Okinawa, 1945
The Second World War
Date
1945
Geographical parameters
The Far East.
Context
Eligible to all ships and submarines having taken part in Operation Iceberg. An area battle honour formally entitled “Okinawa 1945” Footnote 1
Description
His Majesty’s Ship Uganda was a Fiji- class cruiser that had been struck by a glider bomb on 13 September 1943 off the coast of Italy in the Gulf of Salerno. The severely damaged ship had been taken to Charlestown, South Carolina for repairs and a re-build that would equip it for an anti-aircraft role in the Pacific campaign. The ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1944 but, unlike most other British ships transferred to Canadian control; its name was not changed. This was because the colony of Uganda had adopted the ship and had supplied it with many gifts. The Admiralty did not wish to cause offense to the people of Uganda and so persuaded the Canadians to retain the name. In April 1945 HMCS Uganda joined the British Pacific Fleet where its role would be one of providing anti-aircraft protection to aircraft carriers. The Uganda was but the first of many Canadian vessels ear-marked for a role in the Pacific war, which ended much sooner than anticipated.
Operation “Iceberg” was the amphibious assault on the island of Okinawa (located 550 kilometres from Japan) which, once captured, would supply both airfields and a logistics base for an invasion of the Japanese home islands. The role of the British Pacific Fleet was that of air operations against the island group that lay between Okinawa and Formosa. HMCS Uganda contributed to both the air defence of the British Pacific Fleet and in carrying out bombardments of the enemy airfield on the island of Myako, furthering the Japanese surrender in August 1945.
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