koreans Trained by u. S.
The South Korean marines,
trained by America, are the only
troops being used for landing on
the East Coast. They. together
with the firepower of the Missouri
and of our heavy cruisers and de-
stroyers, are designed to make the
narrow road along the east coast
of Korea not only impossible
from the north for supply cara
vans but also unuSable for any
northward retreat of the Com
munist forces when the United
Nations army offensive in the
south begins to push them back.
The battleship New Jersey was
ordered into commission a few
weeks ago. She was Admiral
Halsey's flagship in the last war.
A third battleship will be put in
commission in a few months.
These battleships which are
needed in peacetime to train gun
ners and Naval Reserve officers
for cruisers and destroyers-they
can give big ship discipline to a
crew of about 1000 men at a time
can also be used for lombard
ment whenever required. The i'm
portance Of the training programs
can be realized when it is noted
that our destroyers are being in
creased from 1876 to 200.
Before the end of the present
fiscal year naval airpower, which
had 80 aircraft carriers operating
in 1945, will have at least ten
big carriers and Is smaller ones
in commission. Many of these
coming out of shipyards in a few
months will have been modern
lied. They are desperately needed
for anti-submarine patrol.
Reproduction Rights Reserved.)