Amphibious Assault Ship
LHD 8 - USS Makin Island
Type, Class:		Amphibious Assault Ship (Multi Purpose) - LHD; Wasp - class (modified) planned and built as LHD 8
Builder:		Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA
STATUS:		Awarded: April 19, 2002 Laid down: February 14, 2004 Launched: September 22, 2006 Commissioned: October 24, 2009 ACTIVE / in service (Pacific Fleet)
Homeport:		San Diego, California
Namesake:		named after and in honor of the raid against Japanese forces on Makin Island in 1942 / WWII > see history, below;
Ship's Motto:		“GUNG HO” was the Battle Cry of the Second Raider Battalion and the Motto of USS MAKIN ISLAND (CVE 93). “Gung Ho” translated means “Work Together”.
Technical Data: (Measures, Propulsion, Armament, Aviation, etc.)		see: INFO > Wasp class Amphibious Assault Ship - LHD
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Namesake & History:
The Makin Island Raid (occurred on 17 - 18 August 1942) was an attack by the United States Marine Corps on Japanese military forces on Makin Island (now known as Butaritari Island) in the Pacific Ocean. The aim was to destroy Japanese installations, take prisoners, gain intelligence on the Gilbert Islands area, and divert Japanese attention and reinforcements from the Allied landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi. Preparations and organization The raid was among the first American offensive ground combat operations of World War II. The force was drawn from the 2nd Raider Battalion and comprised a small battalion command group and two of the Battalion's six rifle companies. Because of space limitations aboard ship, each company embarked without one of its rifle sections. Battalion headquarters, A Company and 18 men from B Company - totaling 121 troops - were embarked aboard the submarine Argonaut and the remainder of B Company - totaling 90 men - aboard Nautilus. The raiding force was designated Task Group 7.15 (TG 7.15). The Makin Atoll garrison consisted of the Japanese seaplane base led by Sgt. Major Kanemitsu with 73 naval air force personnel with light weapons. Execution of the raid The Marines were launched in rubber boats powered by small, 6 hp (4.5 kW) outboard motors shortly after 00:00 (midnight) on 17 August. At 05:13, Companies A and B of the 2nd Raider Battalion - commanded by Lt. Col. Evans Carlson - successfully landed on Butaritari. The landing had been very difficult due to rough seas, high surf, and the failure of many of the outboard motors. Lt. Col. Carlson decided to land all his men on one beach, rather than two beaches as originally planned. At 05:15, Lt. Oscar Peatross and a 12-man squad landed on Butaritari. In the confusion of the landing, they did not get word of Carlson's decision to change plans and land all the Raiders on one beach. Thus, Peatross and his men landed where they originally planned. It turned out to be a fortunate error. Undaunted by the lack of support, Peatross led his men inland. At 07:00, with Company A leading, the Raiders advanced from the beach across the island to its north shore before attacking southwestward. Strong resistance from Japanese snipers and machine guns stalled the advance and inflicted casualties. The Japanese then launched two banzai charges that were wiped out by the Raiders, thus killing most of the Japanese on the island. At 09:00, Lt. Peatross and his 12 men found themselves behind the Japanese who were fighting the rest of the Raiders to the east. Peatross's unit killed eight Japanese and the garrison commander Sgt Mjr Kanemitsu, knocked out a machinegun and destroyed the enemy radios; but suffered three dead and two wounded. Failing to contact Carlson, they withdrew to the subs at dusk as planned. At 13:30, 12 Japanese planes - including two flying boats - arrived over Butaritari. The flying boats - carrying reinforcements for the Japanese garrison - attempted to land in the lagoon, but were met with machinegun, rifle and anti-tank fire from the Raiders. One plane crashed; the other burst into flames. The remaining planes bombed and strafed but inflicted no U.S. casualties. Evacuation of the Raiders At 19:30, the Raiders began to withdraw from the island using 18 rubber boats, many of which no longer had working outboard motors. Despite heavy surf seven boats with 93 men made it to the subs. The next morning several boatloads of Raiders were able to fight the surf and reach the sub; but 72 men, along with just three rubber boats, were still on the island. At 23:30, the attempt by most of the Raiders to reach the submarines failed. Despite hours of heroic effort, 11 of 18 boats were unable to breach the unexpectedly strong surf. Having lost most of their weapons and equipment, the exhausted survivors struggled back to the beach to link up with 20 fully armed men who had been left on the island to cover their withdrawal. At 09:00 on 18 August, the subs sent a rescue boat to stretch rope from the ships to the shore that would allow the remaining Raiders' boats to be pulled out to sea. But just as the operation began, Japanese planes arrived and attacked, sinking the rescue boat and attacking the subs, which were forced to crash dive and wait on the bottom the rest of the day. The subs were undamaged. At 23:08, having managed to signal the subs to meet his Raiders at the entrance to Makin Lagoon, Carlson had a team led by Lt. Charlie Lamb build a raft made up of three rubber boats and two native canoes, powered by the two remaining outboard motors. Using this raft, 72 exhausted Raiders sailed 4 miles from Butaritari to the mouth of the lagoon, where the