Support Assaults On Japanese-Held Islands
Brackett stood out of Pearl Harbor on 20 January 1944 and anchored in Funafuti Atoll, Ellice Islands, on the 25th. The destroyer escort got underway again on 29 January with 5th Fleet warships heading for Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The Japanese had abandoned Majuro in November 1942, and Allied troops, who prepared for an assault on enemy territory, simply raised the Stars and Stripes on 31 January. The atoll's value as an advanced base was apparent, and work to improve existing facilities began immediately. Thanks to the efforts of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, a large-scale anchorage chart was available on 2 February; and, two days later, Brackett escorted several of the 5th Fleet ships into safe harbor.
Read more about this topic: USS Brackett (DE-41)
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