THE ONE-SHIP FLEET: USS Boise - WWII Naval Legend 1938-45

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Full history of the Brooklyn-class light cruiser USS Boise (CL-47), which was awarded 11 battle stars in WWII -- more than any other light cruiser in her class.

She participated in the naval battles in the Solomons in 1942. After repairs and modifications, the Boise was sent in 1943 to the Mediterranean theater to participate in the invasions of Sicily, Taranto, and Salerno. She enhanced her fame by destroying enemy tanks during armored counterattacks in both Sicily and Salerno.

From the Mediterranean, Boise was sent to the Southwest Pacific theater to join the US 7th Fleet for the campaign in New Guinea in 1943-44 and then the invasion of the Philippines. She fought in the battle of Leyte Gulf, notably in the night engagement in the Surigao Strait, where battleships faced off against each other for the last time in maritime history. Boise was credited with helping to sink a Japanese battleship. She also fought off the suicide planes known as kamikazes at Leyte and later at Lingayen Gulf during the invasion of Luzon.

MacArthur used her as his flagship for the Luzon attack, thereby adding to her already considerable fame, then after helping retake Corregidor and other islands in the Philippines, Boise carried the general on a triumphant tour of the islands. This tour was interrupted for the invasion of Borneo, but completed when the beach was secured. After MacArthur left the ship in June 1945, she ended the war in the US for an overhaul.