Title: War diary for the USS Portland

Identifier: 0677-037-b1-fa-i1   (https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/90189)

Description: The USS Portland's war diary documents the ship's participation in numerous engagements and operations in World War II's Pacific Theater. Included are details during actions in the Coral Sea (May, 1942); Midway (June, 1942); Guadalcanal (August & November 1942); Santa Cruz Islands (October 1942); Gilbert Islands (November 1943); Marshall Islands (December, 1943-March, 1944); Carolina Islands (March-September, 1944); Leyte (October-November, 1944); Luzon (December, 1944-February, 1945); and Okinawa Shima (March-April, 1945). Specific information concerning battle damage suffered by the Portland during the third salvo at Guadalcanal is included, particularly its jammed turret that forced the cruiser to steam in circles while continuing to fight and damage control measures used to keep the ship functional (November 1942). Other U.S. naval vessels are mentioned in the war diary and include heavy cruisers USS Columbia (CA-74) and USS Louisville (CA-28); aircraft carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6), USS Lexington (CV-2), and USS Yorktown (CV-5); and battleship USS Maryland (BB-46). Also detailed are Japanese kamikaze raids (November 1944; January and April 1945) and submarine and midget submarine attacks (October 1942; March 1945). A heading on the first page of the diary lists a date range of December 7, 1941 to June 17, 1945, but entries continue until October 12, 1945.