USS Argonaut and the Makin Island Raid
from The Dave Bowman Show
In August of 1942 the USS Argonaut left Pearl Harbor on a mission unlike any she had ever undertaken. Built as a mine-laying submarine, she was slow, heavy, and awkward in comparison to the fleet boats that now carried the war westward. But her broad hull and ample internal space made her a fit for something no one had tried before. Along with USS Nautilus, Argonaut carried Carlson’s Raiders, two hundred twenty-one Marines with orders to strike Makin Atoll, inflict damage, confuse the enemy, and get back out alive. It was the first time the Navy would send a submarine into battle not just as a hunter of ships, but as a troop transport. For Argonaut’s crew, used to torpedoes and patrols, this felt like stepping into a different kind of war.
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What this episode covers
In August of 1942, as American forces were battling to hold their ground on Guadalcanal, another group of Marines was slipping quietly across the Pacific with a very different mission. Packed inside two submarines, Carlson’s Raiders of the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion set out to strike the Japanese on a remote atoll called Makin. Their raid was meant to destroy outposts, capture intelligence, and draw enemy attention away from the Solomons. What followed was a chaotic mix of bravery, confusion, and tragedy. Motors failed, surf overturned boats, and men fought through exhaustion as much as they did enemy fire. The results were far from the plan, yet the raid carried symbolic weight. It showed the reach of American arms, lifted morale, and left a lasting mark on the Pacific War. Today, the Makin Island raid still reminds us of the grit and sacrifice that defined the early days of America’s fightback.
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