subs picked them up. Casualties USMC casualties were given as 18 killed in action and 12 missing in action. Of the 12 Marines missing in action, one was later identified among the 18 Marine Corps graves found on Makin Island. Of the remaining eleven Marines missing in action, nine were inadvertently left behind or returned to the island during the night withdrawal. They were subsequently captured, moved to Kwajalein Atoll, and executed by Japanese forces. Two are MIA. Recovery of fallen Marines In 2000, 58 years after the raid, the remains of 19 Marines were found on Makin Island and identified at the Army's Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. The remaining eleven Marines were never located. Six of these Marines were returned to their families for private burial ceremonies. The remaining 13 were buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery after a funeral service at Fort Myer Chapel at which the Marine Commandant General James L. Jones spoke. Conclusions Carlson reported that he had personally counted 83 Japanese bodies and estimated that 160 Japanese were killed based on reports from the Makin Island natives with whom he spoke. Additional Japanese personnel may have been killed in the destruction of two boats and two aircraft. Morison states that 60 Japanese were killed in the sinking of one of the boats. Although the Marine Raiders succeeded in annihilating the Japanese garrison on the island, the raid failed to meet its other material objectives. No Japanese prisoners were taken, and no meaningful intelligence was collected. Also, no significant Japanese forces were diverted from the Solomon Islands area. In fact, because the vulnerabilities to their garrisons in the Gilbert Islands were highlighted by the raid, the Japanese strengthened their fortifications and defensive preparations on the islands in the central Pacific - one of the objectives of the raid, in so far as it would dissipate Japanese material and manpower - which may have caused heavier losses for U.S. forces during the battles of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaigns. However, the raid did succeed in its objectives of boosting morale and testing Raider tactics. source: wikipedia
USS Makin Island (LHD 8): USS Makin Island was laid down on 14 February 2004 by the Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi. She was christened on 19 August 2006, sponsored by Mrs. Silke Hagee, wife of General Michael Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and launched on 15 September 2006. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, US Navy officials announced that several ships under construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding had been damaged by the storm, including Makin Island and two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The ship's completion was delayed due to rewiring during 2008 to repair incorrect wiring installation. On 21 October 2008 USS Makin Island qualified their first Surface Warfare Officer. After 15 months of training and studying, Ensign Ebony Miller, of Makin Island's deck department, became the first officer to earn a SWO pin at the command. Makin Island was delivered to the US Navy on 16 April 2009 and was commissioned at Pascagoula, Mississippi without ceremony on 26 June 2009 with Captain Bob Kopas in command. Makin Island departed 10 July 2009 on a transit around South America, during which the crew continued to train, obtaining underway certifications in preparation for its arrival in San Diego. During the transit, Makin Island conducted theater security cooperation (TSC) activities with Brazil, Chile and Peru, focusing on working closely with partner nation civil and maritime forces to share methods and training. She arrived in her home port of San Diego on 14 September 2009. Captain Kopas stated in an interview on local radio that the Makin Island had saved about $2 million in fuel, compared with a conventional propulsion system, on her voyage from Mississippi around South America to San Diego. Her official commissioning ceremony took place on 24 October 2009 at Naval Air Station North Island, Coronado near San Diego. Six USMC veterans of the Makin Island raid attended the ceremony. Damage to a turning gear delayed the ship's final check-out trials from August to September 2010. Makin Island visited San Francisco in October 2010 as part of the city's 2010 Fleet Week festivities.
New propulsion system: Makin Island departed on its maiden deployment, as the U. S. Navy’s first hybrid-drive warship: part electric and part gas. About 70 percent of the time, Makin Island can use the electric motors, saving on gas. When the ship needs to get from Point A to B quickly, at 12 knots or more, it uses the gas turbines. Once on station, the ship’s mission changes. Its job then is to launch Marines ashore in small boats and aircraft. While the Marines are on the ground, the ship maneuvers in a small area at slow speed, "the perfect scenario" for the electric motor. Fuel savings were said to be “impressive”. On an average day, the Makin Island uses 15,000 gallons of fuel, versus 35,000 to 40,000 gallons on an older steam ship of its type, said Capt. James Landers, commanding officer. The downside is the logistical “tail,” which means it takes awhile to get parts. There are not many places in the world where the Makin Island will be able to plug in, because of the high voltage requirements of its system. Further, the ship is software dependent, which is an independent source of failure.
patches
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