The History

The letters from Morris Anthony to Helen may have trickled off in June due to the operational tempo of the USS Waller.  The USS Waller escorted Task Group 51.18 to Saipan by way of the Kwajalein atoll and crossed the 180^th Meridian on June 5, 1944.  Task Group 51.18 was to support the occupation of the Marianas Islands and would land on whichever Island the situation dictated.  Saipan became its designated objective.  USS Waller would bombard Japanese positions on the Island. [1]

At 1755 (5:55 PM) on the evening of June 18, the USS Waller and her sister ship USS Pringle entered Magicienne Bay to engage an enemy tank attack.  The Waller closed to the beach to get a better view, and at 1758, all engine were stopped to give the watch a better look at the shore.  Three minutes later, Japanese artillery opened up on the two destroyers.

Continue reading →