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On 18 November , 1944, Alpine was
twice attacked by Japanese aircraft as troops were being debarked in Leyte
Gulf. Gun crews took the first aircraft under fire and it crashed off the
ships’ starboard quarter. Later, a second plane approached and Alpine
again opened fire. This plane was hit and went into a full power dive toward
Alpine's bridge. At an altitude of 1,200 feet, the aircraft burst
into flames but still crashed into the attack transport's port side. Two
explosions produced fires that were quickly brought under control. Five crew
members were killed and 12 injured.
Later, Alpine was assigned to
support the invasion of Okinawa. Early in the evening of 1 April 1945, an
attacking Japanese aircraft dropped a bomb which exploded on Alpine’s
main deck. The aircraft then hit the ship, causing fires in the number 2 and
3 holds. By late evening, the transport was listing seven degrees to port.
Another ship assisted Alpine's crew in getting the fires under
control. Search teams discovered that 16 crewmen had been killed and 19
injured. Following temporary repairs, Alpine left Okinawa on 6 April,
bound for the United States via Saipan and Pearl Harbor. |
