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Asiatic-Pacific Specified Raids (1944)/Formosa Air Battle
From Month/Year
October / 1944
To Month/Year
October / 1944
Description The Formosa Air Battle took place between October 10 and 20, 1944, off the eastern coasts of the Ryukyu Islands, Formosa, and Luzon. It was fought by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service and the approaching Task Force 38 of the United States Third Fleet and was one of a series of air raids on Japan during the Pacific War. The attacks served to prevent Japanese aircraft from participating in the Battle of Leyte Gulf later that month.
The battle was one-sided, as the U.S. practically dominated the air war due to the superior training and weaponry that it possessed at that point. Japanese air power in the region was battle exhausted, giving the Americans air superiority and weakening Japan's ability to defend the Okinawa Islands in the upcoming Okinawa Campaign. However, in an effort to boost morale and to cover up th
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
October / 1944
To Month/Year
October / 1944
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories The USS Houston was attacked by Torpedo Planes and tho she shot down four aircraft, was struck amid ship 1st, knocking out the engine room and causing a slight list to starboard. Once she obtained a tow, she was struck again, this time at the stern.
Her crew's effective damage control measures kept her afloat, and after nearly two weeks of towing she arrived at Ulithi, an advanced fleet base in the Caroline Islands.
Drydocking and other repair efforts over the next two months got the badly damaged cruiser into good enough shape to permit her to steam to the New York Navy Yard, where she received a complete reworking between March and October 1945.
The Second World War was over when Houston returned to active duty, but she had two years of post-war Atlantic Fleet service, operating in European and Mediterranean waters during April-December 1946 and again in May-August 1947 . Decommissioned in December 1947, she was part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until stricken from the Navy list in March 1959.
